I was overwhelmed by how Christmas has suddenly taken over the streets and the stores of Leeds today! I'm always so impressed by the visual merchandising of designer stores so my first visit was to the Victoria Quarter. French Connection's windows were simple but effective. Filament bulbs are quite an on-trend interior feature so using strings of exposed lightbulbs sends a clear message about the brand's fashion relevancy. The way that the bulbs are piled in excess on the floor really exaggerates the length and scope of the window, especially against the all black background. The sticker text is a simple reminder to the consumer that Christmas is approaching. It reminds them that they need to buy Christmas presents and search for the perfect Christmas party outfit without feeling like they're being pushed into entering the store to make a purchase.
The Diesel window display is very unusual and communicates to passersby that this is a brand with humour and a youthful approach. Because of its oddities, consumers can expect to find unusual garments and statement pieces inside the store. The choice of a fur textured background print adds further depth to the display. Fur itself is a very wintery texture, so seasonally, while shoppers are in search of warmth and shelter inside stores, this display must unconsciously entice a lot of people in.
The opening of the brand new Victoria Gate centre has been a big topic in the Leeds fashion scene this month. In my opinion, this new centre really brings the city up to date in terms of its designer fashion as the original Victoria Quarter has a very traditional decor style. I work at River Island in the Trinity shopping centre and during team talks, it has really been brought to our attention that Victoria Gate will bring a new type of consumer to Leeds with a much greater disposable income than average and this has had an effect on the way we approach sales leading up to the Christmas period. Brands inside the Victoria Gate include: John Lewis, & Other Stories, Anthropologie, Cath Kidston and a Harvey Nichols pop-up shop - all offering premium-luxury goods.
Anthropolgie's window displays and store layout was really interesting! I had previously only ever browsed online so getting a chance to visit a physical store felt like a really exciting moment - something the big bosses of the new centre are probably all too aware of. Promotionally, the store had a lot to offer the consumer. The window display was made up of whimsical, forest-like creatures in glass cabinets called 'Familiars' exclusively displayed for a limited time only. The selling point of the Familiars is that they are each labelled with their own characteristic traits so potential buyers can relate to and justify their purchase. In-store, the creatures were advertised for sale. With prices ranging from £2400-£3600 (!) these items are quite a niche product for the truly wealthy consumer but even for the consumer with little to spend, being in a luxury environment feels very special. More promotion elements that I noticed in-store included a reminder about gift card availability and tags on certain winter items regarding a 20% discount. I thought that the gift card notice was very cleverly displayed nearby the items like to be gifted - such as mugs personalised with letters or keyrings. In addition, having come in from the cold, shoppers would be much more likely to justify a purchase of a coat or scarf - especially when discounted. A chalkboard notice also sat outside the store informing passersby about the 20% promotional discount.
The John Lewis department store is really the focal point of the shopping centre. Its window displays span the width of the room and its signage is the most dominant. The displays have been designed to accentuate the vast array of gift items on offer. There's a lot of height and depth to the windows as some products are hung from the ceiling, appearing to balance on a branch, while others are piled into a hamper/suitcase or positioned on tree stumps of varying sizes.
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