Pitch to BHS by SamANTHA HEDGER

Samantha HedgerVisual Co-Ordinator07891312567

samanthahedger@hotmail.com

www.samanthahedger.com

@SamanthaHedger

001Samantha Hedger

003-004 Recommendations

005-006 BHS by Dalziel and Pow

007-008Socio-Economic Factors

009-010 Events

011-012 Competitor Campaigns

013-014 Window Displays

015-016Trends

017-018 Nostalgia

019-020 Sorbet Shades

021-022 Olympiad

023-024 Diamonds are Forever

025-026 Flat Plan Diamonds

027-028 Layout Techniques

029-030 The Plan

Contents

This proposal highlights factors influencing the British High Street and adaptable changes

BHS can make to encourage increased footfall and tourist trade into stores in mid-summer 2012.

Visual Merchandising will be the main focus and outcome. -A yearlong plan to update shop fronts in time for BHS’ 85th Birthday.

-Complementary shop window ideas to be introduced to all BHS stores.

-Revised store layout.

003Samantha Hedger

BHS, formally known as British Home Stores, has an abundance of heritage since opening its doors in 1928. Having a vast history, makes BHS an ideal candidate to adopt a British window and shop display this summer, taking inspiration from The Queens Diamond Jubilee.

Dalziel and Pow were commissioned in 2010 to design BHS’ new Oxbridge store, their brief was to attract a younger audience, whilst not alienating existing clientele. A new colour scheme was used, a new store structure, and introduction of a new logo. The project was incredibly successful, however, highlights the inconsistency within the brand. Logos have not been changed on any existing stores, neither has colours or layout.

Consistency has proven to be cost effective. This proposal highlights small factors that can be changed in all existing stores to regulate the brand and give customers an understanding of the united brand image, in time for the company’s 85th birthday next year.

Included is an adoption of a window display to be implemented in all BHS stores, with adjustments for demographics, store layout and window size taken into consideration. A proposed layout of stores to maximize sales potential and browsing time will also be recommended.

Recommendation & Overview

Crawley AW11 Brighton AW11

Brighton SS12London SS12

London SS12 Woking AW11

Brighton SS12 Horsham AW11

COPYRIGHT DALZIEL AND POW

Oxbridge Store

COPYRIGHT DALZIEL AND POW

Oxbridge Store

BHS Current Website

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The economic climate has substantially affected the retail sector over the past four years. An estimated 3,067 retail and wholesale companies will fail this year. 1 in 8 shops now stand empty ; however the government has recently introduced incentives to resurrect the British High Street. Twenty-eight recommendations were taken from Mary Portas Retail Review Dec 2011 as well as some from the governments.

Money is a primary motivation for shoppers. A third of consumers are price-savvy and shop around for special offers or wait for sales. A quarter of women view accessories as a cheaper way to update their look, meaning retailers are struggling to attract consumers willing to pay full price for seasonal clothing.

Excluding Central London, footfall on the high street has dropped by 10% in the last 3 years. The internet has an astronomical part to play in this; online spending has grown a phenomenal 147% since 2006, with price comparison websites advising consumers of best places to get bargains, 65% of online shoppers engage in this. People are choosing to shop in lower priced stores, rather than remaining brand loyal to a certain few. The internet now accounts for 12% of all sales, so in a multi-media age it is essential retailers are up to speed in such a competitive market.

Footfall of a million a week and website traffic of 500,000 shows BHS have active shoppers even through times of economic hardship. Style, quality and value are top priority for Arcadia, the group owning BHS. Although sales were down 1.8% vs. LY, trade is expected to pick up within the next few seasons. These statistics understandably show why BHS has been cautious to invest extensively in a united store concept; however small changes can help to make the stores stand in unison and strengthen its brand image.

Socio-economic factorsThe make or break of the British High Street

008Samantha Hedger

2012 is the year for Britain; celebrations for the Olympics and the Queens Diamond Jubilee are just beginning. With a double dip recession from the last quarter of 2008, the added tourism from these future events will boost morale within the country, generating a feel good factor and create a splurge in consumer spend.

