15 minute read
Keeping Up Appearances
As it’s back to business for most jewellery retailers, Belinda Morris casts her eye over the encouraging and inspiring flurry of refurbs and new stores on our high streets.
While at the Jewellery Festival in September, I listened to a thought-provoking talk given by senior retail executive Andrew Jennings. With more than 45 years of leadership with some very big-name retailers under his belt, his words of wisdom were really worth taking note of. Should you have missed them, all the salient points are in his book – Almost is Not Good Enough – which offers a useful insight on what, in his view, does and doesn’t work if a business is to thrive today.
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There are many soundbites in the book, but, as they relate to visual merchandising, a few of Jennings’ takeaways stand out.
• “Go big or go home… be authoritative… today in retail you have to make a statement.”
• “A strong, well-developed point of view is essential.”
• “Embrace technology!” • “Understand your customers’ wants, needs and desires.” He stresses that “visual merchandising should be an absolute priority… creative presentation of in-store merchandise is essential… stores should be a source of visual delight.”
Suzanne Robinson of VM & Events can vouch for the fact that jewellery retailers have not been letting the grass grow under their feet over the past 18 months. “What a year, stop start, stop start, but we’ve come through it, and areas of retail have certainly woken up to a new world,” she says. “We’re definitely seeing a back-to-business-asusual from most retailers, and there’s a definite raising of standards, from customer service and hospitality to display fittings and finishes.
“We’ve found many of our clients have either continued in their pre-pandemic plans to refurbish or expand their showrooms, and some have started maximising on recent empty units on the high street, giving them further room for expansion.”
Inverness piercing area at Allum & Sidaway Salisbury
Watches of Switzerland, Brent Cross
Astley Clarke’s first flagship store
In October, the luxury British jeweller opened its first standalone, bricks-and-mortar store. On Monmouth Street in London’s Covent Garden, the 900sq ft space has an aura of relaxed luxury with warm wood floors, brass fittings and rich blue furnishings – a nod to Astley Clarke’s love of pairing denim with diamonds. The store is home to the full complement of Astley Clarke collections, from its vibrant gemstone designs to diamonds, and its perennially popular line of lockets – an Astley Clarke signature.
Nason Foster has also been working on numerous projects with retail jewellers across the country. “We’re pleased to say that the general feeling is very upbeat,” says retail designer Jo Coleman. “The past year has been a challenge for the high street, and while our clients have maintained a steady footfall, they’re ready for change. This can be a new store or a full or partial refurbishment of an existing store; we advise on how their store can develop and be more appealing.
“Naturally, commitment will be budget dependent, but we find many embrace our ideas, and we usually provide an element in the design that hadn’t been considered, which will expand their options, create an element of surprise and improve customer participation.”
The details that matter
“Design in general can be ethereal, intangible and subjective, but it’s the application of design that makes the difference,” Coleman explains. “The recent Covid restrictions have compelled our customers to create a strong online presence, but the physical existence of a retail outlet enables the jeweller to have their own window on the world, the chance to be individual and offer customers a unique shopping experience. In principle, jewellery store design has several main factors to consider: product display, visual appeal, privacy, safety and security.
“New trends of colour, materials and appearance are transient, but they’re all important to the public; we form a veil using various approaches to conceal the everyday security requirements thus enabling the staff and the customer to feel comfortable and relaxed. Shopfront design is dependent on location; whether it’s a high street or a shopping mall, there’ll be certain restrictions and requirements to consider.”
Coleman, with a background in the history of retail store design, feels the key to success is knowing the product for sale and working with those parameters. “We focus attention where needed while supporting the surrounding areas with colours and textures, furniture and form, and pockets of interest to encourage the customer to browse the store at leisure,” she says. “It’s important to encourage the retailer to push the boundaries; there’s room for theatre in any retail environment and the public thrives on individuality. space, raising standards but retaining the character of a store, making the customer feel welcome and reassured in a comfortable and secure setting. We work with our clients to highlight their image, incorporating their brand colours into the interior design. The last few years have seen a rise in neutral colours, demonstrated in domestic settings. However, there is a danger that all stores will look the same, therefore, we suggest and persuade our clients to believe in an injection of colour and generate a feel-good factor, which in turn will make them more memorable to the public.”
One detail of a jewellery store that is certainly on the rise is a dedicated space for ear piercing. And it’s probably no exaggeration to say the system offered by Inverness has prompted this service – once the preserve of fine jewellers as opposed to Claire’s Accessories – to make a welcome comeback. Supplied by Goodman Bros
New Boodles store to open in Leeds
The prime and imposing corner site in Leeds’ Victoria Quarter, with its historic, architectural frontage, resonates with the brand whose heritage dates back to 1798. The design narrative was “to capture the Boodles brand values, including the heritage, Britishness, design and craftsmanship, family values, knowledge and service.” The historical nods and traditional references are fused with contemporary artisan flair and detailing, including handstitched leatherwork, bespoke furniture and locally- crafted objets d’art in woods, metals and marbles.
