September 22, 2021

Toronto - Manulife Investment Management is pleased to congratulate the Bay Centre team in Victoria, BC, on their Gold and Silver wins at the ICSC (Innovative Commerce Serving Communities) Global Awards.

The ICSC Global Awards recognize achievements that move the retail industry forward. The Bay Centre won a Gold Award in the Innovation – Shopping Centers Under 500,000 Sq. Ft. category with their entry titled “Random Acts of Comfort”, a campaign that was created in response to the challenges the Centre faced in the early fall of 2020.

With the pandemic impacting visitation by the Bay Centre’s key audiences of downtown workers and tourists, the Bay Centre hosted a series of free activations and giveaways to thank their most loyal customers, engage with local businesses, and build their relationships with Victoria’s downtown community. The result was an uplifting campaign that increased awareness about the Centre’s offerings while building consumer confidence about the safety of shopping at the Centre.

“The Bay Centre team is truly honored to be awarded Gold for our Random Acts of Comfort campaign,” said Darlene Hollstein, General Manager of the Bay Centre. “And we are so pleased to have made a difference in our community with an uplifting campaign that increased awareness about the Centre’s offerings while building consumer confidence about the safety of shopping at the Centre.”

The Bay Centre also won Silver in the Community – Joint Centers category with “#FeedOurCommunity”, a campaign that aimed to drive awareness and support for food-related charities. The Bay Centre sought to support a retailer and a local not-for-profit food delivery program, in partnership with United Way, through this one-for-one campaign. Bay Centre tenant Earls Kitchen + Bar pivoted their hospitality business to include grocery packs and chef kits. When customers purchased a grocery pack, the Bay Centre donated a custom grocery pack to a local family in need. To encourage community engagement, the Bay Centre also invited their online community to donate directly to United Way through a dedicated campaign webpage.

Fifty custom grocery kits were delivered to local families and seniors, supported by the Quadra Village Community Centre.

To learn more about the ICSC Global Awards, visit https://www.icsc.com/who-we-are/awards-recognition/global-awards.