Two hundred and five countries are taking part in the Olympics, creating huge volumes of tourists to the capital. With this, forecasters predict a 4.2% increase in clothing sales during 2012, even though many (British) people are expected to stay at home over the Olympic period to watch the games. Sports brands are predicted to do predominantly well, particularly Puma, Adidas and Nike, who are all sponsors of the games. Together Adidas and Creative Director, Stella McCartney created the team GB Kit, which was launched at the end of March 2012.

The Games will create huge volumes of traffic into Central London stores as many tourists will be staying over to watch the games. Westfield Stratford Shopping Centre is situated next to the Olympic stadium, 70% of the ten million visitors to the games will pass through it. Companies under its roof will see the full benefits of this tourist trade. The rest of

the UK, however, is unlikely to be substantially effected from this event.

BHS are not situated in Westfield, or particularly close to the site, so implementing an Olympic themed window nationwide would not be cost effective. They also do not offer a range that is suited to this theme.

Although the Olympics are going to be incredibly well documented, the Queens Diamond Jubilee, however, has the nation and the world mesmerized. People are fascinated with the Royal Family. When Kate Middleton’s wedding dress went on display last summer, Buckingham Palace saw a twenty percent increase of visits from across the World, highlighting the public’s fascination with the Royal Family.

009Samantha Hedger

Throughout 2012 a huge amount of events are taking place in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II sixty years on the throne. Galleries are dedicating huge amounts of space to exhibitions paying homage to HRH. Department stores are holding tea-parties, pop-up showcases, and exhibitions. The Thames Diamond Jubilee pageant will see thousands of boats sailing down the river, decked in patriotic colours. West end plays are dedicating performances and the Royal Shakespeare Company is going on tour. Battersea Park is holding a Jubilee Festival. Beacons will be lit throughout the world, and even woodlands are being created in honour of the Queen. The official celebration takes place 2-5 June, however, events continue throughout the year.

67% of people will be watching the

games at home.

81% of people will be attending an event

for the Diamond Jubilee.

Events: UK 2012

COPYRIGHT BBC

Team GB Official Kit

Harrods recent ly launched a compet it ion open to the publ ic between Apri l 9- Apri l 19 , asking prospect ive ideas for a Diamond Jubi lee Window to be submitted on three mood boards . Har vey Nichols has a lready paid homage to Queen El izabeth, introducing Jubi lee Windows to their Knightsbr idge store at the beginning of Apri l . Inspired by 1950’s corner shops ; a greengrocer, f i shmongers , f lor ist and sweet shop are incorporated into the des ign.

On another note, ce lebr ity endorsement is as popular as ever. Ol iver Cheshire recent ly headed Marks and Spencer’s Menswear col lec t ion, the swimming trunks soared 50% vs . LY. They have recent ly launched an Olympic inspired campaign, ‘On you Marks for Summer’, featur ing Gar y Barlow s inging a cover of George Harr isons summer class ic ’ here comes the sun’. Twigg y, Myleene Class , Danni i Minogue, Noemie Lenoir, L isa Snowdon and Jamie Redknapp are some of the celebr it ies featured in the 90 second T V adver t . Next , a lso are taking on an Olympic theme this summer, being of f ic ia l sponsors for the Olympics and Para lympics Supporters S car f . This item is sold exclusively in Next stores .

Competitor Campaigns

COPYRIGHT HARVEY NICHOLS

Today’s fierce competition and similarity of merchandise force each segment of the fashion industry to utilize visual merchandising to improve the desirability of its products. Everything a consumer sees, both interior and exterior, creates an image about a business, resulting in interest, attention, desire and action.

‘See it, want it, buy it’. Most people are partial to impulse buying. 68 percent of shoppers agree with the following statement, ‘I always look out for special offers’, 48 percent say they ‘always use money off coupons and vouchers’. Stores offering discounts are more likely to entice price-savvy customers, having prominent window displays encourages this.

Displays should be altered regularly, adapting to seasonal changes and promotions. This leaves a window of opportunity to promote a variety of products for different seasonal themes, whether they are financial, social, economical or other.

