2024 saw a surge in retailers investing in stores as they continue to defy ‘death of the high street’ talk.
Retail Gazette rounds up the best new store openings of the year that have created a real buzz on the high street.
M&S, Battersea in London
At the start of the month, M&S opened the doors to its first clothing-only store inside London’s Battersea Power Station.
The 8,400sq ft shop stocks the retailer’s womenswear and menswear ranges, including dedicated areas for Jaeger, Autograph and Rosie. It also offers a small beauty range, as well as click and collect services.
M&S said: “Shoppers looking for style advice will be assisted by the 35-strong team of customer experience visual stylists who are on hand to provide help with fittings and outfit building.
“And for those who shop online, new click-and-collect points will be available for any online clothing, home and beauty orders.”
The store forms part of the M&S’ £30m investment in its London stores this financial year. The investment includes two new food halls and refurbishing 12 existing stores across the capital, including Blackheath, Chancery Lane, Islington and Teddington.
H&M, Westfield Stratford
H&M reopened the doors to its Westfield Stratford store in November, showcasing a brand new “innovative” technology-centric concept.
The Scandi fashion giant created an elevated shopping experience in the revamped space, which offers a curated selection of its fashion, beauty, and home collections.
Customers can access new smart store services, including interactive fitting rooms, where screens recognise products and provide tailored styling tips based on each individual garment.
Shoppers can also easily request a different colour and size as well as recommended garments directly to the fitting room or order on the H&M website.
New technology also offers mobile checkouts for a seamless shopping experience anywhere on the shop floor, alongside self-service checkouts.
H&M head of expansion for UK and Ireland Klas Degeryd said: “The newly designed store truly reflects our investment and commitment to providing the best of our brand for our London customers.
“Every aspect of the space is crafted with the customer in mind, celebrating the joy of shopping through exceptional design and interactive features. London is a global hub of fashion and creativity, so we are proud to expand and evolve our presence here.”
Sephora, Birmingham
Last month Sephora unveiled its latest store in Birmingham as the beauty giant ramps up its expansion plans for the UK, targeting 20 stores across the nation.
More than 2,000 people queued in Birmingham’s Bullring & Grand Central for the opening of its latest beauty store, which is the French retailer’s sixth in the UK and features the biggest Sephora window facade in Europe at 26 metres.
Customers can shop from a selection of brands across makeup, travel, fragrance, skincare, haircare, grooming and wellness, including exclusive to Sephora UK brands such as Mario, GXVE by Gwen Stefani, Haus Labs by Lady Gaga and Topicals.
Sephora UK managing director Sarah Boyd said: “We’ve once again harnessed the power of listening to our customers to shape our expansion plans around the UK, and the appetite that our beauty community in Birmingham had was profoundly powerful.”
Sainsbury’s Cobham
In October, Sainsbury’s completed a major upgrade to its Cobham superstore in Surrey, which now acts as a ‘labs’ for its test and learn approach.
While not every new or revamped store will be an exact copy, the site has been providing the supermarket with real insight on over 100 ‘experiments’ that have been trialled into what could be rolled out more widely in the future.
More space in the Cobham store has been given to the grocer’s food ranges, with a “quite different” look to a traditional Sainsbury’s supermarket.
New concepts like the ‘fish counter on a wall’ have been introduced, with all the species of fish you would expect to buy at a counter, stored in the same aisle as other fish products, as well as dedicated ‘Free From’ areas and specialty end of aisle displays, such as a speciality cheese section alongside wine pairings.
With the retail sector having experienced unprecedented levels of crime over the past year, the new store layout also pays attention to where higher ticket items, such as beer, wines and spirits, are housed.
At Cobham, these products are presented in a wide, open space in the centre of the store, which is more open, bright and with more staff able to have they eyes on the area, which in turn is driving an uplift in sales and reduced shrinkage.
This section also includes smart shelves, where if someone takes multiple bottles of spirits off at the same time, the shelf will send an alarm out to alert colleagues – a precaution that has been used for quite some time.
Harvey Norman, Merry Hill
Australian lifestyle, home and tech retailer Harvey Norman opened its first English store in October at the Merry Hill shopping centre in the West Midlands.
The 57,000 sq ft flagship houses a range of luxury furniture, including sofas, dining sets, bedroom suites and mattresses, alongside an assortment of smaller items including kitchenware.
The space also features home appliances, technology, and entertainment items from brands such as Dyson, Shark, Apple, Samsung, LG, Miele and Sage, with dedicated areas for each product category, including a cooking appliance centre that has been specifically designed for Merry Hill.
Harvey Norman UK MD Lachlan Roach said: “With over 300 stores in eight countries across the globe, it will be no surprise that we have been wanting to make our entrance to the English market for a while.
“The opportunity we had to open in a key national destination like Merry Hill was not one to miss, and it makes for the perfect home for our flagship location.”
Represent, Manchester
Streetwear brand Represent opened the doors to its first UK store in its hometown of Manchester in October, following a period of mass growth.
The 5,419 sq ft unit on New Cathedral Street in Manchester City Centre is the first permanent standalone retail space for the brand in the UK after opening a bespoke boutique store in West Hollywood, Los Angeles earlier this year.
An entire floor of the store is dedicated to Represent’s performance wear division, 247 by Represent, which the company said is “now the fastest growing arm of the brand”.
