The number of small shops selling just a few items are on the rise, but is there a limit to the trend?
Earlier this year, bladeless vacuum cleaner/fan/hairdryer brand and manufacturer Dyson opened a shop on Oxford Street.
Experience-wise, it probably covers what you would want to know about its expensive products, and why you might want to buy one.
Finding further appeal
The store is a branded niche offering, where the high prices are the trade-off for owning a product that’s possibly better, different, or both.
A list of other niche retailers includes Aussie loose-leaf tea retailer T2, which seems to be expanding rapidly, and cosmetics retailer Lush.
The latter may have been around for a while, but surely defines this form of retailing thanks to its reliance on the bath bomb.
However, every time a niche retailer expands, does it takes something away from more general merchants?
Does it make business for multi-category operations more challenging? Is there a limit to how far the idea of niche can be taken?
A few years ago, Marmite opened a pop-up store on Regent Street, dedicated to the product.
Much publicity was garnered by a turntable bearing revolving jars, and a pair of mannequins tucking into pieces of Marmite-laden toast.
The store was gone almost immediately after Christmas, but as an example of niche retailing it would take some beating.
It illustrates the limits of a shop offering a single product. It was interesting, but how many jars of Marmite does the average punter need?
The love it or hate it conclusion has to be that with very few exceptions, there aren’t many who will be able to make permanent a store with a very limited range.
As the season of goodwill approaches, anything can be expected, because single-hit gratification is what most niche retailing is all about.
Coming up, haunted Halloween shops and snap, crackle and fizz firework emporia will be everywhere.
Big retailers could do worse than consider what they might hive off to create a stir, even on a temporary basis.
No comments yet