Bobby & Co.
The Bobby's project is a partnership between Verve Properties and their Shareholder. Verve have experience over several decades of repurposing existing buildings with a particular emphasis on placemaking and community. The ownership structure of the property, alongside the nearby Avenue Shopping Centre, is in a Legacy fund whereby patient capital is employed in projects in excess of 5 years and where there is opportunity for social impact.
In 2018, Verve and their Shareholder concluded retail was the sector in the property market which most needed a change in approach. Verve's view was that Town centres would not die, they just needed an offering that was different and provided something the internet couldn't, namely experience. The thought in 2018 was that change would happen over a 5–10-year period, where town centres would shrink to a smaller, more defined core. The space lost would be infilled by residential, creating a more continental model in line with a more sustainable way of life where people worked, lived and socialised without the need to get in a car.
What was thought to be a 5–10-year change, happened in 12 months.
With the advent of the internet. Shopping has become a choice not a necessity. Consumers have access to products globally and can buy an infinite range of goods online anytime anywhere. To attract people back into town centres and shops there has to be a reason to do so. Bobby’s seeks to curate and assemble a diverse collection of products, activities and experiences that can’t be obtained on the internet. In so doing, focus on what is local, what is sustainable and putting the community at the heart of it. Taken to an extreme, Bobby’s becomes a focal point for the community. As others have recently said community is the new anchor. It offers itself as a hub for the whole family, pets included. Resurrecting the Bobby’s name was essential.
Following the collapse of Debenhams, it was vital what came next was everything Debenhams was not. Over the years Bobby’s has been woven into the fabric of the town. Responses received on social media contain many memories and tales of tea dances, silver service afternoon teas, uniformed lift attendants and Santa’s grottos highlighting so much local warmth and nostalgia. By bringing Bobby’s name back we were able to harness that history, identity, and attachment from day one. This is additionally important as local support and patience is needed whilst refurbishment and repair work continue around a working retail environment. Many will assume the transformation will be overnight, so expectations must be managed and engaging with the public in the process is the best way to achieve this.
There is no silver bullet solution to the structural changes underway in our high streets. Bobby’s through it’s curation of a diverse collection of uses, activities and experiences is providing a raft of different reasons to come to the town centre.
By placing itself at the heart of the community it hopes to become a lighthouse of hope that can start building a more positive direction of travel for the centre of Bournemouth and perhaps provide a model which other towns can adopt.