John O'Shea

FREEPORT Braintree centre manager John O'Shea has scooped a national accolade at an industry event.

He was named Shopping Centre Manager of the Year for a medium-sized centre at the SCEPTRE Awards, Shopping Centre magazine's annual accolades, which acknowledge exceptional performance in the retail industry.

Mr O'Shea, who has worked at Freeport Braintree for four years, was recognised for his outstanding achievement and continued commitment to the Outlet Shopping Village.

He was praised for a recycling initiative he introduced and a campaign to reduce electricity consumption at the centre at the awards event, which took place at London's Dorchester Hotel. His strong tenant relationships and great customer service skills were also highlighted.

Mr O'Shea has been actively involved in increasing the centre's recycling rate from 44% in 2007 to 55% by the end of 2008. He has achieved a decrease of 13% in landlord electricity usage and by introducing a 53 point action plan he enabled the centre to achieve the ISO 14001 accreditation in environmental management. He has looked at raising the standards of cleanliness in and around the centre and by working closely with Essex police, crime rates have been significantly reduced. He also works tirelessly with local community projects, giving support, time and resources to 92 community and environmental initiatives.

He said he was “thrilled” to have won such a prestigious industry award.

“During my time as centre manager at Freeport Braintree we have worked hard to ensure high standards in all areas of the Village. It is immensely rewarding to have the achievements recognised by a national industry body. I am very proud of Freeport Braintree, my team, and all the store teams. This award is about them and all the hard work they have put in and I would like to thank them for that continued hard work and support, their achievements have been outstanding.”