Two years of lockdown hit stores and shopkeepers hard. Many didn't make it, and surviving malls––once bustling meeting spots––became ghost towns.
For Valengallerian in Trelleborg, Sweden most southern shopping mall, the outflow of customers started before the pandemic. As mega malls like Emporia, one of Northern Europes largest, opened in the nearby city of Malmö, many made shopping there a natural part of their daily commute.
But in the fall of 2021, as restrictions partly lifted in Sweden, Valen saw an opportunity to reboot the relationship with is desired customers. After a long period of isolation, Swedes––as the rest of the world––were eager to once again meet up with friends and family in public places. With many still working from home, the timing and mindset was right to help the people of Trelleborg rediscover Valengallerian (or Valen), as their meeting place of choice: close, safe and family friendly.
Not only that; Point Properties, the proprietor of Valengallerian, also wanted to create value for its tenants, the shopkeeper's, and strengthen the sense of community and pride in being part of southern Sweden's most family friendly mall.
So they turned to Bonnier News, for a strategy on how this local underdog could bite back.