Featured
AL Marketing was appointed as the marketing agency for The Brewery Shopping Centre in Romford in August 2022. Since then, we have worked strategically, creatively and collaboratively with the on-site management team, key stakeholders and tenants to reposition the destination and support its next phase of growth.
Developing a new brand identity
Following the acquisition of The Brewery by Schroders, a clear ambition was set to invest in the asset and future-proof the centre for long-term success as a leading retail and leisure destination. As the centre looked ahead, there was a need to streamline and modernise the brand, create a clear and flexible identity capable of growing with the destination, and ensure the brand worked seamlessly across digital, social, signage and video. It was also essential that the marketing platform supported both retail and leisure tenants in a consistent and cohesive way.
AL Marketing took a strategic-first approach, focusing on developing a future-proof brand solution that balanced commercial clarity with creative flexibility. The work was underpinned by key principles of simplicity and consistency, strong visual recognition across both physical and digital touchpoints, and flexibility to support evolving content, campaigns and increasingly video-led marketing.
We developed a new brand identity for The Brewery that streamlined the historic branding into a single, cohesive system. This included logo refinement and brand development, the creation of a modern and flexible visual language, and clear brand guidelines to ensure consistency across all channels. The identity was designed to perform equally well across web, social media, signage and video, allowing for dynamic and adaptable use as the destination continues to evolve.
As part of the wider rebrand, AL Marketing also designed a refreshed wayfinding system, improving clarity and customer experience throughout the centre while reinforcing the new brand identity within the physical environment.
In addition, we designed and developed a new website for The Brewery, which launched in 2025. The website was built to clearly communicate the centre’s retail and leisure offer, support tenants through improved visibility, work seamlessly across desktop and mobile, and provide a flexible platform to support future content, campaigns and events.
The new brand identity has positioned The Brewery for its next phase of success, delivering a strong and modern foundation that aligns with Schroders’ long-term investment ambitions. The refreshed brand and digital presence now deliver a consistent and recognisable identity, support marketing across multiple formats and platforms, enhance the customer experience both online and on site, and provide a scalable framework for future growth.
By streamlining the brand and delivering a cohesive creative and digital solution, AL Marketing has helped The Brewery transition confidently into its next chapter as a contemporary retail and leisure destination in Romford.
Social Media Success
Audience Growth
Within the first 12 months of managing social media for The Brewery, we achieved significant audience growth:
By continuously refining our social media strategy, we have built on this momentum, driving both audience growth and active engagement. Currently the Brewery has…
These results demonstrate the effectiveness of our strategy and the strong connection we have cultivated with The Brewery’s audience.
In comparison, The Liberty Shopping Centre located within a close proximity to The Brewery has 5,201 followers on Instagram.
These results highlight the effectiveness of our approach and the strong connection we have fostered with The Brewery’s audience.
Advertising and Promotion
Our engagement strategy combines organic and boosted posts with paid advertising across Facebook and Instagram, targeting content to relevant audience groups in both our primary and secondary catchment areas. We make efficient use of our advertising budget, consistently delivering high levels of campaign ROI.
Engaging Tenant Content
Through open communication channels and regular site visits we have established strong working relationships with many of the Brewery’s tenants. We encourage a collaborative approach with tenants, helping to give their brands and staff a community presence while creating unique and engaging content.
Influencer Collaborations
We have collaborated with a number of influencers for The Brewery, most notably forging a partnership with local boxing legend Johnny Fisher (AKA The Romford Bull) and his influencer father, “Big John.” Together, we have executed several successful campaigns.
A standout moment in this partnership was Big John hosting our Hot Wings Challenge at the Romford Rodeo event in 2025. His involvement delivered outstanding results:
These results demonstrate the power of authentic influencer collaborations in amplifying our reach and engagement.
Creative Ways to Engage The Brewery Audience
We are continuously looking for creative ways to engage The Brewery audience, both online and in-centre through adapting online trends and using humour and inventive stunts. April Fools’ campaigns for example have proven to be a fun and effective way to drive social media interaction and generate word of mouth.
The Brewery Line
In 2025, a spoof announcement was posted across social media channels claiming that The newly opened Liberty Line would be rebranded as The Brewery Line. This stunt was aptly timed, posing a friendly rivalry between The Brewery and The Liberty Shopping Centres, both located in Romford and also utilising The Brewery’s strap line at the time “It’s Better at The Brewery”. The stunt sparked interest online and within the press prior to the stunt reveal.
Gordan Ramsey at The Brewery
On Aprils Fools Day in 2024, visitors to The Brewery were able to spot one of the most famous chefs in the world helping out in some of the centre’s restaurants, putting staff through their paces and delighting diners. Gordon created a buzz in centre with visitors posing for photos and sharing with their friends. We had our AL videographer capturing content for a promotional video reel to promote the F&B tenants on The Brewery socials and website. His appearance also provided restaurant teams with the opportunity to snap and share their own live content across their brand channels.
