Our latest trip took us to Regent Street, to visit stores like Burberry, Rapha, Nespresso and Liberty. We were inspired by their incredible design, perfect execution and outstanding customer experience.
And we want our customers to get out and experience some of London’s best stores – to get inspired and reinvigorated by the possibilities of retail space.
That’s why we’ve put together a list of the Cegid Retail Store Excellence team’s favourite stores – from the traditional to the high-tech – to inspire you to get out and experience some of london’s best showrooms, stores and flagships.
Burberry Flagship – Regent Street
Rebecca Hall – Product Manager
The luxury fashion house is serving up a true British shopping experience at their London flagship at 121 Regent Street. With only around 100 products on display, and only one item of each, it’s the job of the attentive store staff to to communicate with customers to give them a seamless personal shopping experience. It’s the level of human interaction that we love about this store.
But it’s not just the hands on approach to customer service that caught our attention.
Burberry’s ultimate luxury customer service includes futuristic on-screen technology, bespoke digital signage on all floors and clever radio-frequency identification (RFID) which provides audio-visual content on selected items.
So, when a customer takes a product and approaches one of the store’s screens in the common areas or in a fitting room, they have instant access to relevant information ranging from craftsmanship to catwalk looks.
Tom Dixon – Coal Drops Yard
Amy Bastow, Managing Director
The two Victorian coal drops sheds were once used to ship coal from South Yorkshire trains to narrow boats on the Regents Canal. After extensive redevelopment, Coal Drops Yard opened in October 2018. There are stores here that you know (but perhaps not as you know them), and stores that you don’t. What unites these stores, is that they offer an experience that’s out of the ordinary, that goes beyond being a place to buy.
Self-taught designer Tom Dixon’s flagship is an unusual and beautiful space, housed in the arches of one of the coal drops. As well as the lighting shop, haberdashery, furniture shop, perfumery and gift shop, they host workshops and events at The Factory, and there’s even The Coal Office restaurant – a collaboration between Tom Dixon, and chef Assaf Granit.
The location is enviable, right next to the canal and just a short walk from Granary Square. For modern, unusual design with coveted furniture and lighting – it’s a must visit!
Liberty London – Regent Street
Pippa Parker – Customer Success Manager
Liberty was founded by Arthur Lasenby Liberty in 1875 with a £2,000 loan from his future father-in-law and is now a true London Landmark. With open fireplaces, original staircases and small, wood-panelled rooms, this iconic retail space is a pleasure to explore. Lots of new and relatively unknown brands are showcased here, it has an incredible beauty hall, lovely stationery, fashion and home too!
Samsung – King’s Cross
Fran O’Malley – Marketing Executive
Opened last week, the Samsung experience store, doesn’t actually sell any electrical products. Instead it’s a space that gives you the chance to test drive their latest tech. You can try out the latest model of smart fridge, watch the football on a 94-inch TV, listen to Spotify on noise cancelling headphones -and all whilst overlooking the Coal Drops Yard from this incredible glass front building with modern architecture.
There are virtual reality driving games, a huge high-tech graffiti wall, and a café if you need to recharge. They run loads of workshops and events, whether you are interested in tech, entrepreneurship or single origin coffee.
Rituals – Covent Garden
Oriana Ramanath – Business Development Executive
When you think of shopping in central London, the word “calm” doesn’t initially spring to mind. And yet, when you step into Covent Garden’s tranquil Rituals store, and are offered a cup of soothing green tea, it’s easy to forget you are in the capital.
Whilst you sip your tea, you can indulge in a complimentary hand and arm massage, or have a member of staff advise you on products at one of the multiple trial sinks. For a relaxing in-store experience – there’s nowhere better.
Dyson Demo Store – Oxford Street
Nicolas Verstraeten – Customer Success Executive
The Dyson demo store on Oxford Street is the only physical space the brand own – so it’s no surprise that the team behind it’s creation have really managed to nail the customer experience in-store.
Customers can interact with every single item on display, whether it’s the latest cordless vacuum or new hairdryer technology. It gives you the chance to test the products before placing an order, whether it’s online or in store. You can even book an appointment with a stylist, to see what their hair styling products can do – and to leave the store with a brand new look.
Waitrose – Various Locations
Wesley Amos– Business Development Executive
In recent months, Waitrose have been making headlines with their split with Ocado and their ‘Unpacked’ refillables concept pilot. However it’s their ability to do the simple things brilliantly, that really stood out to the Cegid Retail Store Excellence team.
The aisles in Waitrose feel wider than other supermarkets and so you don’t have to fight for space. If someone is in the aisle it’s easy to walk past them, making for a great shopping experience.
In store butchers and fishmongers are knowledgeable about the products, and they don’t just feel like servers/packers. Being able to have a conversation about produce gives a more local feel to the whole experience.
With the rise of the showroom and try before you buy, it’s no wonder that Waitrose is getting on board. They have now opened wine bars in store at some of their locations.
It’s not just a great way to reward yourself after a post-work trip to the supermarket. It’s a great way to try some of the wines on offer.
Are all your stores executing brilliantly? If you’re not sure, you should schedule a demo with Cegid Retail Store Excellence and we’ll show you how we can help?
