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Susan was named the winner and received her award on 20 June at a glamorous awards ceremony at the Dorchester on London’s Park Lane from BBC Sports Commentator John Inverdale.

The award – for managers of shopping centres of 500,000 sq ft or more – recognises Susan’s role through a period of huge change during the £200 million redevelopment of Frenchgate. A key part of the Frenchgate development was the £15 million refurbishment during which full trading was maintained with very little loss of footfall.

Susan said; ‘The award has come as a wonderful surprise and I must admit I’m still floating three feet above the ground!

‘Although I’ve been personally singled out for praise I do feel the award is a good reflection of the hard work of the team here at Frenchgate and is also a tremendous indicator of Frenchgate’s high standing within the industry.’

A shopping centre manager since 1991 Susan has managed Frenchgate since January 2002. With an immediate team of 17 and a total of over 130 staff Susan has responsibility for all of the retail aspects of the scheme.

Susan beat off stiff competition for the award, including Gordon McKinnon, manager of the 1.2 million sq ft Trafford Centre in Manchester.

Nominated for the award by Francois de Freitas, Marketing Manager at Photo Me International, Susan received many testimonials to support her nomination, including the following from Ronnie Nkosi, a member of the security team at Frenchgate:

‘Susan knows how to run a shopping centre with style. She listens to the workers about Centre problems, not just the people in charge. She is very polite and down to earth but still professional.’

Susan now manages over 800,000 sq ft of retail space and a 1,700 space car park. Customer Service is an absolute priority and customer comment is actively encouraged through the Customer Service Desk. Since the opening of the new Frenchgate in June 2006 there have been very few customer complaints.

Jackie Sinclair is a member of Susan’s team at Customer Services; ‘Susan is very much team orientated. She will always let you know that she appreciates any work that you do for her – even if it is your job anyway. A true professional and a great pleasure to work for and with.’

For more information about shopping at Frenchgate please call Customer Services on 01302 368335 or visit www.frenchgateshopping.co.uk

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