Frasers unveils a department store for the future

As non-essential shops reopen today, Frasers Group is opening its first department store (although it prefers a different terminology) since acquiring House of Fraser in 2018.

As reported by Retail Week, Frasers – formerly known as Sports Direct – has taken 34,000 sq ft in the Mander Centre in Wolverhampton, with additional space for interconnected Flannels and Sports Direct stores.

Frasers’ retail vision

• Frasers claims the store format will “reignite the high street with a new-found optimism” by focusing on “experience, brands and service”. The company also describes the new format as a “lifestyle platform for brands”.
• This includes a new “beauty playground” that welcomes customers as they enter the store’s main entrance, with 120 beauty, tanning, hair, bath and body brands available along with independent advisers on hand to offer consultations.
• The store showcases major brands in the beauty, fashion, accessories and children’s wear categories, including famous names such as Estée Lauder, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren.
• The group’s first-ever homewares section will enable customers to book appointments with expert interior designers.
• Central “zones” offer Frasers more flexibility to move with customer demand and showcase emerging brands. Based on sales, this could be done on an almost weekly basis.
• A first-floor restaurant will open in the summer when Covid-19 restrictions allow.

Key quote

“We are committed to raising the bar for retail and delivering aspirational stores with a focus on experience, brands and service. Frasers Wolverhampton demonstrates our dedication to, and our vision for, the brand’s future” – Michael Murray, head of elevation at Frasers Group.

_{[Image: JSP via Retail Week]}

Sourced from Retail Week