MARATHON runner extraordinaire Tony Wilkes has set off on an exciting new challenge – running Swindon’s prestigious Brunel shopping centre.

Mr Wilkes, 45, who has completed more than 50 marathons, has taken charge at the complex of more 100 shops, restaurants and cafes in the heart of Swindon town centre.

As the retail industry continues to fight the effects of the recession, his key aims are to attract more customers to the two-tier covered mall and lure tenants to a number of empty units there.

He said: “I think The Brunel is a great shopping centre. It has a fantastic location right in the middle of the town centre.

“The cleanliness of The Brunel alone is an absolute credit to all those involved. It is a lovely environment for shopping and for meeting up with friends and enjoying a cup of coffee and a chat.

“But like all businesses it can be improved and this is the challenge that I’m looking forward to.”

Unusually, Mr Wilkes, who was raised at Trentham Gardens in the Potteries and has represented England at kickboxing, arrived in the retail trade via the building industry.

When he left school at 16 he became an apprentice joiner for a construction company before joining Bryant Homes as a facilities manager, focusing on building maintenance.

He later became part of the management team which built the Freeport Outlet Village in Stoke.

“That was my introduction to retail and I really enjoyed it,” he said.

In 2000, he became deputy manager of the Pallasades shopping centre in Birmingham, before running two centres in Derbyshire and returning to run two more malls in Birmingham.

Mr Wilkes said: “In this industry we have two types of customers; the shopper and our tenant retailers.

“I enjoy the interaction with both groups, focusing on their needs, helping to solve problems and generally striving to improve the environment and facilities for everyone concerned.”

Mr Wilkes, who leads a management team of seven, plus cleaning and security staff, is keen to bring people back to The Brunel which, like retail centres around the UK, has been hit by the recession.

Tenants at the Brunel, which was built in two stages by the council during the 1970s, include some of Swindon’s largest and best known shops such as the House of Fraser, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Boots, Argos and Waterstone’s as well as a host of smaller specialist shops.

One of the biggest changes Mr Wilkes has seen during the past decade is the emergence of the internet and online shopping.

He said: “People are ordering on the net and goods are delivered to the door. But you can’t really check the quality of the goods on the internet; you can’t touch and smell it before buying.

“Also, internet buying cannot replicate the sort of experience shopping at a place like The Brunel can offer.

“Places like this are communities – they have huge social importance. People meet here, have a cup of tea and sandwich together, they have a chat and catch up with the gossip.

“We aim to provide the best possible environment in which they can do that.”