Career Stories: Rachel Haywood

Visitors to The Market Pavilion will notice that each store boasts its own unique identity, yet there's a cohesive theme throughout the precinct.

This impressive feat is thanks to the collaborative efforts of our talented Leasing, Design, and Delivery team, who work closely with internal teams, retailers, and contractors to bring it all together.

We spoke with Assistant Retail Design Manager, Rachel Haywood, to learn more about the process.

Hi Rachel, can you introduce yourself and tell us about your journey to Vicinity Centres? 

I joined Vicinity in January 2023 to focus on the Chadstone 'The Market Pavilion' development. My role as Assistant Retail Design Manager (RDM) was uniquely created for this project, making it the first of its kind at Vicinity. Over the past two years, I’ve dedicated myself to understanding what it means to be an RDM, and how my role supports broader stakeholder relationships, particularly with our retailers.

Have you always been in retail design? 

I began my career at Scentre Group around ten years ago as a Retail Design Coordinator, where I supported the RDM team with receiving and submitting Design Approvals across 20 centres in NSW and ACT. This role was pivotal in opening my eyes to the retail industry, especially the creative side of working with retailers. Over the next 6-7 years, I spent the majority of my time reviewing design submissions, which sparked my natural curiosity about the journey behind each fitout. I found myself questioning design decisions and wondering why certain choices were made over others.

My inquisitiveness didn't go unnoticed by my manager, who encouraged me to pursue Interior Design at university while continuing to work full-time, even through the challenges of Covid. After completing my Interior Design degree, I worked with a luxury residential builder, where I focused on designing floor plans, custom cabinetry, selecting finishes, and managing the construction process for residential homes. Despite this experience, my true passion remained in retail design, and my goal was always to transition into an RDM role with a Landlord.

When the opportunity to join Vicinity on The Market Pavilion project arose, it felt like the perfect fit for my aspirations, and I was thrilled to take the leap and establish my career in retail design.

Can you explain what your role and retail design is in more detail? 

As a Retail Design Manager, my focus is on curating and maintaining the overall aesthetic of a centre, working closely with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure designs are visually compelling and complementary to the environment.

From the retailer's perspective, we bring their vision to life, refining ideas and encouraging them to push boundaries. A strong design vision and brand identity are crucial for a retailer's success.

While the designer’s client is the tenant, my client as an RDM is Vicinity. My goal is to deliver the best outcome for the asset, ensuring alignment with Vicinity’s broader objectives.

A previous manager always said, “retail is detail,” and I wholeheartedly believe in that mantra!

How do you ensure a retail store aligns with its surroundings? 

When working with retailers, we bring a unique, holistic perspective of the centre, allowing us to collaborate with designers to ensure that each space complements the others. For instance, we focus on elements like aligning bulkheads or design features, advising on potential sightline issues, or pointing out specific site conditions—such as ramps or columns—that need to be incorporated into the design.

Our role is to offer an insider’s view of the complexities and nuances of the centre that retailers, their designers, and shopfitters might not have access to. At the same time, we manage the overarching design vision for the space. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that the new retail space feels cohesive within the broader context of the centre.

When working with retailers to open a new space in a brand new part of the centre, like Chadstone’s The Market Pavilion or Chatswood Chase’s lower ground floor, how do you curate that cohesive look and feel with what is essentially a blank canvas? 

It’s a challenge, but a rewarding one. The Vicinity Leasing team excels at securing top-tier retailers, ensuring that when a new precinct is revealed, it’s impressive from day one. The Senior RDM and Development team spends years planning and creating the design framework that retailers will eventually inhabit.

From a retail design perspective, we have Design Guidelines that serve as the blueprint for the space’s vision. Our job is to ensure all designs align with this vision, holding retailers accountable to these standards.

Walking through The Market Pavilion that is absolutely evident—each store, whether That’s Amore, Hank’s Bagelry or Brunetti, all have their unique style but there’s a cohesive thread throughout.    

So, talk us through the process? 

Ideally, we’re involved from the start, working closely with Leasing to sell the dream and bring it to life. Collaboration is key here, which looks like meeting with the tenant and their designer (or helping identify one), discussing their needs and aligning them with our design vision. We also share our centre Design Guidelines and establish a plan with clear milestones.

Once the concept is created, the Retail Design team reviews it, focusing on both aesthetics and functionality. After approval, shopfitters begin the build. At this stage, we shift from an advisory role to site management, working with the Tenancy Delivery Manager TDM to ensure high-quality execution, resolving issues quickly to ensure the space is ready to open and trade.

You make it sound simple but I’m sure there is more complexity to it? 

Sometimes, the process is straightforward, but other times, problem-solving is needed to find the right solution. My role is to protect the design vision and work hard to achieve the best outcomes for both the tenant and Vicinity.

Problems arise in any build, and what sets you apart is the ability to navigate challenges while ensuring the design outcome is top-quality. All of this must be done with careful attention to budget and time—two constants on any project.

It sounds fascinating. What is your favourite aspect of the role? 

I love the variety of my work and the opportunity to help retailers turn their dreams into reality. It’s amazing to see a space transform—one day a bank, and a few months later, a Thai restaurant.

I’m grateful for the responsibility I’ve been given and the chance to grow, applying the skills I’ve developed throughout my career. It’s an incredible learning opportunity. There’s no better feeling than seeing stores that I’ve had a hand in being designed filled with customers, especially when launching a brand-new precinct like The Market Pavilion.

Final question, with your retail design hat on, is there a store that you look at and think ‘they’ve nailed that’? 

I love all my designs for lots of different reasons, they all have moments that are so special. However I have a few that stand out, firstly Boutique Le Vin and Sweet As, both are Chadstone institutions, so being a part of bringing them back into the centre has been incredibly rewarding. Both retailers embraced the vision, elevating their brand vision to suit the space; their designs have personality and character and I’m incredibly proud of them.

Breadtop is another highlight, demonstrating how good design can turn constraints into opportunities. The corner location, their standardised display units and large back-of-house needs meant myself and the designer had a big challenge making the space work for them but they took our feedback in stride and produced a design that is incredibly successful. Faceting the product display and framing them in the metal archways created an architectural shopfront, abundant with product that could sit in any high-end marketplace around the world. The result truly reflects the power of creative problem solving.

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