Creative Car Park sales director Daniel Cooper discusses the biggest challenges facing owners of larger parking sites – and reveals how to overcome them.
We recently established a dedicated team to provide innovative, ethical and consultative parking solutions to landowners and asset managers with larger parking portfolios.
The reason behind this new investment is simple: as parking assets come under increasing pressure, the role of the modern parking operator is being redefined, and our clients are now seeking long-term partners who can deliver future-ready parking solutions that go beyond basic enforcement. Operators must deliver insight, strategy and value, and key to this is the effective use of data, integrated technology and continuous optimisation.
To expand on this approach, we sat down with Daniel Cooper, sales director of the new team, to talk about the industry changes that are reshaping expectations around successful parking management, particularly across large, complex estates. Rather than focusing on quick wins, the conversation emphasises partnership, shared outcomes and long-term thinking – and offers a timely perspective for site owners and managers looking to navigate modern parking challenges.
Creative Car Park has traditionally managed car parks for SMEs. How does this experience help when it comes to managing large-scale sites?
We have honed our strategy, providing ethical parking services to businesses over the past 21 years. And just because we are the market leaders when it comes to the SME market, it doesn’t mean we’ve only ever managed smaller sites. Some of the biggest sites in our portfolio are large multi-story car parks and shopping centres, like Fox Valley Retail Park in Sheffield and Five Valleys Shopping Centre in Stroud. We also manage a number of estates for the NHS. We haven’t had a dedicated team to focus on these larger car parks previously, because we felt the market wasn’t quite ready for it. But it is now, and we’re more than ready to start taking on as many of these larger estates as we can.
Do you feel Creative’s customer-centric approach, having partnered with so many sites over so many years, is beneficial to all businesses, regardless of size and sector?
Absolutely. We have a level of operational excellence that I’ve never seen anywhere in this industry. Everyone says they have dedicated account managers but it’s rare to actually see it. I’ve been really impressed getting to know the client services team, seeing how they manage the relationships with customers. They are phenomenal. It’s funny, but every time I call our head of client services, she’s always on a train, off to meet one of the existing clients somewhere in the country. It’s really pleasing to see.
“The crux of the problem – many parking services are ‘set it and forget it’.”
What are the most common challenges landowners face when managing large parking estates?
Well, we can talk about people parking their cars where they shouldn’t, taking up spaces, and so on. But to be honest, if you’re a landowner managing large parking estates, you’ll almost certainly have an enforcement system in place, right? That’s the basics. You don’t need us for that. The real parking challenge for landowners is that many estates are fragmented. There may be multiple companies operating multiple solutions. Sometimes it’s an ANPR solution on car park X, but car park Y only has a manned patrol. You won’t have the same account manager across those, and service levels will vary. Collectively, they won’t know what the site needs…
Some of these services will be on long contracts too?
Yes, and I think that’s the crux of the problem – many parking services are ‘set it and forget it’. The systems may have been running for up to 10 years and the owners simply don’t realise how underutilised their car parking assets are. And it’s only when you get active estate management on site, monitoring live occupancy and other vital data, and start to tweak and optimise to wring every penny out of the asset, that you realise just how much money is being left on the table. Our difference, or as I like to say, the ‘Creative difference’ is that we have years of industry experience and particular expertise in asset management, and we use this to make sure we’re generating as much revenue as we possibly can for our clients. And it’s not just direct revenue, as in money generated from parking fees. Revenue is also footfall. On average, across our tracked sites we increase footfall by about 36% over our contract terms. That uplift can have a huge impact on the larger portfolios.
If your business benefits from footfall in any way, shape or form, you want to have unwanted cars gone, but then make sure every single one of those spaces is filled with a genuine customer or visitor.
You’ve just touched on data. How important are data and technology for successful large car park management?
It’s probably the most important thing. Lots of providers will say “We’re going to fill your car park up and this and that…” But if they don’t, how are you going to know? It’s all about data-driven parking. People want to know real insights when it comes to occupancy, footfall and traffic. People want more demographic data. Creative can provide all that. We can even report on the CO2 carbon footprint impact of the car park, to support sustainable parking management. Data really is king in this day and age.
Creative is about to launch a brand-new data suite…
Yes, it’s called Hub 360. I’ve had a peek behind the scenes and it’s one of the best parking data platforms I’ve ever seen in the industry. It’s incredible.
What does a good long-term partnership between a parking operator and a landowner look like in practice?
It’s shared upsides. It’s the same as in any industry. Nothing should be one way. It can’t be just a supplier relationship. It’s that next level. It’s shared goals and an alignment on values between the landowner and the parking operator. It’s a partnership. We want to push for better results as that gives us better results, and it flips the other way as well. Clients should be proud that we’re working with them, and we should be proud that they’re working with us. It’s not a transactional service. We’ve not just here to make a quick buck
Looking ahead, what trends will shape large car park management in the next few years, and how should landowners prepare for them?
I’ve been in the industry for nearly a decade and the main trend I’ve seen is, simply, there are more cars on the road. There hasn’t been a year, apart from during the pandemic, when the amount of new registered cars hasn’t superseded the previous year. And that’s only going to get worse. So the pressure on parking is increasing in all areas – but car parks haven’t become bigger. The number of spaces is the same. Which means that anyone that’s parked without authorisation, or not paying the correct fee, is having a bigger impact than before. In the future, how those spaces are used needs to become smarter. As I’ve said, data is king, but what more can we do with data? How can we utilise those car parks to become a more effective business asset? If say, your car park is occupying 50% of your land, then let’s make sure the asset is generating the revenue it needs to, while also serving the motorist.
“It’s about asking: we’ve maximised occupancy, maximised revenue, now what else can we do?”
Against that backdrop, how can landowners improve the service to motorists?
It’s all about making the best use of the same footprint of land. What other services can we bring in to positively impact the landowner from a revenue perspective – and also help the motorists from a convenience perspective? Last mile services are going to take off as space becomes more limited, so things like dark kitchens. Also dry cleaners and obviously EV charging, but now with solar capabilities. It’s about asking: we’ve maximised occupancy, maximised revenue, now what else can we do? For me, that’s where I see the future of parking.
Finally, what do you enjoy most about your role?
Seeing people win. I started my road into sales management by being a trainer. The thing that made me feel fulfilled wasn’t hitting the numbers – although obviously, that helps! – but when a new starter would come in and I’d see them start to grow and become successful. And if my team is successful, our business is successful, and our clients are able to share in that success. Everyone is winning.
Thank you for your time Daniel.
If you’d like to find out more about our innovative, ethical and consultative parking solutions – for business of all sizes, in every sector – complete the form below and one of our team will be in touch.
