Comment: & Other Stories - the next big thing in fashion retail?

Last week saw the global debut of a new format from H&M and there was a lot of excitement. Dubbed, somewhat curiously, & Other Stories, the new store replaces the former Mamas & Papas flagship on Regent Street and to judge by the number of (very) excited fashion editor types at Thursday night’s launch party, this one will appeal to relatively well-heeled metropolitan females.

And in truth it was good, touching all the points that seem to comprise a must-visit store at the moment – scarcity of outlets, an emphasis on what–you-see-is-what-you-get pared back simplicity and ranges that have the smack of designer about them. A second branch is set to open this week, reportedly in Copenhagen, with more to follow.

Which is rather the point. If 20 or 30 of these appeared in the UK this year the opening of the first store would be interesting but would be something of a one-day wonder. It might yet prove to be so, but given that whole ranges had sold out by the end of Friday’s first day of trading, this does seem unlikely and it seems equally probable that H&M will severely limit the franchise on this one, to keep demand ticking over.

It’s a strategy that the big luxury brands have long employed and it does mean that stores become destinations, worthy of comment and a trip. Yet given that & Other Stories is at the better end of the mid-market as far as pricing is concerned, the idea of restricting availability is unusual. So here’s a possible future for fashion retailers – one that will involve more work, but which may mean more shoppers.

Instead of multi-channel, concentrate on multi, multi-format and make sure that shoppers know the provenance and the parent fashion brand that underpins each fascia. And don’t just put everything into central London. There are other cities in the UK and a few of them merit the degree of individuality that opening a one or two-off format confers.

H&M has done very little in the way of advertising the arrival of & other stories on Regent Street and yet huge numbers of people seemed to know about it. Which means it is an H&M brand that has successfully leveraged social media in a manner that is intriguing, but does not seem commercially pushy. Follow this modus operandi and things should be fine. Easy really.