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The
Benetton Megastore at Oxford Circus
Photo Courtesy Benetton |
Cramped buildings and crowded streets
hardly seem the place for multi-floor colossal shops, but somehow, London
makes them fit. With thousands of shops, London is perhaps the world capital
of shopping with tons of boutiques, chain shops, department
stores, and now in the new millennium, the megastore.
A megastore is a large shop, usually
on multiple floors, that specializes in a particular type of merchandise such
as all sports, all music, all shoes, all clothes. And it's not large. It's not
even huge. It's colossal. In contrast, a department store is not a megastore
because it sells a wide variety of merchandise.
Perhaps in a city that is so crowded,
the light and space afforded by a megastore appeals to shoppers, offering space
not achieved on the high street. And in a city where so much is old, where there
is so much history, the new is often embraced. The megastore offers newness
with a continuing array of the latest and greatest merchandise. The building
structures are often innovatively designed and are sometimes attractions in
and of themselves.
Historically speaking, the megastore
concept is not new to London in terms of specialising on particular merchandise.
The earliest shops were specialist shops: material was found at the haberdashers;
hats at the millinery; and meat, the butchers. In the same tradition, the megastore
offers specialist merchandise, only in a larger facility. Today, London has
dozens of megastores specializing in many products such as:
· Toys
· Sports
· Music
· Literature
· Clothes
· Shoes
TOYS
Hamley's
While many megastores seem to crop up each year, a few stand as pioneers. Hamley's,
founded in 1760, is an impressive seven-floor behemoth of a toy store found
on Regent
Street. With a collection of over 40,000 varieties of toys, Hamley's
is always on the cutting-edge. Today's departments include Sega Park with free
video game terminals, and the ever-popular Harry Potter department with almost
more Potter paraphernalia than anyone could possibly want.
Of course the classics are here too,
but with a twist. The traditional teddy bear is represented at Bear Factory
where customers can design and make their own. Hamley's is obviously doing something
right to attract over six million visitors a year. At Christmas time, it feels
like all these people are at the store all at once, the escalator carrying a
steady stream of shoppers up to floor after floor. The people who work here
seem to thrive on it though. The sales assistants talk with parents and make
children laugh, magicians put on performances, and toy demonstrators seem to
have more fun than anyone.
While crowds are just part of the
experience, they can be avoided. Hamley's may be rented for private shopping
and coordinated with morning brunches, corporate events or Christmas parties.
Of course children can host their birthday parties here too. And it is about
the children. Hamley's ensures it doesn't lose its focus or appeal to children
by hiring them as official toy consultants. Kids between the ages of five and
eleven may apply for a six-month contract to join a panel and attend special
toy launches and events. Payment for their efforts is in the form of Hamley's
gift vouchers.
SPORTS
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Picadilly Circus
Photo Courtesy Tara Schimpf |
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Lillywhites
There are many sport megastores in London to satiate any sport enthusiast. The
tradition began in 1863 when Lillywhites
opened in Haymarket. In order to keep up with growth, the shop moved to Piccadilly
Circus in 1925 where it still stands today.
Unassuming from the outside, the
inside displays a comprehensive collection of all that is related to sports.
A plaque in its main entrance boasts "World's Finest Sports Store." While that
fact may be open to debate, the sport shop is unarguably among the greatest
with over 45 sports represented on 35,000 square feet of space spread on six
floors.
Lillywhites is not an aural and visual
experience like many new megastores. It is a classic and traditional shop that
is, in essence, most concerned with supplying a large selection of sporting
goods-a no-nonsense type of shop. Its classic ambience and sporting reputation
has earned it a Royal Warrant meaning that they are official suppliers of sporting
goods to the Royal Family. But even though it has a traditional air about it
and a connection to royalty, the shop is anything but outdated or boring with
a variety of new sporting goods arriving in the shop each day.
Niketown
Nike, the US retailer giant, in the American tradition of making things big
and flashy, created a cross between a sporting goods shop and a Las Vegas show
resulting in the ultimate of all megastores: Niketown.
That they sell a huge collection
of sporting merchandise relating to football, rugby, tennis, training, running,
basketball and golf is second to its impressive multi-media masterpieces. Most
prominent is the Town Hall-a three-storey, 360-degree projection screen situated
at the store's core. About every 20 minutes, the store's window shutters close
to block out light and a multi-media show mesmerises customers with an array
of sporting images.
Each department is also extraordinary,
complete with paraphernalia and multi-media images related to individual sports.
For example, the football/soccer department, with an Astroturf floor and a stadium-like
ceiling, fills the air with the sound of cheering crowds-all this for an elaborate
display of merchandise.
MUSIC
HMV
HMV
is the oldest music store in the world with its first shop opening on Oxford
Street in 1921. Today, HMV operates more than 300 shops worldwide. 150
Oxford Street is home to one of the largest music megastores in London with
more than 200,000 titles and an array of posters, t-shirts, DVDs, video games,
electronics and more on three amazing floors of multi-media marvel. Most impressive
are the headphone terminals which, by some digital miracle, allows customers
to listen to any CD in the shop. Other sensations include a DVD viewing area,
free mixing turntables for trying out vinyl, and regular performances and signings
from big-name music performers, from Grandmaster Flash to Stereophonics and
beyond.
Virgin Megastore
Part of the Richard Branson empire, the flagship Virgin
Megastore on Oxford Street is possibly the largest music shop in London.
