Cascades shopscentre boss moveson after 14 years

After spending 14 years as Cascades Centre Director, long-standing Portsmouth resident Rhoda is leaving her post to become general manager at a shopping centre in Cambridge.

Rhoda has an extensive career in shopping centre management.

She began her first role 26 years ago working in shopping centres throughout Oxford, the West Midlands and even Washington DC. Eventually Rhoda settled in Fareham, with Cascades set in her sights.

Rhoda said ‘My plan was to stay for three years. The centre was undergoing significant expansion and the longer I stayed, the more the city got under my skin.’

Rhoda has implemented some big changes to the popular shopping destination and has witnessed some weird and wonderful goings on in her long stint as Director.

rom marriage proposals over the tannoy system to the birth of a litter of foxes which had to be nurtured until they were big enough for release into the wild.

Rhoda even had to deal with a member of the public who insisted on blocking the ladies toilets with clothes, daily.

One memory that does stick in her mind is the arrival of both the Olympic and Paralympic torches prior to the 2012 games. Rhoda said: ‘It was fantastic to see the faces of our shoppers as they were able to witness a piece of national history.’

Rhoda said she had nothing but great memories of her time working in Portsmouth: ‘We live in a fantastic location. Stay proud and passionate, The friendliness and passion for Portsmouth from the store staff and my colleagues is the thing I’m really going to miss the most and will definitely stay with me.”