British Land: Community connections at Christmas

Loneliness affects more than two million older people across the UK during Christmas. Together with British Land’s retail marketing team, Citypress set out on a mission to change that for Christmas 2024.

Local shoppers were invited to write messages of joy and support in specially designed Christmas cards, which were then posted into our Merry Mailboxes – festive post boxes that popped up across British Land shopping centres. The handwritten letters, penned by the community, were then delivered to thousands of isolated people living close by.

By leveraging partnerships with local charities and schools, each centre tailored activity to reflect the unique needs of its community, while a central creative platform ensured consistency and scale. High-profile collaborations, including ITV’s Good Morning Britain 1 Million Minutes campaign, extended reach and relevance beyond British Land’s own channels.

The results spoke for themselves. Eight local charitable partnerships were formed, more than 2,500 cards were shared with people experiencing loneliness, and 37 positive media articles reinforced the role of British Land’s retail assets as genuine community hubs.

Local activations brought the campaign to life in different ways across the portfolio. A festive tea dance at Meadowhall, delivered in partnership with Age UK Sheffield and local schoolchildren, brought generations together. At Drake Circus, shoppers created more than 1,700 cards – proof of just how much communities want to help when given a meaningful way to do so.

By combining national scale with local resonance, this purpose-driven campaign strengthened emotional ties with audiences, delivered real social impact, and proved that genuine community engagement positions retail assets as integral parts of the communities they serve