Importance‐performance analysis as a tool in evaluating town centre management effectiveness

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide some insights for the evaluation of town centre management (TCM) effectiveness, by proposing the importance‐performance analysis (IPA) as a valuable tool to ensure a multi‐perspective evaluation. The need for more empirical methods of measuring town centre effectiveness is related to the risk of commonly used evaluation methodologies reflecting only the success criteria of dominant stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – By reviewing the service management literature, a definition of the “town centre product” is proposed, and how IPA can be used to analyse the city users' quality perceptions is emphasized. The theoretical framework is enriched by an empirical case study: the city centre of Benevento. Findings – The results provide a clear guidance for the implementation of a TCM scheme in the historical centre of Benevento, by identifying the main area of intervention. Research limitations/implications – The paper addresses a gap in the academic literature by using the IPA as an alternative evaluating paradigm of TCM and providing a definition of the town centre servicescape. Further research could investigate the impact of the selected environmental variables on the city users' internal responses (e.g. satisfaction) and behaviours (e.g. desire to shop), beside on their quality perceptions. Practical implications – The paper proposes a handy tool both for the exante and the expost evaluation, As well, it could be used as a benchmarking tool. Originality/value – The paper has significant implications both for practitioners and for academics. It provides an original framework for further research and factual implementation.