Lifestyle Outlets has signed a deal with retailer Outdoor and Country to open a new Barbour outlet store in Gloucester Quays, the stunning waterside location in the heart of the Cotswolds.

Jonathan Capener, Founder at Outdoor and Country said “The mix of retail, leisure and ongoing entertainment makes Gloucester Quays the perfect location to open our next Barbour partner store and we’re looking forward to welcoming new customers when we open. The city has excellent rural links and the centre has the picturesque docks and quays which align perfectly with Barbour. It is particularly fitting to do this in 2019 as they celebrate their 125 anniversary and five generations of the Barbour family.”

Founded in 1894, Barbour will make a great addition to the extensive retail line up at the Gloucester Quays. A global lifestyle brand sold in over 40 countries, Barbour is renowned for its iconic classic wax jackets which are still hand made in the company’s factory in South Shields in the North East of England.

Outdoor and Country has signed a 2 year lease taking a 1,389 sq ft store. The new opening will create 8 jobs within the region. The store will stock Barbour menswear, womenswear, footwear and accessories along with a selection of bestselling, full price classic styles.

Rachel Scott, Head of Leasing at Lifestyle Outlets, comments: “It’s a pleasure to announce another new tenant joining Gloucester Quays, particularly one as well-known and sought after as Barbour.

Gloucester Quays continues to out-perform the wider retail market, which is testament to our successful vision and strategy driving footfall to our schemes through experience-led outlet shopping which creates destinations customers want to visit and spend time at. Coupled with excellent customer services, exciting leisure offerings, quality amenities and a pipeline of entertainment, Gloucester Quays is a go-to destination in the city and the region as a whole.”

For more information, please visit www.lifestyleoutlets.co.uk or www.gloucesterquays.co.uk

Verifi’s Order Insight® Recognised as Finalist for “Best Back Office Innovation”

The 2019 Emerging Payments Awards (“Emerging Payments”) has selected Verifi’s collaboration solution Order Insight as a finalist for its Best Back Office Innovation Award. Order Insight was acknowledged by Emerging Payments for effectively reducing transaction disputes and chargebacks. Order Insight provides issuers with transparency in merchant billing information, resulting in an overall reduction in operational costs and resources.

Verifi worked directly with card-issuing bank partners and merchant clients to develop a collaboration solution that helps identify fraud and reduce the number of disputes at the point of transaction inquiry. Now a growing global network, Order Insight enables issuer call centres and back office staff to access order details at the time of inquiry to validate sales and deflect unwarranted disputes in near real-time, preventing chargebacks. Consumers can also review transaction details via issuer-hosted mobile application or online banking portal, reducing billing confusion and instances of disputed transactions.

“Order Insight has been live since 2016, helping some merchants deflect up to 55% of their disputed transactions” said Matthew Katz, Founder and CEO of Verifi. “Issuers also see great benefit in how dispute deflection improves operational efficiencies, placing less demand on internal resources to manage chargebacks and reducing small-balance write-offs. The increasing adoption of Order Insight helps reduce costs related to disputes for all parties in the payments ecosystem, resulting in an improved consumer experience.”

Data-sharing is quickly becoming the standard for alleviating dispute challenges experienced by all parties in the payments ecosystem. Verifi’s customer-first approach led to the innovation and development of Order Insight, the first and leading collaboration solution to benefit merchants and issuers alike.

Emerging Payments recognises innovation implemented in the payments industry. Now in its 12^th year, the awards event to be held in October will be attended by an international audience of over 850 senior decision-makers from across the emerging payments industry. The awards are curated by an international panel of judges, many innovators of payment solutions themselves who are adept at recognising the best new innovations in the payments ecosystem.

CACI, the consumer and location intelligence specialist, is launching a White Paper on the future of retail at the Revo Conference and Exhibition, which is being held in Liverpool on September 18 and 19.  The most significant finding of the White Paper is the unequivocal evidence that stores have a key role to play in driving significant incremental sales: for every £1 spent online outside a store’s catchment, £2.06 is spent online inside a store’s catchment. This is in addition to spend in the store itself.

