Some say Primark, others say Primarni

The store that makes Topshop look over priced.


Primark is an irish clothing retailer which has stores opened up around the world including the UK, Austria, France and the USA. They are known for selling fashionable clothes (their own brand) at a low cost such as womenswear, menswear, kids clothing, accessories, home ware etc. When you enter a Primark store, most of the time, you will just see a big mess. The thing with Primark is that everything is thrown about and just left. Sometimes if you are lucky, you will see employees sort out piles of clothing and make them look tidy, however its only going to get messed up again within 5 minutes of sorting it out, so sometimes they don't bother.

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows the entrance of the Primark store in Huddersfield. They are always large stores with sometimes 2 or 3 floors. On the ground floor of the Huddersfield store, theres womenswear, shoes and accessories and on the next floor, theres childrenswear, home ware, underwear and sleepwear as well as menswear.
Clothes sold in Primark not only echo those sold in higher retail stores like Topshop but also tend to be over half the price. However, the only problem with that is the quality. The quality of Primark clothing isn't always great. They will make do for a short period of time but won't always last long.

Similar to most big retail stores, the layout of Primark stores will be near enough the same throughout the country including the size of the store, the products that are at a high footfall area (womenswear), the colour schemes, lighting & so will the presentation of the products... messy. In terms of atmospherics, Primark use spot lights to brighten up the store as well as white tiles. Unlike Hollister who use their own branded spray to give the store a fresh scent, the smell in Primark is just cheap clothing.

It is bound to be busy whenever you visit the store, even during the week. It is very popular with the younger generation due to the low cost and stylish clothing.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figures 2 to 4 are a few images showing the range of products sold in Primark. Their clothing brand is called Atmosphere.



Figure 1: http://www.primark.com/en/store/huddersfield
Figure 2: http://www.havelockeuropa.com/casestudy/primark-newcastle/
Figure 3 & 4: http://www.theoneoff.com/work/browse/client/primark

A sense of Burberry

'Burberry, established 1856, is an iconic British luxury brand, recognised globally for its innovative menswear, womenswear, childrenswear, accessory, beauty and fragrance collections. Burberry Regent Street is the largest Burberry store in the world.' (Regent Street Online). Two words to describe Burberry stores: classy and sophisticated. The store layout of this luxury brand is certainly something else.

Figure 1

Figure 1 is Burberry, Regent Street in London. It doesn't just look like any store, but also when you enter the store, it is just something else... 

Figure 2

Figure 2 shows the inside of the 44,000 square foot Burberry store, Regent Street, London. It is a bright store with class and the use of advanced technology is visible. They have combined the label's physical and digital achievements. "Burberry Regent Street is one of the most architecturally and culturally significant projects we have undertaken." said Burberry chief creative officer Christopher Bailey, (Vogue, 2012). This Burberry store isn't any ordinary shopping experience - customers are treated to sporadic Burberry weather 'moments', when digital rain showers - accompanied by the sounds of a thunderstorm, created using a sophisticated sound system. The huge screen is also used to livestream catwalk shows for customers to watch as they are shopping in Burberry.
Upon trying an item on, the changing room mirrors will flip to show images of the specific piece on the catwalk or on film. By clicking the link below, you will be able to watch the video showing what the Regent Street store looks like and how they have given an added touch to make it look impeccable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh6DcY7zoYI

http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2012/09/13/burberry-regent-street-flagship-opens

http://www.regentstreetonline.com/Shopping/Burberry.aspx

Figure 1: http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/article/TMG9540754/Burberrys-behemoth-store-lands-on-Regent-Street.html

Figure 2: http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/1149851/burberry-regent-street-pilots-interactive-technology

That Hollister Smell

Figure 1

Everybody who knows Hollister, know that their stores smell amazing! You don't even need to be in the store to be able to smell it, as soon as you walk past, you get that whiff of Hollister. They certainly make an effort to attract new and existing customers through their atmospherics, the interior and exterior of the store and store layout. Not to mention the topless Hollister models who are always at the entrance, there to greet the customers... again, another successful idea to draw them in.

Hollister is an American brand owned by Abercrombie and Fitch. Figure 1 is an photo taken by myself of the Hollister store on Fifth Avenue. Straight away you can see that it stands out. From top to bottom, instead of using window displays, they use screens that show a beach. It especially stands out at night time, as it is bright and visible from a distance.

Inside Hollister, it is very dark with few spotlights. For some, this is confusing as they don't understand how they are supposed to be able to see the products or where they are going, however, Hollister set the lighting low to create a club-like environment seen as though they tend to attract those aged between 14 and 18 years old (a lower target market than Abercrombie and Fitch because Hollister is a cheaper brand). They also play loud music throughout the store to add to the effect.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figures 2 and 3 show the interior of part of a Hollister store. They also have the screens inside the store on a back wall, again showing a beach and they also have palm trees and different plants scattered around the store to not only create a club-like environment but also a summer holiday. Apart from the few spotlights and dimmed lamps around the store, there are lights on the stairs so customers know where they are stepping.



Figure 2: http://www.mensshop.hu/abercrombie-hollister-sztori
Figure 3: http://www.schimenti.com/projects/flagships/52

Macy's at Christmas Time

During the Festive period, all stores try to compete with each other to look the best, from window displays, to the interior design and store layout. Macy's make their store look so christmassy, its almost magical. Macy's is an American department store and this was my experience at Macy's in New York. Upon entering the department store, the first thing I saw were the christmas decorations hanging from the ceiling. Giant christmas baubles, fairy lights and lights in the shape of giant snowballs and snowflakes. 

