Bluewater is a large retail park located in Dartford, Kent with over 320 shops. It is triangular in shape to avoid dead ends which could make customers feel foolish. The park uses consumer psychology principles in its design, such as placing coffee shops near entrances and providing amenities like bag hooks in women's restrooms. It also has on-site police and poetry walls. The park has "male creches" like model shops to keep men occupied while women browse. It has wide parking spaces and exit routes to ease traffic flow. The document identifies different customer segments that visit Bluewater, such as "County Classics" upmarket middle-aged women or "Young Fashionables" trendy twentysomethings,

1. Bluewater Retail Park www.mrmcgowan.blogspot.com

2. Bluewater A 320 shop out of town retail park in Dartford, Kent. It’s triangular in shape. Why? Because people feel foolish walking down dead ends It’s designed with regards to Consumer Psychology

3. Bluewater ‘Gimmicks’ On-site police station Poetry on the walls Aroma of coffee shops at entrances 6500 staff trained in positive body language Women’s toilets even have pegs for handbags!

4. Consumer Gender Differences Women browse for hours; Men ‘pre-shop’. Bluewater has ‘ male creches’ – book, art and model shops to keep men busy. These shops are given preferential rates (normal landlords like best-paying tenants)

5. Outside the Park Approach roads have 3 exits at every roundabout 13,500 car spaces are 50% wider than normal

6. Target Markets County Classics Club Executives Young Fashionables Young Survivors Sporting 30s Home Comfortables Budget Optimists

7. County Classics 14.6% of people; 25.2% of projected sales Upmarket, middle aged women. Snobbish, house-proud and arty Shop at John Lewis, M&S, Laura Ashley

8. Club Executives 13.5% of people; 21.2% of projected sales Impatient, successful males Status-obsessed careerists Shop at M&S, John Lewis

9. Young Fashionables 15.6% of people; 21.6% of projected sales Unisex twentysomethings Vain and superficial fashion victims Shop at Jigsaw, Harvey Nichols and River Island

10. Sporting 30s 13.4% of people; 12% of projected sales Middle-income men Casual, undomesticated, cling to their youth Shop at BHS, Burton & special interest stores

11. Young Survivors 15.3% of people; 7.4% of projected sales Both singles and couple with limited interests, abilities, ambitions and incomes Shop at C&A, Woolworths and the Co-op

12. Home Comfortables 14.4% of people; 7.1% of projected sales Cardie and knitting brigade mid-market retirees more at home in garden Shop at Littlewoods, BHS or Co-op

13. Budget Optimists 13.2% of people; 5.4% of projected sales Usually older women with low incomes Traditional tastes and set routines Shop at Debenhams, Littlewoods or BHS