The events of the last 18 months have accelerated demand for digital customer engagement delivered in a truly personalised way. Consumers are now looking for brands and retailers to lead on change and earn their loyalty.
Today’s shopper will gravitate towards jewellers that offer seamless and frictionless personalised experiences in store, online and across multiple devices at their convenience.
Are you rethinking traditional concepts of retail and delivering unforgettable, longlasting experiences for your customers?
Leading personalised customer video provider and new NAJ member PECUVi is making its dedicated PECUVi Retail solution available to members, enabling them to enhance their existing customer experience.
The solution helps bridge the gap between online and physical shopping for jewellers. It enables them to quickly and effectively send hyper-personalised and branded videos to customers instantly (regardless of their location), showcasing their products in a more interactive, convenient and meaningful way.
How it works:
1. Record - the jeweller quickly and easily records a personalised video using the dedicated Apple iOS App, with options to pause, review and re-record the video before uploading it to the retailer dashboard
2. Send - review the video in the retailer dashboard, add product details and hit send. The solution delivers your video instantly via SMS and email on a fully branded and customisable customer landing page, containing product details and a number of call-to-action options.
You can also add GDPR-compliant marketing messaging
3. Track - in the retailer dashboard the jeweller can track the number of views the video has had and monitor successful sale conversions, even down to sales assistant level videos to the automotive sector, working with Europe-wide dealerships, workshops, fast fits and part suppliers. Its Workshop video solution has increased workshop sales by 25 per cent, improved customer experience and allowed workshops to showcase their environment.
Throughout the first half of 2021, PECUVi was approached by several national retailers enquiring whether its existing video solutions could be adapted for use across the luxury retail sector. PECUVi partnered with leading jewellery and watch specialist, Berry’s, enabling them to create unexpected, unforgettable and truly immersive customer experiences.
Simon Oxby, group operations manager at Berry’s Jewellers commented:
“As a luxury high-class jewellers, we’re all about personal service. The adoption of PECUVi Retail is a natural extension of our customer experience and a great tool to go above and beyond. Our customers want to see our products, know about them and buy them quickly! I see this video solution as the perfect way of selling diamonds and jewellery, showing customers how it looks on the hand, wrist or neck without them having to physically come in store. It offers the best of both worlds.
“The solution gives our customers complete confidence that they’re buying from a knowledgeable and reputable store, and gives us the opportunity to show off the amazing surroundings we have in our VIP room in Leeds, for example. Nowadays, you have to innovate and keep ahead of the pack, so if you retail luxury items, this is a great way of getting your brand (and products stocked) seen by customers in a professional and innovative way.”
To hear more on how Berry’s has benefited from personalised customer videos, view the short case study video at www.pecuvi.com/ berrys-case-study/
Hyper-personalised videos are also a great way of interacting with customers far beyond simply the direct sales opportunity. Luxury retailers like jewellers are also using video to:
• Introduce sales staff and build an early bond with customers online
• Create ‘phygital’ experiences by showing off the look and feel of their store design and the VIP treatment customers can expect in-store
• Promote sustainable materials, supply chain and packaging used as part of their
ESG agenda
• Get customers excited when their piece of jewellery is ready for collection or delivery
PECUVi Retail has all the features any jeweller would require, from the simple and intuitive self-serve user interface of the solution to the required customer interaction and calls to action. Each element was created with the jeweller and end customer in mind. It’s all about convenience!
NAJ members can reserve a 14-day demo account and benefit from free setup and training support by visiting www.pecuvi. com/retail-sector/ clicking on the ‘Start your FREE trial NOW’ button and entering promo code NAJ21.
HL Brown, Sheffield, Nason Foster Design
Ch. Dahlinger
John Pass Jewellers Newcastle under Lyme, Nason Foster Design (the people behind the indispensable Lox earring backs and Connoisseurs jewellery care), it’s proving that piercing can be a win-win service. “It’s simple and painless to get into the business and a revenue stream that jewellers shouldn’t miss out on,” says Goodman Bros director Philip Goodman.
And while the space needed is minimal because the service is mobile, many happy retailers (such as Allum & Sidaway) are demonstrating that making a space for piercing is an opportunity to get creative. “The whole process and service from Inverness has been exceptional. From implementation to the products, all have been seamless and easy to action in store,” says Luke from the team at Allum & Sidaway in Salisbury. “Since implementing Inverness, we’ve had well over 50 appointments, and during our peak seasons of the school holidays, we took around 20 appointments a week across all our stores. It has really helped in driving footfall into the store and opening up new sale opportunities for the company.”
If taking retailing to a new level is on your mind, PECUVi provides the technology to enable jewellers to quickly create unforgettable, hyper personalised customer experiences through personalised customer videos, allowing jewellers to showcase their products and services in a more interactive and meaningful way. (Read more about PECUVi on page 39.) One emerging element of merchandising is that retailers are more environmentally conscious of materials they’re using… “whether that be in their packaging, interior fabrics or jewellery POS,” says Robinson. “There’s definitely a need to recycle where possible and to avoid using single-use plastics, vinyls and Perspex. Using UKbased manufacturers for display items has never been stronger due to the detail in delivery timescales from other countries.”
