Things will feel very different at the Eastgate Shopping Centre next week.
Jackie Cuddy will report for duty as manager of the centre for the final time on Friday, drawing a line under an 18-year term in the job.
A well-known face around the place, it’s bound to feel a little strange for the staff there.
Jackie departs a centre and – in particular – a retail world that is drastically different to the one she inherited.
A lot has changed since the 65-year-old first walked through the doors of the Eastgate in 2004.
Inverness was in the midst of a population boom, still basking in the afterglow of being named one of the Queen’s Millennium cities.
And the Eastgate was thriving, fresh from completing a £70m extension, a key part of a city centre that had not yet been scarred by the rise of internet shopping.
Jackie: ‘The Eastgate is the heart of the community’
The pandemic compounded what was already a very tricky situation for cities and shopping centres across the country.
In short, it’s been a very difficult time.
But despite those challenges, Jackie is still sad to be leaving the Eastgate’s hustle and bustle behind.
And she’s already plotting a possible return to retail work six months down the line.
Once she’s had a chance to rest and recharge, that is.
Jackie said: “The Eastgate is the heart of the community. It’s been a pleasure to work with all the people I have.
“It’s been exciting, it’s been fun. There’s a real buzz and I will really miss it, without a doubt.”
Alongside her job leading the north’s biggest shopping centre, Jackie has also been a dedicated charity fundraiser and campaigner.
She has helped raise more than £200,000 for several Highland charities.
During her own battle with breast cancer in 2006, three events at the centre raised a whopping £45,000.
And that community feel is something Jackie wants to see continue.
The imminent opening of the Eastgate’s new food collective will go a long way to harbouring that feeling.
Jackie said: “I would’ve loved to have stayed for the opening of the food collective, but it feels like the right time to hand over.
“There is still a lot of potential with the Eastgate and people should never underestimate how powerful its brand is to Inverness.”
Changing of the guard at the Eastgate
Jackie was far from an expert on Inverness before she arrived at the Eastgate in 2004.
She had been managing the Pavilions Shopping Centre in Birmingham, where she is originally from, when the move was first touted.
Jackie said: “When I was offered the job, I knew nothing about it. I said ‘where’s Inverness? Is it past the Lake District?’
“But I came up to visit and it was the most beautiful day. People talked about it like it was some backwater and it was not like that at all.
“I took the chance and Inverness has been very kind to my husband and me. It was originally going to be five years but I stayed because it was constantly changing and evolving.
“It’s home now.”
New Eastgate manager Chris Kershaw will take the reins solo once Jackie departs the centre next week.
Once retired, she hopes to spend more time with her husband, former Inverness Bid manager Mike Smith, and will join the board of suicide prevention charity Mikeysline.
More time spent wild swimming, one of her passions, is also on the to-do list.
It will be a major wrench to leave, but Jackie is convinced that Chris is the right person to hand things over to.
Jackie said: “I’ve really enjoyed it and never got bored.
“You need passion and to be a people person to succeed here. The great thing is that Chris has both of those qualities, so he will be fine.
“He’s the right person to be taking over.”
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