Capturing the moment as always Selfridges securely jumps on the Paddington band wagon, with a dedicated “Curiosity Shop” featuring all things duffly, marmaladey and beary as it creates a compelling proposition for London tourists from as far as deepest Peru.-
You would have had to have been, appropriately enough, buried head first in the snows of Antarctica not to have noticed that the John Lewis Christmas icon is a penguin. To be accurate he is an Adelie penguin and his name is Monty. He has been the star of the retailer’s Christmas advertising campaign and window displays and you have as much chance of buying one in John Lewis as you have of finding a giraffe at the South Pole.
You would have had to have been, appropriately enough, buried head first in the snows of Antarctica not to have noticed that the John Lewis Christmas icon is a penguin. To be accurate he is an Adelie penguin and his-
To illustrate the point the retailer is collaborating with Everyman Cinemas and has installed a sixty seater cinema in its basement event space which will run for the next seven months. Cinema-goers can expect a unique and intimate environment complete with seductive soft sofas and art-deco illumination.
The auditorium itself is complemented by an exclusive wine bar with the same intimate atmosphere, appropriate for aperitifs for the early-evening early arrivals, and the post-film post mortems.
In the rich vein of the new niche cinema venues each day brings a unique mix of different digital deliverables consisting of a daily diet of timeless must-sees, evenings dedicated to cult-classics, horror for the late-night hours, and weekends full of family favourites.
More than ever, Everyman in Selfridges provides the perfect antidote to multi-screen metropolises, burdened with commercial blockbusters, perpetually polluted with pop-corn and binge buckets, the banal homage to the contradiction of mass market entertainment.
So book early to avoid disappointment and take your centre stage seat for another exclusive, entertaining and undoubtedly unique Selfridges’ experience.
VM-unleashed has worked with a variety of brands and retailers developing multi-channel retail and event calendars, and defining strategies for cross-category collaborations.
For more information…
tim.radley@vm-unleashed.co
VM-unleashed monitors and celebrates best practice such as Selfridges, to advise our clients and make then more profitable.
Globetrotters in search of gifts and glitter are falling over themselves heading for the fourth floor to immerse themselves in a world of traditional snow and sparkle, whilst the unaware walk short-sleeved through the unseasonal September sunshine.
Personalisation is literally the name of the game adding that extra urgency to pick up a unique present or seasonal souvenir, a retail reminder of a summer sojourn through the streets of London.
Top of the festive list are designer china baubles in black and white, waiting to be custom painted with your name of choice. And to celebrate that faraway special day Santa’s sacks expectantly await the personal messages and individual addresses of their lucky recipients, boldly emblazoned before our very eyes.
Identifying the dynamics of your customer, as much as the ambient Autumnal back-drop to life, is always the key to commercial celebrations. All this may leave traditionalists with a nasty November taste in their mouths, but equally provides visitors from many countries with the perfect opportunity to return home as conquering heroes, survivors of the family gift quicksand, the proud providers of politically correct and perfectly personalised presents.
VM-unleashed has have worked with a variety of brands and retailers helping to define commercial retail calendars, and to develop assortments which satisfy the seasonal opportunities offered to every retailer.
For more information…
tim.radley@vm-unleashed.com
VM-unleashed monitors and celebrates best practice such as Selfridges, to advise our clients and make then more profitable.
From monotone and monochrome to coordinated costumes and colour explosions the windows of the city vie for visual supremacy and a slice of the passing traffic.
More ingenious than most is the clever concept that sits inside the newly constructed windows of the refurbished Debenham’s on Oxford Street. Colour statements are created within a supermarket setting with mannequins wheeling painted trolleys through a series of colour cameos from Winter Greens and Sweet Pastels to Berry Pink and Blue Washes.
The backdrop shelves serve up an imaginative assortment of toned tins and packets; washing powder to jams, bay leaves to garden peas.
VM-Unleashed monitors, benchmarks and celebrates best practice to provide the most relevant and expert analysis & conclusions.
The defining attraction of Urban Outfitters is its distinct personality expressed through its often random but always eclectic mix of fashions, home accessories, music and novelties. It is impossible to resist picking up things that you have not seen before or rediscovering old favourites that you just can’t help touching again.
The total experience reflects the very specific taste with innovative and unusual display techniques in a store environment which is all about curiosity and exploration. Store materials and fixtures are often unfinished or distressed giving a feeling of newness and anticipation.
That being said the Urban Outfitters store is a successful commercial proposition which cleverly combines best selling and profitable lines with strategically selected curiosities, image makers and locally sourced ranges appealing the regional taste. The brand mix is a careful balance of traditional good sellers such as Levis and Dockers and the more risky but eyecatching new brands which are the core of its proposition.
Fish’s Eddy feeds the growing appetite for vintage, individual cookware products as an antidote to modern mass commercialism and product standardisation.
The company has grown from a raid on an old china factory which offered a wonderland of sample plates, distressed and odd pieces and unique seconds. The collection has grown with the addition of cutlery, linens and an array of household jars, accessories and utensils.
Rather than dictate the purchase to the customer – the number of pieces, the uniformity of the pack – Fish’s Eddy’s store proposition is based around an eclectic “pic ‘n; mix”, an all pervasive ” mix ‘n’ match2 where the customer is free to select across categories, styles, colours, periods, designs according to their own whim and individual taste.
Grocery stores exhibit the ultimate and most topical examples of the tailored assortment as every brand clamours to convert from the massive megastores to the convenience and cost-efficiencies of the smaller format. However without the attraction of the wider choice, or the lure of the lowest basket price in town, many retailers must strive to add-value and benefit to the edited assortment through service, selection and the store experience.
Booths supermarkets serve local communities and limited catchments increasingly from decreasingly sized stores, with a focused offer built from sales analysis and customer research in a continuous virtuous cycle of refinement and replenishment.
The icing on the cake of popular demand is whipped together from price comparison promises, outstanding fresh-counter service, in-store exclusives, product tastings and demonstrations and the advantages of the store loyalty card.