The impact of the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee began to spiral when the events were announced. BHS have designed products that reference British. ‘God save the Queen’ and ‘Garden party this way’ signs have already been introduced to store along with a variety of products displaying the union jack. These products should be displayed at key selling points in stores before, and at the time of the Diamond Jubilee for best impact and selling power.

Placing mostly high season merchandise in a window display has both pros and cons. It is essential to have a good amount of featured products available in store, as it is frustrating to see a display with a product that is not in stock, or has limited sizes. However, if stocked well, this can encourage customers in store, as featured seasonal products may be exactly what they wanted to buy.

Creating a strong brand image begins at the entrance. In the long term, updating all BHS stores with the new logo is essential. The target of completing this by the end of 2013 is not only

WindowDisplays

realistic, but a fantastic way to advertise its 85th year. Telling the press that to celebrate such a mile stone, BHS are bringing all stores into unison will not only strengthen the brand image but also create a buzz of media attention.

In the short term, creating window displays that are consistent in all stores is essential. This is the first thing people see when they walk past a store, and can cause the split-second decision of whether to enter the store, or not. At present BHS use f lat images in their windows rather than a 3D display. This is possibly the most cost effective way to fil l a window, however without the visual impact of a creative display ; BHS are missing out on sales. By implementing these changes, an interest and hype towards BHS will result in higher footfall, as passers buy will be intrigued to see what’s new in store.

People respond well to dramatic and emotional stimulus. Adding themes in store, especially seasonal, will encourage people to keep coming back. By implementing a Jubilee theme, as justified in the ‘Events’ section, for the summer season, will bring a fresh outlook to stores.

The Jubilee will have such a large impact on the UK, bringing people together, for street parties, tea parties, many different gatherings and events. The unison achieved within communities comes at a perfect time for BHS to celebrate in stores, launching a creative display.

This will have to be low cost, if the long term proposal for updating the store front by 2013 is implemented. For maximum impact the window display will be mirrored in store to create consistency, much like BHS’ main competitors Next and Marks & Spencer.

013Samantha Hedger

Do you take notice of the following….

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Slightly Agree

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93% of people agreed that if a store had an interesting shop window, they would look

inside.

3%14%

43%

40%

26%

74%

3%10%

57%

30%

31%

3%

66%

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60%of people would like to see more helpful shop assistants

in store.

80%of shoppers do most of their

shopping in store.

Topman, Topshop and Selfridges

were among the most popular window displays among

consumers.

COPYRIGHT WGSN, MUDPIE AND INDIVIDUAL DESIGNERS

Nostalg iaSorbet Shades

Olympiad

Through extensive research into shop layout and v isua l merchandis ing , t rends within stores have been ident i f ied, as wel l as future predic t ions for this summer’s shop displays (Please refer to VM DIARY for fu l l detai ls) . Three t rends in par t icular lead, nosta lg ia , sorbet shades and Olympiad.

Nosta lg ia looks at taking products and designs f rom a bygone era and integrat ing them within store, this includes v intage te lev is ions , phones , pic tures and s ignage. This wi l l be a typica l theme with stores looking to create a t r ibute to Queen El izabeth and the Diamond Jubi lee . The f i f t ies wi l l be a popular era referenced as she came to power in 1952.

S orbet shades is a updated vers ion of past seasons nu-rave theme, neon’s blend and ca lm to creat ive faded, ice-cream colours . This t rend is l ikely to be adapted by fashion savvy stores such as Topshop,

Miss S el f r idge, Z ara and H&M. Designer stores such as S el f r idges , Anthropologie , Mulberr y and Desigual have a lready integrated this look into their stores .

Olympiad looks to recreate spor t ing scenes f rom the Olympics , spor ts shops and of f ic ia l sponsors of the games are most l ikely to adapt this . Displays wi l l be versat i le and mannequins wi l l create a feel ing of movement . Marks & Spencers summer campaign ‘on your Marks for Summer’ shows a fami ly inspired twist to this theme, with egg and spoon races rather than 100m spr ints .