Cathie Osborne of Hatton & Spencer and Ch. Dahlinger packaging certainly agrees that sustainability considerations are key. Ensuring consumer demand for ethical sourcing practices is acted upon, working sustainably is also an opportunity to build brand value, she believes. Ch. Dahlinger products are designed with environmental responsibility in mind, using, wherever possible, materials that are renewable and/ or recycled for both cases and boxes.
When buying packaging material, she suggests asking your supplier whether the materials (wood, card, paper, etc.) are renewable, easily recyclable and biodegradable. Look for FSC certification – the system is committed to sustainable forest management.
Wakefields Jewellers refurbishment
Even before the pandemic, co-owners of fourth-generation family jewellers, Wakefields in Horsham, Melanie and Dominic Wakefield, were working on a strategy to embrace digital retailing and thinking about how to elevate their in-store experience. When Rolex suggested expanding their space with them, they decided to invest in a full store refurbishment. They commissioned Greenwich-based retail design consultants Innovare Design to help them realise their vision. Their brief: to achieve a luxury boutique feel without losing the store’s warmth and charm. They wanted a high-end feel with a wow factor, and somewhere customers would feel relaxed enough to pop in for a coffee and a chat.
“We wanted the new store interior to celebrate Wakefields’ extensive heritage, professionalism and expertise, as well as their exceptional level of customer care,” says Innovare’s Rebecca Sharman. “The new layout had to accommodate a larger Rolex showroom, and it needed more distinctive curated display zones and more relaxed customer consultation spaces.” The interior design inspiration came from the existing 1930’s shopfront. The Art Deco styling balances with contemporary design elements, with key architectural features restored or replicated. Attention to detail is key – from the terrazzo entrance foyer to the refined bronze details on the bespoke display cabinets and the styling of mirrors and screens. “Lighting also plays a critical role and is carefully layered from the window displays right through the store,” adds Sharman. “It provides sparkle and highlight to the jewellery and watches and delivers a warm and welcoming atmosphere throughout.”
“We’re thrilled with the new store design,” says Melanie Wakefield. “It allows us to create a truly special and memorable experience for every one of our customers.” Dominic Wakefield adds, “Despite the obvious pentup demand post-lockdown, the new store is definitely contributing to a significant uplift in trading.”
Goldsmiths unveils new look Canterbury store
Goldsmiths, of the Watches of Switzerland Group, revealed its new luxury design concept in October. The updated concept of the showroom, in Whitefriars, Canterbury, has an increased focus on luxury watch brands through a relaxed, inclusive and experiential environment. The jewellery offering features FOPE, Gucci, Roberto Coin and Mappin & Webb. Conceived in partnership with Quadrant Design, the store has light, uncluttered spaces in a monochrome palette of luxurious materials, such as white-washed oak timber, white terrazzo and blackened steel combined with architectural forms that include repeating vertical lines and soft curves inspired by the Goldsmiths’ logo.
Not letting the grass grow…
Describing projects that VM & Events has worked on recently, Robinson explains that both Laings and Lister Horsfall have grown their jewellery and watch offering over the past couple of months. “LH’s old Pandora store in Halifax has been beautifully transformed into a stylishly elegant jewellery showroom with an interior of white and gold, focusing solely on jewellery; each brand is displayed within its own cabinet to give a strong presence. The exterior of the showroom very cleverly houses four gold cube-like cases that appear to float in the window – they’ve been a joy to work in. Laings Cardiff has undergone a huge expansion, not only in the size of its showroom, by taking the retail unit next door, but also its watch offering, with a new Rolex and Patek Philippe area.”
Nason Foster is experiencing a businessas-usual spirit – and then some – among retailers. “In spite of the challenges of the past 18 months, we find our clients are keen to develop their businesses further,” says Coleman. “We’ve recently been fortunate to undertake the expansion of several existing retail stores to create larger areas for luxury brands and shop-in-shops. In these circumstances, it’s important for the retailer to retain their own image and fit hand-inhand with their brands in terms of finishes and quality to complete an overall luxurious feel. We’ve also designed and installed for a number of independent retail outlets, including new shopfronts augmenting previous interior remodelling and a full refurbishment of an established family business, coinciding with the installation of a larger shop-in-shop luxury brand.”
Without wishing to drag the ‘C’ word into the conversation, the events of the last year and a half have undoubtedly had an impact on store design. But for how long we wonder? “With the easing of restrictions and potentially the chance to return to a sense of normality, it appears the consensus is to make the most of the situation,” Coleman says.
"Our enquiries show there’s a desire to improve, to develop and consider modification; even if it’s only one thing in a store, it is a positive move forward. The public looks for change, for refinement, it encourages and lifts the spirit.”
Lister Horsfall
Laings St David's, Cardiff, Exterior & Interior