Also on three floors, the 200,000 plus titles are easy to sort through on a
well laid out and categorized shop. The atmosphere is flashy and, on one of
the busiest streets in London, crowded especially when music icons, such as
David Bowie, are in store for signings. Posters, vinyl, video games-they also
have it all.
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Waterstone's
in Picadilly
Photo Courtesy Waterstone's |
LITERATURE
Foyles
A walk down Charing
Cross Road will delight any bibliophile with an array of colossal shops
dedicated to the printed word, many of which specialise in particular subjects
such as Murder
One, featuring murder mysteries and true crime. These, however, lack
the size of a true megastore. Foyles,
on the other hand, was once the largest bookstore in London.
Today, it is by far the most confusing
and thus perhaps the most interesting. The books are neatly categorized, but
the system is somewhat mysterious; fortunately, the assistant booksellers, having
undergone three months of induction training, are efficient and happy to assist
customers. This all adds to the good old-fashioned bookshop ambience that makes
Foyles a tourist attraction.
Waterstone's
Waterstone's,
a chain with over 200 locations across the United Kingdom, holds its flagship
store in Piccadilly. Europe's largest bookshop, it keeps with true megastore
form with over a million titles on nine floors. The building, once home to the
fashionable menswear store Simpsons, was built in the 1930s and was innovative
for its day.
Today, Waterstone's has emphasised
the building's elegance by restoring the central grand marble stairwell and
floors. Unlike traditional bookshops with nooks and crannies, the environment
here is open, spacious, and bright creating a majestic ambience. Its facilities
are also quite striking. Like many bookshops these days, there is the obligatory
coffee shop, but Waterstone's also has a restaurant, a lounge, a juice bar,
and a gift shop. The lounge, on the top floor, offers expansive views across
Piccadilly and the Parliament buildings.
By encouraging customers to come
and spend the day in a whole leisurely shopping experience, Waterstone's represents
the new breed of bookshops designed to compete with online booksellers. Sofas
and chairs are found throughout the shop with lounging customers perusing books.
The atmosphere and culture here is geared toward a book loving lifestyle. Waterstone's
also offers various talks, launches, storytelling for children, and music.
CLOTHES
Regent Street
In a city with so much shopping, it is no surprise to find a plethora of megastores
dedicated to clothing. Regent
Street, known for its high-end fashion shops, has several designer megastores.
Aquascutum
sits prominently on a corner in a grand Georgian building. Established in 1851,
the store was once well known for its wool coats treated for repelling water
(the name derived from the Latin water and shield).
Actor Peter Sellers wore one of the
famous coats in a series of movies as the character Inspector Clueso. Today,
the megastore in Regent Street encompasses 27,000 square feet on three floors
specialising in fine tailored menswear and womenswear.
Located in London since 1911, the
Austin
Reed megastore recently spent £12 million on refurbishing its five floors
of fashion to create a dynamic experiential shopping facility. Most impressive
is the central atrium that opens up the shop to link all five floors. Along
with fine tailored suits and designs, Austin Reed also offers a made-to-measure
service for men's suits.
Bond Street
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The
Suit Area within Gieves & Hawkes on Savile Row
Photo Courtesy Gieves & Hawkes |
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Bond
Street is also a prominent fashion district and, as such, many major
designers have set their flagship shops here. Gieves
& Hawkes, situated on Savile Row since 1785, has played an integral
role in men's fashion in London as purveyors of fine tailored clothing.
Today, while keeping its commitment
to good taste, Gieves & Hawkes is also renowned for contemporary design. Many
ready-to-wear fashions are offered as well as bespoke tailoring for the ultimate
in personal suits. The shop itself is as classic as the clothes it sells. Its
high ceilings and a magnificent stairwell add to the grand ambience.
Rigby
& Peller, established in 1939, may be called a mega boutique. It is
not as large in size as typical megastores, but the attention in creating an
experience coupled with its impressive collection, make it notable. Specialising
in quality made-to-measure lingerie, Rigby & Peller has more than 7,000 bras
in stock. Assisted by professionally trained staff, customers will be able to
find a perfect fit. Appointed by Queen Elizabeth as official corsetieres, the
clientele also includes international Royalty, stage and movie stars, and media
and fashion personalities; however, all are welcomed for free fittings, no appointment
necessary.
Oxford Street
Oxford
Street has several popular chain shop megastores. Benetton
at Oxford Circus is a clothing empire with all of their popular styles for men,
women and children found in a corner store with expansive windows for great
natural lighting and simple displays.
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Rigby
& Peller
Photo Courtesy Rigby & Peller |
Topshop
and Topman funnel people off Oxford Street with escalators into a beat
pumping environment complete with big screens playing music videos. This is
the place for the latest fashion must-haves at affordable prices for adolescent
and young men and women.
SHOES
Shellys
With ten locations in London, most notable of the Shellys
shoe shops is the High Street Kensington location with multiple floors and an
abundance of shoes, boots, sandals, heels, trainers and more. With somewhat
of a cult following, yet with a strong mainstream reputation, Shellys carries
shoes created by their own design team.
The vast collection ranges from fashion
forward styles to the downright bold and imaginative, from pumps for the office
to platforms for clubbing. The Covent
Garden location is also quite large in size and collection with sales
assistants equipped with microphone headsets to communicate with stockroom staff.