The White Paper, which will be presented at the conference by Alex McCulloch, Director of CACI Property Consulting Group, is based on extensive research by CACI, considers the value of stores, drivers of change, and how the industry should respond. According to CACI’s research, the way consumers shop is driven by three factors:

1. With over 50% of the UK’s population under 38, Millennials are becoming families with less time and money to spend, but for whom technology is a natural part of their lives and behaviours.  This is leading to a drop in footfall at retail and leisure destinations
2. Despite this, those that do shop in-store, particularly the young and the old, are engaged and happier with the experience.  Average Net Promoter Scores, a measure of shopper satisfaction and enjoyment, have increased 30% across the industry over the last five years.  Similarly, spend on catering as part of a shopping trip has also grown every year for the last five years
3. Institutions, such as the government, many landlords and retailers, are failing to understand the reality of how consumers are using stores.  According to CACI’s research, the power now sits very firmly with consumers and institutions are playing catch-up

Commenting on the findings, Alex McCulloch, Director of CACI Property Consulting Group, said: “Our White Paper provides firm evidence that landlords and retailers, together with the government and financial institutions, need to better understand the many roles stores play.  Whilst their purpose varies by demographic and category, physical stores add significant value in the overall picture of consumer spend.

“The industry needs to listen to consumers, to trial new concepts, and to learn from what they discover.  Consumers are in charge and the industry must inspire, engage and innovate much more widely, and effectively, than it currently is.  Whilst bricks and mortar retail faces challenges, it is far from dead.  Physical stores have a vital role to play in the future, but we all need to treat them differently, as well as the overall destination experience of which they are part.”

Ed Cooke, CEO of Revo, added: “CACI’s research provides further evidence to Revo’s long argued view that stores are key to the success of retail businesses.  However, the industry must consider their form and function differently.  It is incumbent on all of us in retail property to work together, to put consumers first and, where appropriate, to challenge legislators to better reflect in policy the reality of how consumers spend their time and money.  We call on this government and the next to consider these findings in their plans for the future of the UK’s high streets.”

The White Paper is the latest in a series of industry insights published by CACI as it works with landlords, retailers and leisure operators to help them better understand changing consumer behaviour. It follows the publication earlier this month of insight that up to one in ten trips to retail destinations are driven by F&B and leisure, but that 50% of such trips lead to incremental retail spend.

Sloane Stanley has announced the signing of Quinn Harper, a luxury occasion-wear brand for children. Located at 331 Kings Road, the brand will launch a 1,019 sq ft debut store this month.

Quinn Harper is a wholly new fashion brand, selecting the renowned King’s Road for their first bricks and mortar site, which coincides with the launch of their e-commerce business. The brand will showcase their decadent occasion wear designs, alongside a range of premium accessories, in Chelsea. Quinn Harper is set to offer a bespoke hairdressing service for Chelsea infants, alongside their retail offer.

Hannah Grievson, Property Director at Sloane Stanley, commented: “We endeavor to welcome new and independent brands to the King’s Road, for the estate to continue to flourish as an influential shopping destination which connects our community with the brands. Quinn Harper will bolster the range of children’s fashion within the estate, raising our profile further as a leading destination for premium menswear, womenswear and childrenswear.”

Edith Simon, Director at Quinn Harper, commented: “As a new fashion business, location is a key component in developing our brand. We are pleased to be able to announce our debut store in the heart of Chelsea and believe this will firmly place us in the market for high-end children’s fashion. To be amongst a community of fashionable and iconic brands is something we look forward to.”

Savills and Miles Commercial represented Sloane Stanley. Quinn Harper represented themselves.

Eurostop system provides complete visibility and accurate stock management for nearly 1million SKUS across 17 stores and warehouse

Eurostop has announced that Shaws, one of Ireland’s leading department store chains, has invested in a fully integrated head office stock management and EPOS solution from Eurostop to support its stores and warehouse. Shaws has installed e‑pos on tills in all of its 17 department stores and uses e-rmis at head office. With over half a million customers visiting its stores every month, Shaws selected Eurostop’s connected system for its ability to centrally track and manage all stock in its stores seamlessly from purchasing through to customer sales.

Shaws’ stores sell a variety of high quality clothing, footwear, beauty and home products – in total nearly 1m different SKUs to track and manage. Using Eurostop systems, Shaws manages the lifecycle of all stock from goods-in, branch transfers, sales and stock takes. The Eurostop system handles ‘multi-dimensional’ stock details, such as colour and size breakdowns per product, as well as the SKUs from different brand suppliers.  Scanners are used to check all stock is checked into the warehouse, as well as to create picking lists, ensuring the right stock is despatched to stores.

Eamonn Doyle, Finance Director at Shaws, said; “These are challenging times for retailers, particularly with the increase in online shopping. With Eurostop’s systems we have streamlined and centralised administration of our stock and sales. We now have the information that helps us manage our stock and make customer service a priority.

