Bluewater has hosted its enterprise challenge, ‘Made in Bluewater’, with two local schools.
Made in Bluewater is a cross-school competition with students tasked with designing a brand-new community space for the city before going head to head in Dragons’ Den-style pitches. Centred around the theme ‘reimagining their local retail space’, the project challenged Kent pupils to present their ideas and vision for retail in the future, while considering the broader impact retail space has on the local area.
Year 10 students from The Leigh Academy and The Leigh UTC in Dartford took part in three workshops at Bluewater which replicated real-life design processes. This included creative placemaking, community and customer insights, and environmental sustainability hosted by professionals at Bluewater, before the students developed their own ideas for a retail space to best serve their community in Kent.
The teams presented their ideas to an expert panel, showcasing the principles learned during the workshops. The pitches addressed all aspects of creating a sustainable retail space, including establishing their concept, understanding their key audience, and shared how they would design and market the space. The final presentations included concept diagrams, mood boards and branding, survey questions for customer research, example social media content and key points on sustainability.
‘Made in Bluewater’ aims to showcase the vital role young people can play in transforming the retail landscape into a dynamic force for positive change within their communities. In recent years, physical retail has shifted towards creating experiences, with shopping centres evolving into social hubs that foster and strengthen community connections.
The school engagement project is delivered by Bluewater, its parent company Landsec, and Ahead Partnership, and is funded by the Landsec Futures Fund. The £20m social impact fund is dedicated to enhancing social value to the communities it serves.
This is the second year of the challenge, providing an opportunity for up to 60 Kent-based students to benefit from the Landsec Futures Fund.
James Waugh, Centre Director at Bluewater, said: “Made in Bluewater is a wonderful initiative that encourages students to explore their creativity within the retail sector. Listening to the perspectives of the younger generation offers fresh inspiration for creating retail experiences that resonate with their needs and interests.
“Working with Ahead Partnership, who have already supported over 10,000 young people through their continued partnership with Landsec, helps us ensure that the work we’re doing has a tangible impact within our local community. This is the fourth time the competition has run in Kent and helps individuals learn everything they need to know about taking an idea from its first draft to its design and pitch, whilst building self-confidence and skills to further develop their own career paths.”
Georgina Johnson, Programme Manager at Ahead Partnership said: “It has been a privilege to work with Bluewater and Landsec to bring the Made In Bluewater challenge to a new cohort of students for the fourth year running. We have been so impressed by all the ideas shared by students that showcase their creativity and vision for the future of retail.
“It has been brilliant to see the team at Bluewater and Landsec come together to support the next generation to develop essential employability skills while acting as role models of their professions, helping to connect more young people to opportunities in their area.”
The winning team from this year’s event was Team Checkmate from The Leigh Academy, winning a trophy for their school and the chance to compete in a national final.
For more information, please visit https://www.bluewater.co.uk/en
- Olivia Smith