Founded in Manchester in 2011 by brothers George and Michael Heaton, Represent sales have grown at an average of 81.4% over the past 3 years. Until this year, the streetwear brand had been an online business selling via its website, however, it did sell through Selfridges, Harrods, and End Clothing.
George Heaton said: “The Represent Manchester location marks an important and iconic milestone for the brand; having spent the past three years planning physical retail footprints, trialling the senses of energy, look, feel, and scent through our partners such as Selfridges and Harrods along the process.”
Uniqlo, Kings Cross
Uniqlo opened its new Coal Drops Yard flagship in September, featuring interactive elements for all the family to enjoy.
Located inside a grade II listed Victorian coal drops shed, the space was redesigned by British interior design and architecture studio Heatherwick Studio to highlight the space’s industrial Victorian heritage, including exposed brick walls and wooden beams.
The 9,000 sq ft store houses the retailer’s Uniqlo Studio on the second floor, where shoppers can recycle, repair or remake garments so they can keep wearing them for longer.
The Coal Drops Yard location is also the first in the UK to trial the retailer’s mobile repair and customisation stations that can be wheeled around the store and its adjoining outdoor terrace, which also houses a custom-made ping pong tables for the public to use.
The Japanese retailer tapped British artist Pref to create an art mural within the store, which takes inspiration from the retailer’s Made For All philosophy in his classic typography style.
Frasers, Meadowhall
The same month saw Frasers Group open to its latest Frasers flagship as it continues to phase out its House of Fraser brand.
The 100,000 sq ft “next-generation” department store cover two floors, housing men’s and womenswear, kids, beauty, footwear and homeware.
The ground floor space stocks brands including Ganni, Rains, Nobody’s Child, as well as shoes and accessories labels Ugg, Longchamp and Coach.
Frasers Meadowhall features a smaller beauty hall taking into account the Flannels store located nearby and the group’s first food-to-go partner, Pret-a-Manger, which is located by the entrance.
The first floor of the flagship features Sports Direct’s newly launched outdoor concept, as well as it’s running section, which includes a running gait analysis machine to help consumers find the right product for their running journey.
Sports Direct Meadowhall will also offer the new Nike Football department, the second time this concept has been launched within the retailer, the first being at its London flagship.
Waitrose John Barnes, Finchley Road
Waitrose opened the doors its newly refurbished John Barnes supermarket in North London in August as part of a £1bn investment into revamping its store estate.
The premium grocer expanded its fresh produce department, upgraded its meat, fish and cheese service counters to include a dedicated parmesan section and a second dry aged beef cabinet, and installed its first-ever chilled wine department.
The grocer also spotlighted its growing number of third-party partners within the store, with a Gail’s freshly baked display, cabinets stocked with its exclusive Crosstown doughnuts tie-up, and a Caffè Nero coffee stand.
Waitrose John Barnes also features a new upgraded service desk that was moved to the back of the store, and the first-ever delivery hatch to help the supermarket facilitate on-demand grocery outside of its store opening hours.
The supermarket’s executive director James Bailey said: “The transformation of our Finchley Road store marks the next evolution of our journey to create a great shopping experience for our customers, underpinned by a high-quality product offering tailored to the local area, and the quality service we are synonymous with.”
Gymshark, Westfield Stratford
Gymshark unveiled its highly-anticipated second UK store in the summer following the success of its flagship on London’s Regent Street.
The activewear giant moved into a 7,000 sq ft unit in Westfield Stratford City, which will house specific events in the space – from athlete meet and greets to activations.
Founder and CEO Ben Francis said: “It’s a slightly different shopping experience to Regent Street. This is a smaller, more shopping focused and more product focused space.”
Nike Rise, Leeds
Nike opened its third UK ‘Nike Rise’ concept store earlier this year at the former Victoria’s Secret site in Trinity Leeds shopping centre.
The flagship, measuring 10,000 sq ft, uses innovative digital experiences and services aimed to “enliven the sporting pulse of the city”.
The store also features a digitally powered “Footwear Fastlane” where footwear product information and stories will be shared with shoppers, as well as the brand’s personalisation service “Nike by You”.
Trinity Leeds centre director Steven Foster said: “It’s incredibly exciting to welcome Nike Rise to Trinity Leeds, offering a first-of-its-kind retail concept with a unique digital experience to help people connect with sport in Leeds, and the local sporting community.
“The launch of Nike Rise – the brand’s only concept store in the region – comes during a particularly exciting time for Trinity Leeds, as we gear up to welcome more big-name brands in the coming months.”
Sports Direct, Cardiff
Sports Direct kicked off the year by opening the doors to its fourth flagship in Cardiff.
The 60,000sq ft store was the first to debut the retailer’s new outdoor concept, which includes a terrain tester, weighted bags, a lacing and packing guide.
Spread over three floors, Sports Direct Cardiff also houses several specialist sporting areas for football, rugby and running, as well as dedicated areas for Game, USC and Evans Cycles.
Frasers Group managing director of Sport Ger Wright said: “As we continue to elevate our unique proposition, the opening of our new Cardiff flagship store marks the launch of our eagerly anticipated new outdoor category concept as it continues to be a growing area of interest for our consumers.
“As the appetite for outdoor adventurers increases, we want to provide our consumers with an unrivalled retail experience through trail running, trekking, hiking and beyond.
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