“Information from the Eurostop system supports business decisions, enabling us to continue to be successful in all our stores in the provinces. Our investment in Eurostop systems will enable us to continue to achieve this.”

Accurate, up to the minute sales data populates reports for the finance manager and merchandising teams, helping them to assess popular lines, non-sellers and non-profitable products. Using Eurostop’s e-pos, Shaws is able to manage split payments (cash and credit card) at the tillpoint. It plans significant additional development in the next two years, which will enable new, complex promotions to be calculated at the till.

Deborah Loh, Marketing Manager at Eurostop said; “With the demise of many high street stores and with tight profit margins, retailers are increasingly investing in systems to improve visibility of stock and sales. Shaws has built its business on providing customers with a wide variety of stock in its stores and concessions. Its investment in Eurostop connected retail systems will ensure that it has the latest sales data across its entire estate to make informed business decisions to remain profitable and maintain its place in the high street.”

CloserStill Media, organiser of some of the UK’s largest business technology events, and customer experience consultancy, The Customer First Group, have launched a new, exclusive conference – Customer First Live – to run alongside leading technology and marketing events eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing at Kensington Olympia.

Taking place on the 25-26^th September, Customer First Live is a two-day ticketed event for all senior stakeholders from Ecommerce Directors and CDOs to Chief Customer Officers and CEOs, who understand the importance of putting the customer at the heart of all that they do.

The conference is relevant for all consumer-facing sectors including Retail, FMCG, Food & Beverage, Travel, Hospitality, Financial Services, Automotive and Healthcare and will offer delegates the opportunity to hear learnings from a range of leaders on how they are transforming their organisations to become truly customer centric.

The event will provide practical and inspiring content with actionable takeaways from a host of expert speakers including Rona Ruthen, Customer Operations Director at Monzo Bank; Mike Logue, CEO at Dreams; Hugh Hessing, UKI Chief Operating Officer at Aviva UK; Philip Mountford, CEO at Hunkemöller; Andy Harding, ex-Chief Digital Officer at Arcadia; and Caroline Sanger-Davies, Director of Marketing at Chester Zoo.

Martin Newman, Founder at The Customer First Group, commented: “To become truly customer centric, leaders need to join up every part of the business as it touches everything from product and merchandising to technology and data/customer insight, store operations, online content and visual merchandising, logistics and customer service. Customer First Live will allow delegates to experience all of this through practical and insightful content across two full days of keynotes, panels and tailored workshops.”

Graeme Howe, CloserStill Media Director, added: “Everyone knows that they need to change and become more customer centric, but where do you start?  We are excited to launch Customer First Live and offer an unrivalled event that will leave you with an advantage over your competitors, as well as the opportunity to gain insight and inspiration across a spectrum of sectors.”

To register for your Customer First Live ticket today, please click here.

Henry Holland adds a new edition to his iconic slogan tees with leading global payments provider and bank Klarna

Klarna, the fashion sector’s payments disruptor, announces its exclusive collaboration with renowned British fashion house, ‘House of Holland’ – shaking up the runway with a tongue-in-cheek T-shirt, at London Fashion week.

Created with House of Holland’s infamous witty slogans, which have previously included “I’ll show you who’s boss Kate Moss” and “Let’s breed Bella Hadid”, designer Henry Holland presents ‘Shopping drama averted with Klarna’ – a limited edition slogan T-shirt, which will be revealed on the catwalk worn by Isabeli Fontana as part of the House of Holland Spring/Summer 2020 collection at London Fashion Week 2019.

The partnership highlights many similarities between the fashion brand and the Swedish bank. Both innovators in their field, House of Holland and Klarna are recognised for their quirky and bold branding, championing consumers and supporting both high-street and high-end fashion.

Demonstrating the buy now, wear now – and Pay later – capabilities, the exclusive Klarna x House of Holland T-shirt will be retailed at £50 and available to buy via HouseofHolland.co.uk immediately after the show – fresh off the runway.

For 48 hours only and commencing 5pm GMT on Saturday 14th September, consumers will exclusively be able to shop the House of Holland website with Klarna’s Pay in 3 and Pay later products.

Commenting on the collaboration, Founder of House of Holland, Henry Holland said:

“We have been working with Klarna for a number of years through our e-commerce site, and I use it personally too. I love the flexibility it gives both myself and our customers. I want people to invest in our pieces and covet them for a long time so this partnership with Klarna gives more people the chance to buy, regardless of their budget.”

