NOT many of us would give up retirement on the Spanish coast to return to Basildon in an attempt to solve its shopping crisis.

But for Hans Wustefeld, 69, it was the chance to return to the town he loves and playamajor part in the next chapter in its history.

Hans made his name at the Eastgate Shopping Centre where he saw off the competition from Lakeside to bring in 250,000 shoppersaweek.

Now he has been dubbed the Mary Portas of the Basildon town centre after taking on the challenge of moving the market to St Martin’s Square and trying to attract more traders. The Echo revealed last month the town centre was suffering with 31 empty shops.

Despite the negative impression of the town, Hans said Basildon had a lot to offer.

He said: “People are always negative about Basildon. They never have anything good to say but it is a great town with lovely people and I enjoy working here.

“We are building the new market and we have a fantastic team of architects on the case.Idon’t think traders will be affected by the move. It will be an improvement. There will be wi-fi, water and electricity. It will be a very pleasant place to shop.”

There are also moves to bring a continental flavour to the market, but Hans is adamant it won’t lose its East End vibe.

He said: “There is a movement across the UK with speciality markets offering food from all around the world. They are very popular and that is what we are attracting in Basildon.

“This year we had Italian markets,afarmers’ market and entertainment. Retail has changed and markets have to change as well.

When I came to the UK 35 years ago people weren’t drinking coffee but now there is a bustling coffee shop on every corner.

“My vision is to create a successful shopping centre which is enjoyable for customers with entertainment and community involvement. But it will be a very happy medium. The present traders are brilliant people. We have fantastic produce and shops.”

Hans retired as general manager of Eastgate two years ago and was settling into retirement when he got the call to return to the town where he made his name.

Hans said: “I had spent half the year travelling around Europe in my camper van and I was a little bit bored. Then I got the phone call asking if I wanted to come back to Basildon to work for Basildon Town Centre Management.

“It’s the people of Basildon who I love. There is always something going on here.”

A big part of Hans’ work is the market, and he has brought in his contacts to mentor and advise traders and give stalls a makeover.

He added: “It is a bit like what Mary Portas does.”

Hans’ retail experience stretches far and wide and has seen him work in shopping malls aboard top cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth II.

He’s sailed around Australia and the Caribbean, and seen most of the world.

During this colourful life, Hans humbly said his biggest achievement was in 2006, when he was awarded the shopping centre manager of the year for his work at Eastgate.

He said: “I have come from the QE II cruise ship to Basildon, but there are so many interesting people here and I really enjoyed it.

“Basildon has fantastic shopping facilities for a small town.

Basildon has a lot going for it.”