Kvadrat is 2023 Shopping Centre of the Year

The Shopping Centre of the Year created a cultural development concept for staff

Coincidence would have it that the 2024 edition of the Shopping Centre Conference was held at Sola in Sandnes, only a short drive from the Kvadrat shopping centre, which was declared Shopping Centre of the Year on its own home turf. 

"There are a number of reasons why we won the award, but we have put considerable effort into cultural development together with the centre staff," says the satisfied centre manager of Kvadrat Renate Hjørnevik. 

Marketing manager Ida Amalie Berg Toft explains the idea behind the M.A.D. concept.

"We're M.A.D., which stands for 'Make A Difference'. At Kvadrat, we want to make a difference," she explains with enthusiasm. 

The M.A.D. joy squad surprises customers with home visits and gifts 

M.A.D. is intended as a culture bearer for the centre, whose focus is on actions, big and small, that can contribute to positivity. 

"We lend a listening ear, smile and greet customers in the centre. There is a lot of loneliness is society, so we want to create a meeting place, memories and experiences," adds an enthusiastic centre manager. 

Kvadrat has also established what it calls a M.A.D. crew to spread joy both inside and outside the centre. 

"The squad hands out gift cards to random visitors at the centre and surprises customers with a home visit and gifts from Kvadrat. They also help carry purchases to customers' cars and participate in the Pride parade, to name only a few activities." 

Also won an award in 2023 – for innovative measures related to social sustainability 

The Shopping Centre Conference is an annual gathering of shopping centres and their tenants. Kvadrat also won an award last year for Innovative Idea of the Year for its gaming room for young people in need of recreational activities.

Centre manager Renate explains that the collaboration project with the E-sport club Einherjar is alive and well at the centre.

"It continues to be an important project for us and part of our social sustainability efforts." 

"Kvadrat is good at creating a welcoming atmosphere"

The director of the shopping centre division of the Olav Thon Group, Thomas Rønning, has no doubts as to why this Rogaland centre keeps winning awards year after year. 

"Kvadrat has a skilled and committed management team. They're very good at creating a welcoming atmosphere. It truly is a really great shopping centre with fantastic revenue," he says.

Advice to other shopping centres: "Learn from each other"

The award for Shopping Centre of the Year is presented to the centre that serves as a role model for others in the industry. 

"Other centres can also learn from us by focusing on cultural development. But we are so humble as to say that there are lots of great developments taking place at all shopping centres that we believe we can all learn from each other," says Hjørnevik and smiles: 

"'Steal with pride' is a phrase we use often at Kvadrat."