SECTOR FOCUS: RETAIL
has a turnover of £100 million a year, employs more than 500 staff in Birmingham and is home to more than 600 brands, has now embarked on a £20 million redevelopment project in an effort to raise turnover by a quarter by 2017 and retain its reputation as the premier shopping destination. We have commissioned Ab Rogers Design to re- imagine the shop floors to maximise the flow of the shopping experience and give added vibrancy to the surroundings. The redevelopment work, which has already begun, will see every floor receive a complete overhaul by the end of the year to further elevate the quality of the shopping experience we offer.
Recreated shopping experience S
VICKI CAIN, general manager of Selfridges Birmingham, reveals the store’s ambitious programme of redevelopment
elfridges has been synonymous with Birmingham since it opened its doors in 2003. The iconic department store, which
RETAIL THERAPY
BY VICKI CAIN GENERAL MANAGER OF SELFRIDGES BIRMINGHAM
Level 3 will be dedicated to everything a woman
needs to prepare for a night out, consolidating women’s wear and beauty onto one floor. Premium brands such as The Kooples and Maje will sit alongside the best edits of high street fashion. Our new Beauty Hall will boast brands that no
other store in Birmingham will carry such as Shu Uemura, Illamasqua, Suqqu and RMK. One key customer demographic we are looking to grow is international students. Birmingham has a growing Chinese student population, many of whom are extremely savvy and passionate about beauty, fashion and premium lifestyle brands, so we intend to offer a truly outstanding and unique proposition for them. Our offering for men is equally well thought out, with Level 2 set to become a dedicated destination where you will be able to pick up everything from the
sharpest suiting to cutting edge urban street wear. Again, we will have exclusive brands you won’t be able to find anywhere else in the city, such as Michael Kors, Boy London, Sandro and Burberry. In London, the famous 400 Oxford Street store is known the world
over for its impressive and highly imaginative window schemes. As part of the plan for Birmingham, Selfridges will install curved glass window displays at the main entrances from the Bullring mall. These windows will allow us to showcase our range in new and
creative ways, visible from 360 degrees. We hope to bring the same magic that our London store has with its windows. In the spirit of our founder, Harry Gordon Selfridge, our mantra has been to always aim to surprise, amaze and amuse anyone who visits us. We have already begun this programme of transformation, which will be undertaken with the store remaining open throughout. It is an exciting time for the business and I relish the opportunity to help Selfridges prepare for its next decade in Birmingham.
Boost for Budapest
Ross McCall from the Birmingham office of real estate company Cushman & Wakefield has helped a Hungarian shopping mall run a campaign to boost retail sales. Arena Plaza in Budapest is managed by the Hungarian office of Cushman & Wakefield, which was keen to use the specialist marketing know-how of its colleagues in Birmingham, led by Ross. As the head of retail
commercialisation, Ross’s job involves creating and boosting the secondary income at shopping centres and other large assets managed by the firm. The campaign to promote Coca
Ross McCall, Cushman & Wakefield
Cola products at Arena Plaza involved a range of activities, including advertising, event sponsorship and even the ‘letting’ of virtual rights. More specifically, a ‘pop-up’ Coca Cola lounge was created, a giant 15ft interactive bottle was installed in the mall and a team of people was employed to hand out more than 10,000 products for sampling. Ross said: “Hungary is still a country where the concept of shopping
‘It is a market which is very different to most other western countries’
malls are relatively new, and retailers and brands are falling over themselves for market share, as they try to establish themselves. Some of the world’s most recognisable retailers were absent from the high street there until comparatively recently and are desperate to establish themselves in the country, including giants such as Coca Cola. “It is a market which is very different to most other western countries, but it is one that is full of potential.”
Five Guys’ Bullring debut
American burger brand Five Guys is continuing its UK expansion with a new restaurant at the iconic Bullring. The restaurant will be the brand’s first in the Midlands, and will open this summer on the Middle West Mall. Five Guys serves high quality,
fresh burgers and fries with a choice of toppings to customise your order. The restaurant will feature a touch-screen soda machine that can dispense more than 100 flavour varieties.
Tim Walley, Bullring general manager, said: “We’re delighted to be expanding our catering offering at the centre with the arrival of Five Guys. It’s a great high-profile brand to have on-board, and we’re sure that the restaurant will prove extremely popular with our customers.” John Eckbert, director of Five
Guys UK, added: “We are thrilled to be a part of Bullring and the other great eateries in the centre. We are looking forward to building a great relationship with West Midlands patrons.”
MAY 2014 CHAMBERLINK 39
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