The merchandise retai lers stock, depends on the theme adapted for store. BHS current ly have a large range of red, white and blue clothing, so nosta lg ia is the idea l theme. However, to stand out f rom the crowd and integrate the new store des ign, a modern spin is essent ia l , as wel l as keeping costs low.

016Samantha Hedger

Trend:Analysi s

Trend 1: Nostalg ia

017Samantha Hedger

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• Vintage styles • Tribute to the Queens Reign• 1950’s reference• Kitsch designs• Cute prints• Traditional cuts• Retro props and signage

Trend 2:Sorbet Shades

019Samantha Hedger

COPYRIGHT WGSN, MUDPIE AND INDIVIDUAL DESIGNERS

• Ice-cream colours• Pastel shades• Flashes of neon• Bold, fun items to be used as props• Fashion savvy stores to embrace• Fun and playful displays

Trend 3:Olympiad

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• Comfortable clothing

• Sports materials to be used

• Recreating sporting scenes

• Moving displays

• Casually positioned mannequins

Diamonds are forever. To implement a Jubilee theme, a low cost, yet stylish way will be to insert diamonds into the display. These various shapes are easy to construct, having sales employees make the diamonds will boost morale, as they have been creatively involved in making of the shop window.

Diamonds Are Forever

023Samantha Hedger

Womanswear :

- Minimum of two mannequins per window.- High summer clothing. Individual store managers to decide, depending on best sellers and stock availability. - Mannequins placed under spot lights to highlight clothing.- Various sized ‘diamonds’ hung. If there are no fittings for hanging, pile or scatter in each window.

Home (if sold in store):

- Minimum one sitting or laying mannequin, again high summer clothing to be used.- Bedroom furniture to be used, dressing table preferable.- Diamonds scattered on surface and floor.

- Colour range complimenting or clashing clothing windows. Depending on ranges available in store.

Lighting (only for stores with available electric supply):

- Lamps hung from different levels.- No f loor lamps.- Diamonds piled on f loor, use lights to emphase shape.

Childrenswear :

- Integrate with womens and mens wear, if appropriate.- High summer clothing. Individual store managers to decide, depending on best sellers and stock availability.

Consideration to the size of individual store windows should be taken. Adaption from individual store managers will be necessary to make best use of space. New product launches and offers should be displayed in the window, to attract the optimum range of people and encourage impulse buys.

• Stores with high shop windows will be able to implement this

look

• Down-lighting will create the best effect for light reflection

• Fixtures for hanging is essential

• Amount of mannequins used is subject to window width

• If hanging is not available, position diamonds around

mannequins

• Be careful not to overload and take away from clothing

• Lighting should highlight individual mannequins if possible

• Amount of mannequins used is subject to window width

• Display idea for average sized window where height is limited

• Diamonds should be placed at various heights

• Down or up lighting should be used for greatest effect

• Amount of mannequins used is subject to window width

• If space is available display home ranges

• Be careful not to use too many colours- maximum of 3

• Diamonds should be placed around and on furniture

• Integrate with products rather than taking away

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A free f low layout consists of f ixtures and merchandise being sporadically placed into free f lowing clusters around the store. This promotes browsing and encourages consumers to wander freely. The f lexibility of this layout means it’s visually appealing as well as increasing the likelihood of impulse buys. The downfall to this design is the waste of f loor space, reduced sales per sq. meter and the possibility of shoplifting is increased.

A grid layout is seen a lot in supermarkets and value stores; merchandise is placed in long rows or ‘runs’ usually at right angles. This is low cost and efficient, security is heightened and merchandise is fully exposed. However, this plain, uninteresting design stimulates rushed shopping, lacks creativity and limits browsing amongst shoppers.

There are four traditional types of store layout, free- f low, grid, loop and spine; all have advantages and disadvantages to the design.

LayoutTechniques

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Spine and loop layouts are traditionally seen in department stores. A spine layout has a single main aisle spanning from the front to back of a store (most common when a store has two entrances). This transports customers in both directions, either side of the ‘spine’ merchandise is usually laid out in a free-f low or grid pattern. A loop layout, like a spine, has a major aisle; this however loops around the store from the entrance, exposing customers to the greatest amount of merchandise.