Each bauble had little characters on them and three words which were bold and in red. These were Imagine, Believe and Dream. The atmosphere in Macy's was amazing and bright. On the ground floor, there were make up and skincare stands, on the next floor there were different shoe brands and some menswear ranges. As it was nearly christmas and it was a Saturday, Macy's was full of customers shopping and due to a limited amount of time, I unfortunately didn't get to visit the whole of the store but what I did see was outstanding. A lot of effort had been put into these decorations. 

All images used in this post are my own and were captured by myself.

Henri Bendel, Fifth Avenue, New York City

Figure 1

In December 2014, I went to New York for the week and it was the best week of my life. On one of the last days, a shopping tripped was planned. We went all over New York, from Times Square to Fifth Avenue. One of my favourite stores was Henri Bendel on Fifth Avenue. Henri Bendel is known for designer handbags, fashion jewellery and accessories. I decided to treat myself to a Henri Bendel make up bag which has all of the Bendel girls on it who are Chic, Quirky, Fashionista, Sporty and Glamourous. Figure 2 below, shows what the colours of Henri Bendel are. It is the shopping which had my make up bag inside. 

Figure 2

As shown on Figure 1, Henri Bendel is a tall store with 'Henri Bendel' engraved above the entrance and two American flags hanging at each side. The interior of the store was beautiful. It was elegant and classy. There were designer handbags throughout the store with jewellery in the centre and accessories and little things scattered neatly around the store. In the centre of the store, there was a white winter tree with hanging Henri Bendel shopping bags and ornaments as well as large, round lights hanging on different branches. They were almost like light up baubles, seen as though it was during the festive period.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Henri Bendel had three or four floors, although most of the products were on the ground floor, easy to access. The ceiling had a gorgeous, round glass window with spotlights around the sides, as shown in Figure 4. I would definitely visit Henri Bendel again when I am next in New York.

Figure 6

Figure 1 & 6: http://blog.fab.com/post/60479102761/iconically-modern-a-fresh-collection-from-henri
Figure 5: http://www.nyc-arts.org/collections/120445/holiday-window-displays-in-nyc

Retail Experiences - Miss Selfridge, Trafford Centre

Miss Selfridge in the Trafford Centre had two window displays showing both day looks and evening looks. There was also a large poster in one of the windows that said 50% off SALE which attracts customers into the store. Also in the doorway, there was another poster which informed you about having the chance to winning prizes, again drawing people into want to have a look at it. 

 Figures1-3. Miss Selfridge entrance. Own Images

As I was walking around Miss Selfridge, I could see that the layout of the store was very organised in terms of colours and categories. There was a section of pastel colours, ready for the spring, also a denim section (blues), a petite section, and a shoes and jewellery section. Personally, I loved the pastel colours because the colours and style match this season and I also wanted to buy everything in that section. 

Figures 4-8. Miss Selfridge. Own Images

In order to go to the fitting room, you have to walk right through the store as they are at the back. This is usually the same for most stores as they make you walk past everything therefore encouraging you to look at more products and want to try more things on. The same goes for the Sales section in Miss Selfridge, you have to walk past the other products before getting to the old ones on sale. They had products that were £20 and under, £10 and under and even £7 and under. 

Figure 9. Miss Selfridge Sales. Own Image

I loved the overall look of Miss Selfridge, products were clear the find because of how organised they were in terms of colour/style and it was also neatly laid out as well, nothing was thrown about or on the floor which I also liked. Also throughout the store, there were signs showing that students got 10% off. 

 

Retail Experiences - Victoria's Secret (PINK), Trafford Centre

Figure 1. Victoria's Secret. Own Image

As you can see from figure 1, the Victoria's Secret store is very bright and clearly visible from a distance, also shown in figure 2 below. The store sign is also very brightly lit up and matches the colour of the brand name if it isn't already obvious. 

Figures 2&3. Victoria's Secret PINK. Own Images

Upon entrance, you see pink spots PINK or LOVE PINK written all over the wall which separates the look of the PINK store with the Victoria's Secret store however both stores are still connected. 

Figures 4-7. PINK. Own Images

Walking around the store, you can tell that it is a very girly store, the whole layout is pink and throughout the store, they have the big Victoria's Secret PINK signature dog on display. As well as this, all of the mannequins are white with pink spots, again matching the brand colours.  

Figures 8&9. Signature dog. Own Images

PINK is mainly known for selling sportswear, swimwear and some beauty products such as body sprays and lotions. They also sell things like sweatpants and hoodies that you may just want to buy to chill in. 

Figures 10-11. PINK. Own Images

The tills in the PINK section were closed for some reason so you had to go back through to Victoria's Secret to checkout. Near the checkouts were the Victoria's Secret sprays, body lotions and moisturisers which were on offer - 7 for £30, 3 for £24 or 1 for £13 so getting 7 saved me a lot of money and not only did I treat myself, I also bought some things for my mum for Mother's Day. There was also a giant screen on one of the walls which was showing the latest Victoria's Secret catwalk. This is similar to what stores like Hollister do. They have a big screen showing the beach which links in with the brand. 

Figures 12-14. Victoria's Secret. Own Images

So I ended up spending £30 on the sprays and moisturisers in Victoria's Secret and because I spent over £10, I was given a voucher that is valid between 30th March and 28th April. The voucher can either be worth £10, £50, £100 or £500 but you can't find out what you have won until the voucher is valid. I thought this was a great idea because it will make people want to purchase products and spend over £10 in order to get one and have the chance of winning up to £500 to spend in Victoria's Secret and PINK. 

The girls who worked there were also very friendly and helpful. As I was looking at all of the body sprays, I couldn't decide which ones to get so I kept smelling them all and one of the girls gave me a tip. She said when they were trained to work in the store, they were taught to smell their elbows after smelling each spray. This would take the previous smell away so that they could smell each spray properly and not get them mixed up. I tried it and it worked.