Putting vacant space to meaningful use

LISTEN: In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, EG editor Samantha McClary is in conversation with Shaftesbury chief executive Brian Bickell.

The pair talk about the importance of landlord and tenant relationships and the role that real estate has to play in helping to amplify the voices of those that often don’t get heard or seen.

As part of Black History Month, Shaftesbury has teamed up with My Runway Group, a youth empowerment organisation dedicated to inspiring and developing young black creatives, to open 21 Youth Street. The pop-up store on Carnaby Street is open until the end of October and will feature more than 50 black owned businesses, providing a platform for them to showcase their brands.

It is an initiative that Bickell is really proud of and one way that he thinks real estate can do its bit. Vacant stores, after all, are not that hard to come by right now, so why not utilise them to do some good?

But before you dive in to the podcast. The usual warning. This was recorded over Teams so the audio quality does sound a little echoey in places. But as always, the conversation is bang on point and really quite the delight for your ears.

Enjoy.