London's Megastores - Everything Under One Roof

	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

Picadilly Circus Photo Courtesy Tara Schimpf

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.

	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

	The Suit Area within Gieves & Hawkes on Savile Row Photo Courtesy Gieves & Hawkes

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.

	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.