Essentials
Address 171 Regent Street, London Floors One Number of 7 For All Mankind stores in the UK Two (although the Westbourne Grove branch is operated by retailer Joseph) Year brand founded 2000 Entry price for jeans £165 Top price for jeans £305
connected to the fact that customers were relatively thin on the ground, in spite of it being mid-afternoon and four weeks before Christmas. Anybody walking through the door
was greeted with a smile and a willing- ness and ability to answer almost any 7 For All Mankind-related question. Score 8/10
Store appeal There’s no doubt the Italian architect who put together this new format 7 For All Mankind (there is one other like it, in Hamburg) knows what slick is about and there will be few questions about the high-end materials deployed. Back- lit wooden perimeter panels, large terrazzo tiles and graphics depicting Rodeo Drive-looking floozies with atti- tude characterise what this store is about. In the mid-shop, tables formed from raw concrete and a slatted wooden table that takes the form of a wave go a long way towards complementing the expensive stock. This all sounds pretty impressive, but
there is a slight reservation. This looks and feels a little bland – surely not what
designer store of old than a jeans store. Yes, the jeans are piled on perimeter shelves, but the piles are only three- high, giving a total of just 72 pairs of folded jeans for men, for example, with a few front-facing hung pairs beneath. It’s roughly the same for women and
if you want to see more, individual pairs are displayed in the mid-shop on the various tables used for the purpose. After this, it’s a matter of side-hanging along the perimeter with props such as jars of green apples (a device favoured by German exhibition organisers in Düsseldorf, by the way) and a some- what lonely mannequin inside the store, joining the three that stare out of the window. There’s nothing wrong with any of this. It’s just a little unre- markable when the price tags on the merchandise are considered. Score 5/10
Service Enthusiastic, as you would hope. The store manager has a comprehensive knowledge of both stock and brand and it’s hard to fault the in-store presenta- tion standards. In part, this might be
Slick interior: high-end materials have been used throughout the store but the stock on display is limited. Props including jars of green apples are scattered around
December 3 2010 Drapers 19
you would expect of a jeans brand that hails from southern California. Score 5/10
Would I buy? No, I’m afraid I wouldn’t. There is almost a sense of the emperor’s new clothes about this brand – it charges a lot because it thinks it can get away with it. On balance, and this may sound harsh, a walk across the road to the Levi’s flagship would seem more likely to result in a sale being made. And, oddly, in spite of this store having a very large plate glass picture window, it would actually be quite easy to walk past it, even allowing for the somewhat garish logo that seeks to grab your atten- tion by being washed in blue neon light. Score 4/10
Verdict High prices are fine providing there appears to be a reason. This store on Regent Street doesn’t go far enough towards providing that reason and shoppers may find their atten- tion and spending power drawn elsewhere.
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