Three new retail concept stores have opened in London. They are great examples retail design that is evolving towards destination and experience design.
One of the hot topics during pandemic has been the survival of brick-and-mortar retail on high streets. These new concept stores in central London lead the trend towards more experiental destinations where people want to stay longer to spend time and money.
THREE EXPERIENCE DESIGN CONCEPTS:
- Gym – by (Fraser Group) or better known as Sports Direct has over 140 brands across four floors on Oxford Sreet. The store has undergone a major revamp worth £10m and trasnformed from a bargain hunt location to a major multi-brand specialty sports store.
- Market – by Eataly is an independent Italian food & restaurant chain. It’s first London location spreads across 2 floors with 3 restaurants and bars, 6 eateries and over 5,000 Italian products to buy.
- Village – by Anya Hindmarch is a little village of stores on Pont Street, Kensington for a luxury accessories brand.
Each concept offers a specific type of customer experience and well designed journeys inside the store with variety of touchpoints to choose from.
Gym
INTERIOR DESIGN
The new Oxford Street store interior with utilitarian and masculine material & forms language feels a bit like being in the gym. Furthermore, it looks like a natural extension of the gym.
EXPERIENCE DESIGN – Fitness motivation
Instore communication and tech tools emphasise the feeling that you are being taken seriously about the training. Huge product range gives a lot of choice to find aspirational and motivational sportswear and equipment covering all training levels. You can get advice and feel inspired which are great motivators for trying to reach personal fitness goals.
Sports Direct has always been an Everyman ‘regular guy’ brand. Inclusive brand values have been highlighted inside the new store successfully. With clear and easy navigation it feels wellcoming to everyone.
EASY BROWSING
EXPERTISE
CLEAR GUIDANCE
SPORT TECH
INCLUSIVE
Market
INTERIOR DESIGN
Fresh produce and Italian food culture are the focus inside the Eataly restaurant and food store complex. The interior reminds large food halls inside luxury supermarkets. It is all about seeing the food being prepared inside theater kitchens. It makes you trust the freshness which is the main selling point. Food ingredients and colours play also the main role of the decoration.
DESIGN EXPERIENCE – Coming together
Mediterian food culture is a social event. Food brings people together. Thefore, buying from the counters at the market is also a social touchpoint and it is expected to take time. It’s about meeting and greeting, not like a quick visit in a convenience store. The journey ends with sitting down and sharing a meal or drink.
QUALITY
FRESHNESS
TRANSPARENCY
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
ITALIAN FAMILY LIFESTYLE
Village
INTERIOR DESIGN
‘Anya village’ is full of nostalgia of the cottage lifestyle. Anya Hindmarch brand stores are located along one street. Each space has an individual identity and interior style reflecting to each collection: event space, sustainable collection store, labelled collection store, bespoke store and a cafe.
DESIGN EXPERIENCE – Shopping around
The idea is that you can pop from one little store to another – just like on a village high street. Shopping experience is intimate and consultative. Craftmanship that is the the heart of the brand is on display.
PERSONALISATION
QUALITY & TRADITION
CRAFTMANSHIP
COTTAGE CULTURE
SLOW LIFE
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