Laurel Wolfe, VP Marketing Growth Markets at Klarna, commented: “Anyone who knows Klarna knows we like to do things differently. By collaborating with iconic designer Henry Holland to create an exclusive T-shirt for London Fashion Week, we’re challenging the status quo of traditional banks. The availability to shop the look using Pay later, will ensure that the freshest catwalk pieces are available to as many people as possible.”

T shirt available to buy £50 www.houseofholland.co.uk 5pm 14th September 2019

@KlarnaUK I #Klarnait | @houseofholland

Sign & Digital UK (SDUK), the leading signmaking, display solutions and digital printing show, is returning to Birmingham’s NEC from 28 to 30 April with an all new show in a new hall.

Delivered by new event director Jenny Matthew, working alongside Rudi Blackett as key account director and a new marketing team, SDUK 2020 promises visitors and exhibitors a fresh show with a new website, new layout, new features and new stand options.

The show also has a new look for 2020. Completing the trilogy of its ‘building business face-to-face’ creative focus but with a fresh, contemporary design-led influence.

The event organisers undertook a series of questionnaires and interviews with SDUK’s core audience to adapt the show’s features to reflect visitor and industry demand. Not only will the carefully curated new plan build upon SDUK’s existing markets, it will also expand the show’s appeal beyond its core audience to reach more visitors from textile production to end users in the creative, retail, lifestyle, education and local government sectors.

One brand new feature for 2020 is TextileTech, a new learning zone focused on the expanding growth market of textile print and finishing. It will feature applications and demonstrations, skills workshops, industry speakers, marketing leading specialist exhibitors and a ‘textile trail’.

There will also be two brand new areas introduced at the 2020 show. First is Sign Making Essentials, a zone dedicated to showcasing the essential equipment and tools for signmaking, featuring specialist suppliers of fixings, fittings, tools, squeegees, cutters and much more. Second is the Applications Gallery, where visitors can see a wide range of materials and substrates being used in a variety of creative application settings.

Industry presentations, seminars and live demonstrations will grow further for 2020, to enable visitors to build their skills and knowledge and support innovation all year round, with many new features being revealed in the lead up to the show. Keep an eye on the new Sign & Digital UK website for news.

Jenny Matthew, event director at SDUK commented: “We’re investing strongly in our long-standing and much loved Sign & Digital UK event, to help us deliver more for both visitors and exhibitors in 2020. With a new marketing and sales team to help grow the show, we’re also taking a fresh look at the show to help elevate it to the next level. We have some exciting plans in place and believe 2020 will be the best year yet.”

Sign & Digital UK is free to attend for visitors. To enquire about exhibiting please contact the show team to see what packages are on offer. Ring 01342 33200 or email signanddigitaluk@fav-house.com.

28 to 30 April 2020
Hall 1, NEC, Birmingham
www.signuk.com

Communicating directly with customers once they have made a purchase during the shipping and returns period can significantly increase repurchase rates for online retailers, according to new research by parcelLab.

Most online retailers leave post-purchase communication to their courier company. In fact, only11of Britain’s 100 largest online retailers contact their shoppers directly during shipping, according to the UK E-commerce Shipping Survey 2019. By doing so, parcelLab has revealed that they are missing out on a major opportunity to increase revenues by boosting customer retention and loyalty.

“We closely monitor the service we deliver to each of our clients, which include more than 350 of Europe’s biggest online retailers, and our research has found that enabling them to communicate directly with shoppers post purchase is driving three out of four customers on average back to their websites during shipping and returns,” explained parcelLab CEO and Founder Tobias Buxhoidt. “This is significantly increasing repurchase rates – by up to 90% in some cases. Meanwhile, our clients are also seeing on average 25% fewer customer service enquiries, saving time and money.”

Taking control of the post-purchase communications process means online retailers can be more attentive and pro-active during shipping, keeping their customers better informed. Each message can also be branded in terms of look and tone, reinforcing awareness. Online retailers can also include personalised offers in their messages, together with suggestions for complementary purchases, turning the post-purchase phase into a marketing channel. This works well as parcelLab has found that post-purchase emails achieve around 60% to 70% opening rates.

“At a time of increasing competition where shoppers have more choice than ever before, driving retention and loyalty has never been more important for online retailers, and we’ve found that communicating directly with customers post-purchase holds the key,” added Buxhoidt.