M&S, BHS’ main competitor has a spine layout in all its stores. On the ground f loor the main aisle leads, typically, to the food hall and escalator to the upper and, or lower f loors. Next stores, tend to be much smaller than their main competitors, M&S and BHS. The stores are typically laid out in a loop formation, directing customers around the store; this allows customers to see the full range of stock, one down fall is customers are directed back to the shop entrance. This can be a deterrent as you have to re-enter the centre of the store to pay.

BHS would benefit from adapting their shop f loor in a spine layout. Directing customers to their home and lighting departments which are traditionally situated at the back of the store. This is viable as BHS’ website, bhs.co.uk, is similarly laid out. The first tab on the home page is ‘For The Home’ followed by ‘Furniture’ before the clothing departments ‘Woman’, ‘Men’ and ‘Teens Kids & Baby’ are introduced. Having either side of the main aisle laid out in a free f low pattern would better browsing possibilities for customers, encouraging them to stay in store for longer.

Once a consumer has decided to purchase an item it is easier to sell them another. Using suggestive positioning to encourage multi-buys is essential in store. In the Lighting department, be sure to place bulbs suitable for lights in the same area with additional point of sale information about the product. The womanswear department, rather than the current colour blocking theme apparent in stores, should integrate colours and complement products. Offering this non-communication styling is likely to increase multi-buys.

I would strongly recommend this change for all their stores.

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Many prospects for BHS stores came to my attention when researching the brand from a consumers perspective, some more cost effective than others. Brand image has been a reoccurring theme; these recommendations will unite the brand as a company. By creating windows that encourage the passerby to come in store, footfall and brand loyalty are certain to increase.

Creating a yearlong plan, introducing a united store image and layout concept as well as updating window displays to encourage consumers in store, are three recommendations brought forward in this proposal.

First to be implemented is the Jubilee window throughout all stores, a docket including design ideas, layout, styling tips and advice, will be distributed to all shops. Following this, layout of stores will be assessed on an individual basis; a preliminary one-size-fits-all plan will be sent to all store managers. Building layout, space and customer movement will have to be monitored on a one to one basis.

By having a plan in place to give each store the same visuals and styling, means consumers will become accustomed to BHS as a brand rather than on an individual store basis. These recommendations are viable, and by keeping the window displays at a low cost, whilst encouraging people in store, increases footfall as well as consumer spends per head. From this, capital can be raised to update BHS logos on the shop fronts for 2013.

As found, a high percentage of people shop in stores with discounts and offers. When a store has changed the windows, layout and logo, an official re-opening event should be advertised to existing cardholders and local press. This shall create media hype with little planning. Store managers should arrange and advertise in the same way as cardholders 20% off events. Overall this will increase knowledge and appeal to the re-branded BHS.

I reached this conclusion after months of extensive research not just as an employee, but as a consumer.

The Plan

029Samantha Hedger

201385th Birthday

All stores updated with new logo

2012Diamond Jubilee Window

Store Layout Assessed

• Implement Diamond Jubilee theme to stores

• Include themed merchandise in shop windows

• Minimal colours so products are not overwhelmed

• Get all staff involved in making display to boost morale

• Think about effective lighting to make diamonds ‘glisten’

• Change product displays regularly

• Integrate diamonds into displays in store to create consistency

• Assess store layout, can space be used better?

• Direct main aisle to strongest department (home)

• Create a free flow design, optimising browsing possibilities

• Display clothing with ‘ways to wear’ in mind rather than colour block

• Place high season ranges in areas with most footfall (front of store)

• Use suggestive positioning to encourage multi-buys

• Think about where signs are positioned, less is sometimes more.

• Keep up to date with head office news and change displays weekly

• Update logos in all stores to create brand consistency for 2013

• Launch official re-opening event offering 20% off to all customers

• Inform local press and existing card holders of this event to create media hype

Final Factors