RETAIL CHAPPELL OF BOND STREET


“The lunchtime concerts, for example, are put on in collaboration with the very best music schools and conservatoires,” he explains. “This brings the high-end Yamaha and Bösendorfer models under the hands of tomorrow’s stars and also creates a perfect showcase for the instruments in intimate surroundings. “This in turn broadens the scope of who we


reach and puts the shop in leading magazines and newspapers.” Furthermore, the lunchtime concerts are free


– in order to attend, members of the audience simply need to register beforehand. As for the showcase concerts, 2011 will see a


number of these, including performances from the renowned concert pianist, Arto Pizarro and heart-throb Paolo Nutini, as well as the now Yamaha regular, jazzer Jamie Cullum (among many others). Chappell’s has chosen London’s Centrepoint charity as the beneficiary from any profits. Centrepoint and Chappell’s go back a long way together, as the original Chappell factory was once next door to the charity. It is a close relationship. Centrepoint is a youth charity that supports housing, health and development needs for young people. “Arto and Jamie are also customers,”


continues Hill. “They’ll come in and buy stuff like anyone else – as does Jools Holland, who is also an ambassador for Centrepoint.” As MI Pro has pointed out before, with customers dating back 200 years including the likes of Beethoven and Charles Dickens, right up to the current regulars of ‘Arto, Jamie and Jools’, Chappell’s takes name-dropping to entirely new galaxies. To round off the celebrations nicely, Chappell’s and Yamaha have just signed off a campaign with Classic fm, giving away four instruments every week, effectively giving the shop weekly promotions across the year to the radio station’s five and a half million listeners. And don’t be misled into thinking that it’s all about youth and the needy, either. Those millions of Classic fm listeners make up a particular demographic that is ideal for Chappell’s. To focus on this element, each year the store organises a Spring Back to Music campaign (in the spring, of course) to drive home the point that playing music, particularly for the middle classes, is a lifestyle choice. Shall I buy a Harley? Or a drumkit? “The scheme is aimed at lapsed players,” explains Hill, “and each sale means we can match a new customer with a wider product selection in to the future.”


TOUGHING IT OUT Besides all of this – in fact, the cause of all of this is that Chappell of Bond Street is an MI retailer and has managed to succeed through the toughest of times – including the present. Hill accepts that there have been lean times for the shop, but that the present climate is not really so much of an issue. “Right now, customer service is everything and I think we’ve got it just right,” he says. “In times such as these, you have to offer something extra and we do. We are a heritage retailer, which brings people in, of course, but we then have to deliver on our promises – and then some. We have to recognise that customers are buying into our value and heritage. Especially at times such as these, customers want to feel safe. Accommodating that is key to any retailer’s survival.


76 miPRO JANUARY 2011


The team that is the latest chapter in Chappell’s lengthy existence


“Behind this we have the value of our


product offering, which we are very proud of. We have tremendous breadth in our offering…” And this is where I interrupt. Breadth? As a


Yamaha-owned store, surely the stockroom is as broad as what Yamaha can offer. “Yes, we are owned by Yamaha, but the store


is so much more than a Yamaha showcase – although it is that, too,” explains Hill. “We have one of the largest printed music offerings in the country – some 40,000 titles. And we have some of the finest specialists in sheet music here. People with encyclopaedic knowledge, who can even find a piece for a customer who can only hum the melody. “On the ground floor is the rock n roll and


accessory department, where there is a lot more than just Yamaha on sale – and where there is only Yamaha products (on the first floor in the acoustic hall) the Yamaha, Kemble and Bösendorfer models on sale cover every single corner of the acoustic piano market. “Chappell’s is a department store and each


The shop caters for more than just pianists, hence its department store status


department knows its territory. If a customer comes in who knows what he wants, that’s fine, but our staff will often know better and will help them make the right purchase. From the smallest item to a Yamaha CFX or Bösendorfer Chopin, our staff have a depth of knowledge you just don’t see elsewhere. “The proof is in the fact that customers keep coming back. We look after them and they trust us.”


CHAPPELL EXPECTS It’s a valuable point, but it is equally intriguing to see Chappell’s as a flagship showroom for Yamaha, which it undoubtedly is, and which is another piece in the jigsaw of a unique store in the world of MI. Aside from the products and the promotions, the store is also a hub for artist relations. (“If you think retail is hard work, working with promotions, artists and other activities is even harder,” he points out.) Which brings us, inevitably, to where Chappell of Bond Street will be once the hubbub of a bicentennial is behind. “At Chappell’s, we never talk about how to


sell more gear,” admits Hill. “It’s always ‘what’s next?’ The bicentenary is extra fuel for our customer relations – it gives us more to talk about and more to offer – but we are always looking for ways to get out into the conservatoires and work with students. It is vital for us to connect to future customers as well as present ones, to create relationships. Relationships mean repeat business and that means customers spending more money.” It’s a valuable philosophy and one that has


seen Chappell’s over its 200-year history expand beyond its London ‘parish’ and into a national store with a national identity. And one gets the feeling that if the company maintains its ‘what next?’ attitude, it could well be planning campaigns for its 400th anniversary, too. CHAPPELL’S: 020 7432 4400


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92