Levande Chief Executive Officer Kevin McCoy told the Senior Living Innovation Forum in Los Angeles that the operator’s growth is being driven by disciplined curiosity – letting customer insight, not assumptions, set the brief.
Showcasing Levande’s flagship The Cambridge in Epping, 18km northwest of Sydney’s CBD – one of the tallest retirement villages in the world, Kevin described how real-time sales data forced a mid-build pivot.
With construction already at level 17, Levande reconfigured floors 20 to 26 to add more three-bedroom apartments, cutting the scheme from 172 to 158 dwellings to meet buyer demand.
“Once reservations came in and we saw what the market was doing, we realised preferences had shifted – more three-bedroom over two-bedroom,” he said.
“Our biggest risk is assuming we know what our customers want. Boomers have disrupted every category they’ve touched. Senior living will be no different.”
Kevin also detailed how Levande’s Everyday Exceptional brand platform has reframed perceptions of retirement living by closing the gap between the external promise with residents’ lived experience.
Since launching in June, brand awareness has tripled in six weeks, positioning the EQT-owned operator – 59 villages and more than 10,000 residents – as one of the sector’s most energetic new brands.
“We’ve built Levande around our values of caring, trust and excellence. When we stay curious about our customers, everything else follows,” he said.
