How Scotland’s retail destinations can make the most of the Commonwealth Games

By Ross McCall, Retail Leasing and Commercialisation Director at British Land

With Glasgow hosting the Commonwealth Games from 23rd July to 2nd August, around 500,000 ticket holders are expected to travel across the city during one of the busiest periods in its events calendar. For retail destinations, the Games offer a valuable chance to welcome new audiences and demonstrate how they can contribute to the wider visitor experience beyond the competition itself.

As visitors move between venues, transport hubs, neighbourhoods and other destinations throughout the day, activity will spread across Glasgow. Retail parks such as Glasgow Fort, on the city’s eastern approach, can play a wider role in supporting how people experience the city.

For operators and landlords, now is the time to be thinking about what happens once the crowds arrive. Event visitors might not initially be coming to shop, but they do need places to eat, meet and spend time before and after any Games events and that’s exactly where the wider shift in retail is already heading.

At Glasgow Fort, we have seen this shift first hand. Footfall is up eight percent over the past year, driven largely by demand in food and beverage, alongside fashion and health and beauty. The Commonwealth Games can build on that momentum, bringing more people into the city and creating additional opportunities for retailers that offer convenient places to eat, shop and spend time around events.

That’s why we see major events as an accelerant for a strategy that is already in motion, not a reason to bolt on short term activation. At Glasgow Fort, we’ve recently submitted plans for a 60,000 sq ft expansion that incorporates significant new leisure attractions including bowling, arcades, karaoke, laser quest and escape rooms. The proposals follow two rounds of public consultation and reflect sustained demand from visitors. It’s one of the first developments of its kind in the UK since 2020, and it’s designed to drive footfall and increase dwell time whether or not there’s a major event on the calendar.

That said, the Games do give us a live opportunity to bring that strategy to life for visitors right now.

During the Games period, Glasgow Fort will host a free Big Summer Sports Camp, tapping into the sporting mood and timed to coincide with the school holidays. It provides a way for us to connect with the wider event calendar and encourage families already in the area to spend more time at the destination, but it only works because the underlying offer, and the ongoing investment behind it, gives people a reason to stay once they’re there.

The Commonwealth Games will bring a welcome, city-wide spotlight to Glasgow this summer. The destinations that benefit most, not just during the Games but for years afterwards, will be the ones that are already building for changing visitor habits. Sustained investment in the right mix of retail, leisure and food and drink is what converts these big moments into repeat visits and longer-term loyalty.

Image courtesy of Pexels. Photo credit: Adrien Olichon.