Retail Trust expands employer partnerships with Estama to strengthen workforce wellbeing 

The Retail Trust has partnered with asset and property manager Estama to provide a wider range of health and wellbeing support for its employees.  

The partnership will give Estama employees access to a range of services, including counselling, financial aid, a virtual GP, mental health support for younger family members, a wellbeing helpline and employee discounts and rewards. 

Estama, which manages 30 retail centres across the UK alongside other commercial properties, will also provide mental health training for its managers, reflecting growing recognition of the role line managers play in supporting employee wellbeing. 

The announcement follows recent Retail Trust research which found that stronger relationships between managers and their teams have helped halt a 12-month decline in the wellbeing of retail workers, highlighting the importance of supportive leadership alongside employee benefits. 

Eoin Conway, managing director at Estama, said the partnership reflects the company’s people-first approach. 

“People are at the heart of what we do. The positive difference made by a good centre team is as clear to me as the positive difference made by a good store manager, and it is both a privilege and a great opportunity for us to work with the Retail Trust to keep the health and wellbeing of the people we work with at the centre of our approach. 

“Many national retailers are already working with the Retail Trust, and what excites us is the opportunity, given our reach across the country, to help the charity grow its outreach further to independent retailers and the wider teams that make retail places work.” 

The Retail Trust now works with more than 200 employers to improve workforce health and wellbeing, including Currys, Poundland and Mountain Warehouse, all of which have partnered with the charity to expand support for their employees. 

Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said the latest partnership demonstrates how wellbeing support is becoming relevant to organisations across the wider retail ecosystem, not just retailers themselves. 

“We’re partnering with Estama to give its people more help to manage their health and happiness and look after one another. 

“Employers of all shapes and sizes are receiving this support from the Retail Trust and we’d encourage even more to join us as we look for new ways to improve the wellbeing of retail workers across the country.” 

The move reflects organisations across the retail sector continuing to invest in preventative workplace health initiatives.

For organisations connected to the retail sector, these programmes are becoming an important part of attracting, retaining and supporting workforces facing continued operational and economic pressures.