Shopping centre image dynamics of a new entrant

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how and to what extent the attributes of a new shopping centre entrant evolve during the first seven months of operation, and the implications this has for the incumbents. To capture the strategic relevance of those changes a consumer image tracking analytical tool is developed and applied. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative research followed by a longitudinal survey. Hypothesis testing approach and descriptive analysis. Findings – The correlates between the magnitudes of shopping centre attribute perception variations, the level of self‐confidence in image evaluation, shopping centre frequency of visits, degree of the “halo effect”, shopping centre and store consumer's preferences are analysed. Only the self‐confidence and store preference did not evolve with the image magnitude changes as hypothesised. Research limitations/implications – The assessment of shopping centre image changes over time, as well as the factors underlying those changes help managers to plan strategy. Some monitoring procedures are proposed and their implications for both marketing and shopping centre operations are discussed. Originality/value – By incorporating the time dimension, the true nature of image variation can only be captured if the identification of attributes, and the amount, intensity and direction of changes are obtained, measured and analysed together. The magnitude of image variation is more associated with a shopping centre than with its stores.