FUTURE OF RETAILSEPTEMBER 2019 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 85THE CONR AN SHOP
In its 46th year, The Conran Shop is strengthening its global position,
recently opening in Paris’s Galeries Lafayette, with another store in Seoul,
South Korea, to follow this autumn (featuring initiatives including a
concierge service and VIP shopping). Meanwhile, back in the UK, its
Selfridges concession is doubling in size, reopening on 30 September.
E-commerce sales have risen to 20 per cent in 2019, up from eight per
cent three years ago, and integration of bricks and mortar with digital is
a key part of the retailer’s strategy. The Conran Shop hosts three major
events every year, including during London Design Festival in September,
and its exclusives with design brands continue. conranshop.co.uk
EXPERIENTIAL
EVENTS ARE
POPULAR WITH
ITS LOYAL
CUSTOMER BASE
ANTHROPOLOGIE
Embarking on an aggressive expansion plan,
Anthropologie is set to add to its existing 12 UK
stores, with Winchester and Belfast branches
opening this year and another 10-12 planned for- Two stores in Paris and an Amsterdam
outpost are also due to open this autumn.
E-commerce accounts for 35 per cent of turnover
with 90 per cent of sofas purchased online, but
clearly tested out in store. The furniture category
is only three years old, but reports huge growth.
An emphasis on the experiential translates into
events, which are popular with its loyal customer
base, 55 per cent of whom are under 34. The brand
likes to make strong connections with local
communities, via both events and products. This
autumn sees a furniture collaboration with Soho
Home. anthropologie.com
SCP
As the mid-market furniture category has grown
more crowded, SCP founder Sheridan Coakley
has taken his offer even more luxe, targeting
professional clients by opening the store’s second
showroom in London’s Pimlico design district.
‘By moving further upmarket,’ says Coakley, ‘we
can produce more pioneering products.’ This
newer outpost concentrates on furniture and
furnishings, and is the only place you will find
pieces by US lighting brand Roll & Hill and
Brooklyn-based wallpaper company Calico.
Around 25 per cent of SCP’s turnover is from
e-commerce, but the retailer is introducing 3D
visualisation tools to stores to encourage footfall.
Many customers are returning with furniture
they bought in the 1990s to be reupholstered,
which, as Coakley says, ‘is a great endorsement
of what we do’. This autumn, the Shoreditch store
will present upholstery pieces by David Weeks,
Philippe Malouin and Matthew Hilton. scp.co.uk‘A n y a ’ dining
table, £1,198;
velvet ‘Elowen’
chair, £398, both
Anthropologie‘Coax’ light by John Hogan for
Roll & Hill, from £6,720, SCPLimited-edition ‘Tulip’
table by Eero Saarinen
for Knoll in ‘Fusion
Fire’ marble, £15,259,
The Conran Shop