It seems the boundary between digital and physical retail continues to blur in Dalziel & Pow's recent roundup of stores we love. Find out more here.
The boundary between digital and physical retail continues to blur, as more pure-play brands launch engaging real-world homes and Dior goes all-out for immersive screens. Take a look at our pick…
The premier wireless home audio brand Sonos has opened a “social, collaborative space that connects artists and audiences through experiences in music, art and technology” in the heart of Shoreditch. It includes a gig space, listening rooms, workstations and a café with changeable exhibitions, currently showing A Portrait of British Songwriting featuring musicians such as Mercury Music Prize nominee Kate Tempest.
What we love:
The industrial warehouse look and feel of Sonos Studio, with the addition of a wooden floor and up-cycled furniture to give the space warmth. We love the continual calendar of events being held in the space, giving visitors reasons to spend some time with the brand and associated artists.
Read about our recent visit to the new space here.
Since launching in the UK last year, Club Monaco now has five stores throughout London, with the most recent being a new Women’s store in Seven Dials. The store’s market format is the most recent to be rolled-out by the brand, adding food, books, flowers, vintage and home products to the fashion offer.
What we love:
The store design is in keeping with the brand’s independent boutique heritage. Opening in Seven Dials, only a short walk from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street, allows the brand to draw a large number of customers while using a smaller boutique format (2,000sqft).
Luxury multi-brand footwear and accessories retailer On Pedder (part of the Lane Crawford Group) opened its expanded and refurbished boutique in Scotts Square at the start of October. This is the group’s biggest standalone store with 20,000sqft divided into seven separately designed concepts, including Children’s and Men’s (a first outside Hong Kong), a sneaker space, and a weekend and sports station, each targeting different demographics and categories.
What we love:
This is a store designed to make customers dwell, offering a more lifestyle-led approach to retail. Peter Harris, President of Lane Crawford, recently said: “We see in all our retail stores that customers are now shopping vertically across price points and products that suit their lifestyle needs.” We love the inclusion of an all-day dining café hosted by Hong Kong brand The Coffee Academics, a space for temporary art installations, and permanent pop-up areas for new brands and collaborations.
Ahead of Dior’s New Bond Street flagship opening next year, 10 Mount Street has become the temporary home for the French luxury fashion house. Beyond the beautiful Victorian facade, the 1,296sqft interior transports visitors around a digitally distorted world of modern Dior.
What we love:
The store walls are brought to life by floor-to-ceiling screens, presenting Mats Gustafson’s watercolour illustrations from the A/W 14-15 collection. This content is due to change in November for a new visual story that reflects the new cruise collection. We love how Dior has introduced this effortless design synchronised with its seasonal collections to completely reinvent the store.
US luxury brand Coach opened its third European store in Paris, following launches in London and Madrid. Opening at the start of October, the Paris store concept was created as a response to the question “What is American luxury?”, and celebrates this concept across two floors totalling 6,460sqft.
What we love:
The store demonstrates Coach’s ability to deliver quality, while raising brand awareness in a city rich with traditional, history-steeped fashion houses. We love the craftsmanship bar, which provides various leather services such as repair, monogramming and personalisation – perfect for discerning Parisian fashionistas.
