Shopping for a shop site

Mapinfo has launched a software package for planning the best location to set up a new business or store.

Retail Pitchpoint measures the strengths and weaknesses of the UK’s top 3,170 retail centres, located in a town centre, shopping centre or retail park.

Targeted at site planners and retailers, Pitchpoint aims to help site planners and retailers find the best pitch for a retail operation.

It takes into account traditional measurements including vicinity of big-brand retailers, building facades and store frontage along with any unique data relevant to the 3,170 retail centres covered.

The software can be used by larger businesses planning expansions, identifying those retail centres that have enough critical mass to support any given store.

“With increasing pressure on national and global managers to make the right decisions, Retail Pitchpoint can provide a competitive site profile of both a company's stores and its competitors," Andy Thompson, MapInfo's European director of analytical services.

One high-profile user of the software is Post Office Ltd. Stuart Hayes, head of network and location planning, commented: “It helps Post Office to identify which city centre branches are in the strongest and weakest locations in a retail centre."

Using this classification of retail pitch really helps the business understand the context of ‘micro-retail location’ and its influence on branch performance.”

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