Media & Insights

Landsec brings Aardman’s Early Man into the modern age with portfolio-wide partnership

26 January 2018

Landsec today announces an exclusive partnership with Aardman and STUDIOCANAL to bring EARLY MAN, the new stop-motion animated film from Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park, to life across its portfolio of retail and leisure destinations.

To coincide with the release of the prehistoric comedy adventure film, in cinemas now, an innovative augmented reality trail launches at two leading Landsec locations, Bluewater in Kent and Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow, allowing visitors to meet characters from the film and download exclusive content via a specially designed Aardman App.

Elsewhere, during the February half term, Landsec’s White Rose, Trinity Leeds and newly opened Westgate Oxford will give guests a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the film with master model making workshops, where participants will sculpt clay replicas of Hognob, the faithful sidekick to plucky caveman Dug.

The exclusive partnership with Aardman is the first AR trail to be deployed across Landsec’s portfolio and demonstrates its commitment to creating memorable experiences through innovation. The developer was the first in the UK to commit to free wi-fi in its centres, the first to introduce Google product search and the first to trial Amazon lockers. Last year, their most digitally enabled destination, Trinity Leeds, launched ‘Tick Tock Unlock’, an immersive virtual reality escape game - another first for a UK retail destination and another example of how, by providing leisure experiences within a retail environment, Landsec is committed to creating destinations that visitors enjoy.

Ailish Christian-West, Head of Shopping Centres for Landsec said: “We’re excited to bring Early Man to life across our portfolio by creating memorable days out for our visitors. We work hard to deliver unique experiences at each of our destinations, striving to make sure they remain relevant to today’s consumer, and our work with Aardman is a great example of this approach. Providing more ways for people to enjoy spending time at our destinations, we create places that are distinctively Landsec.”

Sean Clarke, Head of Aardman Rights and Brand Development, said: “Destinations like Bluewater, Buchanan Galleries and Westgate Oxford provide great opportunities for us to bring our creations to life off-screen to engage more families in the wonder of stop-frame animation. We can’t wait to see how the public react to meeting their favourite characters during the AR trail on their trip to the shops!”

Across the Landsec portfolio, technology is used to deliver a superior retail experience, from the high-speed internet available throughout Westgate Oxford, to an online shopping portal for Bluewater which launched last November and provides guests with the opportunity to research products from a range of retailers, seek alternatives and buy goods for delivery or collection.

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Notes to Editors

Landsec

At Landsec, we believe great places are for people to experience and are made with the experience of great people. As the UK’s largest listed commercial property company, with 23.7 million sq ft of real estate and a portfolio valued at £14.2 billion, we own and manage some of the most successful and recognisable assets in the country.

In London, our portfolio totals more than £7.8 billion, and consists of 6.5 million sq ft of real estate. From the world-famous Piccadilly Lights to the transformation of Victoria, SW1, we deliver exceptional experiences for the businesses and people that live and work in, and visit, the capital.

In Retail, across our 17.2 million sq ft of assets, we create outstanding experiences for customers and guests alike. Combined with the strength and resilience of our portfolio, this means we regularly outperform industry benchmarks for footfall and sales. We offer more than convenience and choice, recognising that memorable destinations are key to attracting the shoppers and retailers of today, and tomorrow.

We also aim to lead our industry in critical long-term issues – from diversity and community employment, to carbon and climate resilience. Everything we do is grounded in experience and begins with people. We deliver value for our shareholders, great experiences for our customers and positive change for our communities. At Landsec, everything is experience.

About Aardman

Aardman, based in Bristol (UK) co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, series, advertising and digital entertainment for both the domestic and international market. Their multi-award winning productions are novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm that reflects the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the very special people who make up the Aardman team. The studio’s work is often imitated and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning and amusing independent and commercial productions.