Tag Archives: Retail

Features, News

In a cost of living crisis, how do we future proof our high streets?

By Gregor Boyd

According to research by Retail Economics, the UK is set to face the “sharpest decline in spending” over the Christmas period compared to all other countries sampled.

Now on the road to recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK is in a new period of uncertainty with a cost-of-living crisis and skyrocketing energy bills, meaning that the public is expected to tighten their purse strings and spend less this year at Christmas. It is reported that sales forecasts are down as many companies are already bracing for the impact of a lacklustre Christmas.

If you take a walk down your average high street, you’ll see the retail casualties of the pandemic. Large retail chains that were once a mainstay now lie empty, yet the possibilities for those derelict retail spaces are still endless.  What used to be a multi-level department store could become a shared hub for several different businesses. A notable example of transforming retail spaces into experience-led spaces is the former BHS in Leith’s Ocean Terminal which is now ‘Transgression Skatepark’. 

One organisation that is setting out a more positive approach to Scotland’s high streets is Scotland’s Towns Partnership. They aim to highlight the potential diversity that can be achieved to showcase each town’s own identity. 

Scotland’s Town Partnership also aims to encourage developing the current infrastructure to allow town centres and local communities to thrive.  On their website, they have several key developmental actions focusing on community-led regeneration, an emphasis on living in town centres, supporting the local economies, maintaining accessible public services, and working with local businesses and residents to revitalize our high streets by bringing them into the 21st century and planning for the future.

Despite the positive approach to future-proofing our high streets. The current financial issues are affecting not just people but also those already struggling high street businesses. Retail owners are continually speaking out about how the uncertainty might put their business in the ground unless things changed. With the UK government offering some help but seemingly not going far enough to mitigate the ongoing troubles, a bigger discussion surrounding the future of retail in town centres and high streets is essential if we are to come out the other end.

Speaking to Leigh Sparks who is the Deputy Principal (Education and Students) and Professor of Retail Studies at Stirling University. He offered his perspective on how the cost-of-living crisis could hamper the development of Scotland’s high streets. Leigh points out that patching up high streets and town centres might momentarily work but as commercial activities continue to disappear from high streets, a bigger fiscal change that challenges vested interests is needed.

More information can be found on Leigh’s blog at Stirlingretail

 

News

Harvey Ni-Claus is Coming to Town

By Cameron Noble

Premier UK luxury fashion retailer, Harvey Nichols, has revealed their mesmerising Christmas windows for their Edinburgh branch, and this year, they’ve gone full out.

For 2022, Harvey Nichols’ Display Team have devised an opulent display full of glitz and glamour, inspired by one of the key catwalk trends of the season, ‘Studio 54.’ Consisting of reflective angular mirrors, disco balls and an uncountable amount of sequins, the display reflects and throws lights onto the street to enchant passing customers.

Janet Wardley, Head of Visual Display at Harvey Nichols, said: “This year, we went all out with sparkles, mirrors and metallics, to create something truly mesmerising and eye-catching, that excites our customers as they shop this Christmas. We filled our windows with angular mirrored screens and oversized sparkling stars, and the most wonderful gifting ideas to help our customers get into the gifting spirit.”

Treating their window displays as a promotional stunt to showcase the variety of fashion, beauty, accessories and food products they hold within the store, Edinburgh’s Harvey Nichols store presents mannequins which are elegantly adorned with autumn/winter 2022 attire from international luxury brands such as Alexander McQueen, Saint Laurent and Gucci, as well as displaying their own-branded luxury hampers and small gifts to cater to the mass market and inspire Christmas wish lists.

Behind the scenes of Harvey Nichols’ bedazzling windows, every store also has its own Visual Display Team who liaises with the Head Office’s visual management to ensure brand consistency. There is also an extensive creative process to materialise ideas into physical displays.

Mood boards are created to spark ideas by scanning magazines, watching fashion shows and sifting through old photographs. These ideas are sketched, followed by 3D drawings of the drafted window displays before they are sent off to Alperton, London, where parts are manufactured and sent to stores for on-site construction. The entire process can start as early as April, taking several months before the final idea is approved and realised, all in good time for the festive period.

Management within the Edinburgh branch has shared their praise and admiration for their Visual Display Team.

“Our Display Team are absolutely incredible at bringing our displays to life,” A Menswear Supervisor for the Edinburgh store said, “This year, they’ve done such an excellent job with the glitz and glam that Harvey Nichols was aiming to achieve.”

Especially in the dark, the windows’ beauty is amplified, helping the store to stand out from its competing neighbours such as Louis Vuitton and Burberry in Edinburgh’s luxurious high street – Multrees Walk. It also brings a pop of colour to St. Andrews Square, serving as a beautiful backdrop while also attempting to evoke curiosity within passing shoppers to take a closer look.

Harvey Nichols doesn’t shy away from dramatic displays that play with colour and creative concepts to captivate its customers. For 2021, Harvey Nichols decided to characterise each window with its own colour to symbolise positive emotions such as joy, happiness, excitement and calmness, all of which embrace the Christmas spirit. Their reputation for their ostentatious window displays over the years places them in a position where customers can expect a next-level display that reinforces the Christmas perspective in a fun and daring way for 2023.