Our post event wrap up reel received over 7.5k organic views on Facebook.
Events
To drive footfall, we host a diverse range of events tailored to our key audiences – mainly families and Gen Z. Highlights have included a Super Mario Bros. Mini Golf experience, Titan the Robot, meet-and-greets with iconic characters, Lego trails, hands-on workshops, seasonal trails, a Freaky Friday Halloween spectacular, plus many more creative, buzz-worthy experiences.
In 2025, we hosted our biggest event to date – the Romford Rodeo!
To appeal to 18–34-year-olds while remaining family-friendly, the centre hosted a two-day Wild West Rodeo on 4–5 July, timed to coincide with American Independence Day. The event was designed to deliver high-energy experiences that would drive footfall, spark conversation and generate shareable content.
Across both days, visitors fully embraced the Wild West theme, throwing themselves into free, interactive attractions including bucking bronco rides, line dancing, live country music and themed photo moments. The atmosphere was loud, playful and packed with moments made for social sharing, keeping both families and younger visitors engaged throughout the centre.
The standout attraction was the UK’s first shopping centre hot wings competition. Contestants took on progressively hotter sauces from nine tenants, resulting in big reactions and viral-ready content. Hosted by local influencer Big John, the competition blended local personality with strong online appeal and became a key talking point across the weekend.
The event delivered standout results. Footfall increased by +17.6% on Friday and +16.2% on Saturday compared to the same week in 2024, significantly exceeding the +5% target. Town centre footfall also surged by +44.5% and +26.7%, while tenant sales saw strong uplifts, including Taco Bell (+31.9%), McDonald’s (+25%) and Frankie & Benny’s (+16.6%).
Through bold, immersive experiences and strategic social amplification, AL Marketing helped position The Brewery as a vibrant, innovative destination that resonates strongly with both young adult audiences and families.
Supporting new opening
We have also worked closely with head office brand teams offering marketing and PR services to support new openings at The Brewery including Wagamama, Turtle Bay, Five Guys, Chai Walla and Mulligans.
Community Partnerships
Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund (Lennox CCF)
AL Marketing works closely with the Brewery to develop and promote fundraising initiatives for local charity Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund (Lennox CCF). This includes, in centre activations and events, the development of campaign and brand awareness signage. All supported through PR , website articles and social media promotion.
Matchroom
On 7th December 2024, The Brewery partnered with Matchroom and hometown boxing star Johnny Fisher aka “The Romford Bull” to host a Winter Wonderland community event celebrating sport and local engagement. The event drew hundreds of families and boxing fans, including Fisher’s loyal “Bosh Soldiers.” Highlights included group and one-on-one boxing demonstrations led by Fisher, who inspired attendees with his commitment to fitness and mental well-being while sharing insights into his career and upcoming challenges.
Local boxing clubs joined in with live exhibitions and information on how young people could get involved. Visitors enjoyed a Golden Gloves VR experience, face painting, and giveaways and competitions to win exclusive Team Fisher merchandise. The event successfully boosted footfall, engaged the community online and offline, and showcased the power of sport and local partnerships to create a positive social impact.
Romford BID
Through our partnership with Romford BID, we are able to effectively collaborate on many town centre events and initiatives that help to drive footfall to Romford Town and also The Brewery. Examples include a “Romford Roars” brick model trail in 2025 and (due to the success!) an Endangered Animal brick trail coming to the town for Easter 2026.
PR
We support The Brewery by driving a strategic PR program that boosts visibility, reputation, and community engagement. The agency guides messaging, engages local media and stakeholders, promotes events and initiatives, and keeps track of public response, helping The Brewery strengthen its community presence, raise awareness of its offerings, and reinforce its position as a top destination for shopping, dining, and leisure.
Newsletters
We create and distribute monthly newsletters tailored to The Brewery’s marketing database, keeping customers informed about events, offers, and initiatives while strengthening community connections and raising awareness of the centre’s offerings. Through the newsletter, we also drive traffic to The Brewery’s website and social media channels. The Brewery newsletters consistently achieve open rates above the industry standard.
Awards
The Brewery’s Centre Manager, Stuart Wilson, was awarded Centre Manager of the Year (Large Venue) at the 2025 Sceptre Awards. We advised on and prepared the submission, and we were proud to celebrate the evening alongside Stuart and the wider Brewery team.
Client Testimonials
We’ve had a great experience working with AL Marketing. The team are very dedicated and invested in our shopping centre & brand and play a vital part in supporting our business. The width of services they offer have been great meaning we have a one stop shop from social media to events, to re-branding, design, strategy and PR. Thank you to Sarah, Amie, Damian and Sophie who work closely with us and are an important part of our team.
AL Marketing has been an outstanding partner for the past three years. Their team consistently goes above and beyond, delivering exceptional results through hard work and dedication. We couldn’t be happier with their services and highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable and effective marketing team.