St David’s Shopping Centre, Cardiff: tenant communications and retail infrastructure
St David's Shopping Centre, Cardiff: tenant communications and retail infrastructure
The same Tenant Active System proven at other Land Securities centres, delivered as one of six specialist contractors on a £675 million redevelopment.
St David's Partnership invested £675 million to create Cardiff’s new retail destination, anchored by John Lewis, Debenhams and Marks & Spencer alongside around 180 further stores, plus a £50 million refurbishment of the original centre and a new 16-unit connecting mall. ACCL was brought in as part of the centre’s security programme, delivering the same Tenant Active System (TAS) already proven at other Land Securities sites, giving management, retailers and security teams a direct, reliable communications link.
The result
ACCL delivered a proven communications platform at one of the UK’s largest shopping destinations. The completed project provided:
- Part of a £675 million redevelopment anchored by John Lewis, Debenhams and Marks & Spencer
- TAS gives centre management, retailers and security teams a direct communications link
- An automatically generated audit trail of all centre communications
- Retail turnover statistics and loyalty scheme support on the same platform
- All TAS calls free, running over the centre’s IP platform
- The existing shop-alert telephone system upgraded to a faster intercom system
Services delivered
Overview
St David's Partnership invested £675 million to create Cardiff’s new retail destination, anchored by John Lewis, Debenhams and Marks & Spencer alongside around 180 further stores. The original St David's centre also received a £50 million refurbishment, with new flooring, lighting and wall coverings, and an additional connecting mall containing 16 newly formatted units. Between the two centres, St David's represents around 39% of Cardiff’s total retail floor space — roughly the equivalent of 30 football pitches of shopping under one roof.
Communications were increasingly important for the safe and efficient running of a retail centre on this scale. ACCL was brought in as one of the specialist contractors delivering an essential element of the centre’s security programme: the Tenant Active System (TAS), the same retail communications platform ACCL had already proven at other Land Securities sites.
The challenge
A redevelopment of this size meant coordinating a large number of specialist contractors under real time pressure. Martin Liddall, project manager for St David's, was responsible for keeping everything on track:
“This was a very difficult and complex project. It was challenging ensuring that the six sub-contracting companies working for us, did what they were supposed to do, when it was needed.”Martin Liddall, Project Manager, St David's Shopping Centre
ACCL was one of those six contractors, tasked with delivering the centre’s communications and security element alongside the wider construction and fit-out programme.
Project context
Retail and shopping centres · Cardiff, UK
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ACCL delivered TAS as one of six specialist contractors on St David's £675 million redevelopment, without losing the responsiveness of a much smaller project. Talk to us about a similar retail or multi-tenant environment.
A responsive contractor among six
Among the six sub-contracting companies working on the project, ACCL stood out for its speed of response, according to Martin Liddall. Requests were often carried out remotely, and preparation was meticulous enough that ACCL’s drawing work passed straight through the main contractor’s own quality standards process.
When Land Securities asked for a training session on the new system with only a day’s notice, ACCL agreed and delivered it on site the very next day. Liddall also credits ACCL’s fair, consistent pricing throughout the contract, with no loading of costs on top of variations, and highlights one specific improvement: ACCL replaced the centre’s existing shop-alert telephone system with an intercom system, significantly reducing response times.
Technologies used
ACCL’s role
This project needed ACCL to perform at scale without losing its usual responsiveness. ACCL’s scope covered:
- Delivering TAS as one of six specialist contractors on a major redevelopment
- Providing remote support and rapid response throughout the contract
- Preparing drawings that passed the main contractor’s quality standards process
- Delivering a system training session with only a day’s notice
- Maintaining fair, consistent pricing with no cost-loading on contract variations
- Upgrading the centre’s shop-alert system to a faster intercom system
- Supporting the centre’s wider security and risk-management programme
Why the project matters
St David's shows ACCL operating at a genuinely large scale, as one of six specialist contractors on a £675 million redevelopment, without losing the responsiveness that defines smaller projects. Delivering a full system training session with a single day’s notice is the kind of detail that earns trust on a project this size.
It also shows Land Securities extending the same proven TAS platform across its portfolio: having seen it work at other centres, Land Securities brought ACCL and TAS to one of the UK’s largest shopping destinations.
Related guidance
Foreword by Wayne
“St David's is one of the largest shopping destinations we have worked at, and it is a good example of what TAS was built for. Martin Liddall and his team were managing six different contractors on a £675 million redevelopment, and we were just one part of that picture. The way you earn trust in that environment is by being the contractor that does not need chasing. What I am proud of here is the response time. When Land Securities wanted a training session with one day’s notice, we said yes and delivered it the next day. When Martin needed drawings that would pass the main contractor’s standards first time, that is what we gave him. And when we saw a chance to improve things beyond the brief, like replacing the old shop-alert phones with a proper intercom system, we did that too. That is what a genuine long-term relationship with Land Securities looks like, across more than one site.”Wayne Connors, Managing Director, ACCL
“They have been excellent throughout. Their reaction times are very good and they are constantly accommodating to our requests. Not only that, but they have very often carried things out remotely from the site. This speed of response is what marks ACCL out from their competitors.”Martin Liddall, Project Manager, St David's Shopping Centre
Frequently asked questions
What did ACCL deliver at St David’s Shopping Centre?
ACCL delivered the Tenant Active System (TAS), a two-way retail communications platform, as one of six specialist contractors on St David’s major redevelopment.
How big was the St David’s redevelopment?
St David’s Partnership invested £675 million on the new development, anchored by John Lewis, Debenhams and Marks & Spencer alongside around 180 further stores, plus a further £50 million refurbishment of the original centre.
What is the Tenant Active System (TAS)?
TAS is a retail communications platform developed by ACCL, providing two-way voice and text communication between centre management and tenants, with an automatic audit trail.
Why did St David’s need a system like TAS?
Communications were increasingly important for the safe and efficient running of a retail centre on this scale, supporting security alerts and coordination between management, retailers and security teams.
How many contractors worked on the project, and where did ACCL fit in?
Six sub-contracting companies worked on the project. ACCL was one of them, responsible for delivering the centre’s communications and security element.
How responsive was ACCL during the project?
Project manager Martin Liddall described ACCL’s reaction times as very good, noting that work was often carried out remotely and that ACCL’s speed of response marked it out from competitors.
Did ACCL deliver training on the system?
Yes. When Land Securities requested a training session with only a day’s notice, ACCL agreed and delivered it on site the next day.
Did ACCL’s pricing stay consistent throughout the contract?
Yes. Martin Liddall confirmed ACCL’s pricing remained fair throughout the contract, without loading additional costs onto contract variations.
Did ACCL make any improvements beyond the original brief?
Yes. ACCL replaced the centre’s existing shop-alert telephone system with an intercom system, significantly reducing response times.
Does TAS cost anything to use?
No. TAS runs over the centre’s IP platform, so calls between management and tenants are free.
Has Land Securities used TAS at other sites?
Yes. TAS was already proven at other Land Securities sites before being brought to St David’s, including Princesshay Shopping Centre in Exeter.
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