Stockholm is in the middle of winter already, when judged by UK standards. There’s a healthy nip in the air and the shops are full of thermally lined boots and sensible parkas with real fur hoods.
This is a very civilized city where nobody seems in quite the same manic hurry that characterises a number of other European capitals. It also seems to get dark too early and it’s a bit of a struggle for the sun to make it into the sky in the morning at all.
All of which notwithstanding, Sweden is enjoying a minor retail boom, with much of what is on sale being eagerly snapped up by hungry shoppers, and markdowns accompanied by mid-season Sales are not found in quite the same profusion as they are elsewhere.
A stroll around the city’s central area in the company of Echochamber creative director Howard Saunders throws up some familiar names and one or two oddities that might be successfully adopted in the UK.
Feetfirst
This is a shoe superstore in the middle of Stockholm’s equivalent to the West End. Saunders is impressed. “It’s a department store for shoes and ranges from value pricing to more upmarket offers, yet manages it in a manner where everything sits well together,” he says.
“This is what I’d call the push for posh – discount offers that look and feel mid-market. In fact, this shop feels more upmarket than many of the local department stores. We don’t really have anything like it in the UK.”
There is also nothing bargain basement about the store design. White terrazzo tiling marks out the shop’s more upscale areas, with grey being used for the lower level to provide a contrast to the white interior.
With three large floors, this store has a substantially larger footprint for a single category than almost anything you are likely to encounter in London.
Souk
The Debenhams franchise store in Stockholm shut up shop in January this year, citing competition from nearby department stores Åhlens and PUB. Souk has now sprung up in its place.
This is a mid-market fashion bazaar where many of the UK’s finest, including Topshop, Topman, Jane Norman and Oasis, are putting their best feet forward in company with local Swedish operators. Even Esprit spin-off EDC has a presence.
Structurally, nothing has changed in the building, but the ambience is completely different. Saunders says: “This is a great example of what can be done with a lacklustre department store space. Very often, department stores don’t know what to do with themselves because they want to be all things to all people. The focus on young fashion at Souk has created something new. Now it looks like a destination.”
JC Jeans & Clothes
“There’s a very large welcome space in this store, which draws you in,” says Saunders. “The thing is, once you’re inside, it’s a conventional jeans and casualwear store. But the star of the show is a young man with a sewing machine altering the lengths of the jeans to order.”
The man in question is positioned in the middle of the narrow, L-shaped single floor space, proving, if nothing else, that even the mundane matter of sewing can be turned into a selling tool if handled correctly.
The narrow store frontage and large interior lend JC Jeans & Clothes a Tardis-like feel.
Lindex
The budget Scandinavian lingerie retailer, where the focus is on ultra-low-priced underwear, has built a standalone boutique-style shop on Drottningg, the central pedestrianised shopping street in Stockholm.
Saunders highlights the quilted, printed satin wall and chandeliers. “It’s not that any of it is new. It’s just you don’t expect this from a value retailer like Lindex,” he explains.
He also points to the tanga briefs pinned to the quilted wall as an example of how a merchandise display can work by putting garments in an unexpected context. “Add to that the ridiculously low prices and you’ve got the equivalent of a Primark lingerie store on Oxford Street,” he says.
PUB
PUB – the name is a Swedish acronym – is a Stockholm department store institution that has seen better days, but is in the middle of redeeming its reputation.
The first and most obvious sign of this is Stockholm-based BAS Brand Identity’s fashion floor at the top of the shop, which alone makes a visit worthwhile. It’s a mix of low-cost chic and a cunning deployment of graphics and art-school style installations.
Pallets piled on top of each other, with plate glass placed over them to create counters, highlight the possibility of creating something special at minimal cost. Raw, unfinished plywood has also been used extensively throughout the floor.
Divided by H&M
London may be the proud host of Cos – the grown-up H&M format where no reference is made to the parent brand – but Stockholm has Divided by H&M.
Unlike Cos, however, there is little to differentiate Divided from H&M. Saunders is at first dismissive. “The most striking difference between H&M and Divided is the name. Having said that, there are some nice touches. It’s got some attitude in terms of the way it presents the stock with its cheeky signage and funky fitting rooms,” he says.
In spite of this grudging approval, it still seems unlikely that this format will debut in the UK any time soon.
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