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Retailer Face to Face
The
Morleys
Revolution “As our ceo Nigel Blow summed up recently, this is a revolution, not an evolution,” stated Amanda Bell, Morley Department Stores’ buying director about the recent £multi-million revamp of the Morleys of Brixton department store. PG hot-footed it to London’s buzzy Brixton to join in the celebrations on the grand reopening day of this historic retailing emporium.
S
ome things are worth waiting for, the unveiling of the reinvigorated Morleys of Brixton department store is testament to that. ‘Established in 1880, reinvented in 2022’ teased the hoarding which covered the store’s impressive windows while the finishing touches were being made behind the scenes, making the dream a reality for the privately-owned independent department store group, which now spans eight stores. While this massive refurbishment project had been planned for several years, the pandemic delayed progress, with work getting underway in earnest a few months ago. Then, on November 11 came the big reveal, with top beauty and fragrance brands such as Jo Malone, Chanel, Kiehl’s and Nars adding the front of house glitz and glamour on the ground floor, leading down to the newly refixtured card and stationery department which shares the lower ground floor with the popular toys and luggage areas. Meanwhile, an arresting home and housewares area anchors the second floor with ladies fashion on the first floor. A whole long weekend of instore activities - from DJs, gin, rum and craft beer tasting, beauty masterclasses, fashion illustrator Scott Mason in action - put Morleys back on the map as a modern retailer which is in tune with the changing dynamics of its customer base.
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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
“The store was bought by our chairman’s grandfather in 1927, and almost a century on, the customer profile has completely changed, especially in the last ten years,” explained Amanda Bell, who is the retail group’s buying director responsible for the broad ‘Home’ area, which includes greeting cards and stationery. “Originally Morleys of Brixton was a very traditional store, but now the area is younger, wealthier, trendier and ethnically diverse. It also has a big advantage in that it is on the high street directly opposite the busy tube station,” elaborated Amanda. Above: Morleys of Brixton has just had a radical overhaul. Right: Buying director Amanda Bell’s responsibility extends into covering the greeting card department. Below: The new fixtures in Morleys’ card department, echo the industrial feel of the lower ground floor.
Greeting cards are a “really important” product area for the whole Morley group, assured Amanda. Although the reconfiguration has seen the card and wrappings department move from the ground floor down a few steps in order to accommodate the high profile beauty brands, Amanda is confident customers will find it. “We are seen as something of a destination for cards in the area with customers coming in specifically to buy them,” explained Amanda. In common with the other stores in the group, the greeting card display in the Brixton store is managed by Woodmansterne as part of its W Select programme, with input from the Morleys’ team. As well as a fair showing of Woodmansterne brands, the current department incorporates designs from publishers such as