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SHOPPING CENTRE'S NEW MANAGER
Mr Acland, who is currently manager of the Brewery complex also in Cheltenham, will step into the manager's shoes at Beechwood on December 1, taking over from incumbent Pete Barber. The two will work together during a handover period for about a month. Mr Acland says he is delighted to be making the short trip across the town. "I came to The Brewery because I wanted to experience something different and I thought it would be a challenge. It has been a really good time, but I always knew I wanted to get back into retail and shopping centres again some time. "I was almost resigned to having to move elsewhere to fulfil that ambition, so when the opportunity came up to stay in Cheltenham I was delighted. "There are only three or four shopping centres in Cheltenham and Gloucester and they are all top notch, so I'm very excited about this opportunity." Before taking over at the Brewery, Mr Acland, who lives in Longhope, was operations manager at The Mall in Gloucester for five years. The father-of-three will replace Mr Barber at the Beechwood, who is leaving to take up a new post at The Prospect Centre in Hull. Mr Barber has been at the High Street centre for three-and-a-half years, having moved from Worcester, where he was operations manager at the CrownGate shopping centre. Mr Barber said he was proud of the way the Beechwood has survived the recession relatively unscathed – something Mr Acland swore to continue. He said: "I want to build on what Pete has done. He's been there for some time and the Beechwood has a reputation as a quality shopping centre. "Obviously I want to make my own mark and put my stamp on things when I get there, but it is also a case of continuing the good work which is already in place. "The town centre has gone through some tough times recently with the state of the economy and that does play a role. "But I think the basics are still the same when it comes to running a good business. I want to make the centre presentable and help the shop owners there as much as I can." "At the moment though, I'm just focusing on getting there and starting the job. That is the first step." |
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