New river flows into Swindon

Think of a retail destination where you are likely to encounter novelty and a degree of inspiration and Swindon might not be the first place that would spring to mind. Yet the Wiltshire metropolis has recently seen two events that might qualify it as a hotbed of retail design when set against similar towns.

The first of these is the new look Bhs, which was covered in Retail Week. And next door to the spanking new Home Store is an equally new River Island. Open since March, it appears that it is now proving its worth as the store design that was unveiled here has now been taken to Oxford and next month London shoppers will get their first taste of it when Westfield Stratford City opens.

Still waters

River Island has been remarkably low key about what it has done in Swindon, but anyone with only the most passing familiarity of what a River Island looks like who visits the town (and people don’t tend to wind up here by accident) would immediately see that this one is different.

For a start there’s the frontage, which impresses. River Island is part of a development that houses not just it and Bhs, but also USC (which opened at the end of last week) and a Topshop/Topman. For River Island, the triple-height window has a white and green glazed tile surround at its base, providing a pleasing contrast with the rest of this pedestrianised part of downtown Swindon – much of which looks in need of a spot of regeneration.

Until March, the retailer traded from the unit directly opposite – a small, single floor outpost with a black font set against a sky blue background for the logo. There is no sign of this in the new store where the LED light-studded logo stands proud of the entrance and the thing that really strikes the onlooker are the views offered of the ground and first floors and windows, as well as the singular green pendant lights that are placed along the windowline on the first floor.

Novel merchandising

Now step inside, treading on the large welcome mat that bears the words ‘Hello’ and ‘River Island’ and you can see straight down to the back of the shop. In spite of the high ceiling, David Porter, interior decorator at River Island, who has worked on this store, has opted to merchandise up the walls and to leave the mid-shop relatively low rise.

The ground floor is devoted to women’s and childrenswear and it is obvious from the off that this is largely an exercise in visual merchandising and propping, as the structural elements are relatively spare. The first thing that is likely to capture the gaze, however, is the porcelain lady, positioned centrally towards the back of the floor. To get to her, you pass a series of carefully thought through displays, both in the mid-shop, where vintage furniture ranging from wardrobes to 1960s retro sideboards, has been used to give a reach-me-down sense to the interior.

Although there is product segmentation, there is little sense of this at this stage, as the emphasis across the floor appears to be concerned with the creation of small fashion lifestyled areas. Hard not to admire the pair of mannequins towards the front with their arms outstretched as if they were attending a summer festival and a favoured band was doing a turn.

Finally, however, the porcelain figure is reached. This is in fact a mannequin to which pieces of shattered patterned porcelain have been applied. The effect is of a tea party that has gone wrong in some way and this is reinforced by the assemblage of teacups that have been strung up overhead.

The mannequin stands on a low circular wooden table, the top of which has been covered with fake grass, while both it and the teacup installation have a yellow, padded circular raft suspended from the ceiling above all of this. This is the setting for the accessories department and is opposite a plain wood cash desk and opposite this is the shoe shop. There is also the first of several bon mots, sprayed onto the brick that forms so much of the perimeter on both floors. It reads: ‘Give a girl a good pair of shoes and she’ll conquer the world’ and sets the tone for much of the rough and ready reclaimed nature of the interior.

Artful graffiti

Finally on this floor there are the fitting rooms complete with wire lights and Banksy-style graffiti that sees a monochrome leopard appearing over the wall of one cubicle while a bra appears to be casually suspended from a hook in another.

Head upstairs via the staircase at the front of the shop and it’s the men’s floor. The staircase itself is worthy of comment for the use of linked factory storm lights that have been used to create a pattern against the brick wall and the red neon sign stating ‘Men’ – in case you missed the masculine mood.

As downstairs, oak planks are used to cover the floor and most of the mid-floor equipment is a mix of piled wooden palettes and, once more, vintage furniture. The shoe department on this floor also has a few wise words – ‘Before you criticise someone you should walk a mile in their shoes… that way when you criticise them you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes’ – and the leather and wood mid-20th century armchair was winning its fair share of praise from staff and shoppers alike. Both floors made much of fresh stock with plinths set aside for new season.

It’s been considerably more than a year since River Island parted company with the world of external design consultants and following the departure of former managing director Richard Bradbury, in-store innovation has been the work of the in-house team.

The question has to be whether what is on view in Swindon, Oxford and soon Stratford will be rolled out more generally across the chain. There is much to commend in this new look and River Island has always been adept at staying well abreast of changes in in-store design. Being visual merchandising led, it also has the advantage of being relatively low cost (swish looking pieces of vintage furniture notwithstanding), although River Island was not available to comment on the success or otherwise of the new store.

Certainly, when set against the store it occupied previously or indeed the store on Oxford Street for that matter, this looks an improvement and a considerable update. Swindon, is a surprising place and as things stand, worth the journey down the M4.