Klarna continues rapid global growth through latest partnership with fashion superpower Superdry, and leading payment platform Adyen

British contemporary fashion brand Superdry and leading payments provider Klarna have today announced a perfect-fit partnership, enabled by Adyen. Superdry customers are now able to Pay later or Pay in 3 in the UK, and later this month will be able to Pay in 4 in the US, making everything from jackets to jeans more accessible to Superdry customers globally.

The introduction of new payment methods is the first wave of a global partnership, which will be further enhanced later on this year, when Klarna’s flagship Pay later product is rolled out internationally across markets.

The partnership comes as Superdry continues to focus on offering a superior customer experience for its new and returning shoppers, with Klarna identified as the best payment partner for its customer base.

Michael Rouse, Chief Commercial Officer at Klarna commented: “Partnering with Superdry and helping them bring a first class shopping and payments experience to their millions of consumers, has been a fantastic process bolstering their existing reputation as an innovative brand. It’s an exciting new partnership and another global retail superbrand added to our portfolio”

Charlotte Wilson, Head of Ecommerce at Superdry added: “When we looked to update how we let our customers pay, Klarna was an obvious choice for us. Renowned as the ‘payments people’, we wanted to deal with experts who could offer simple onboarding, allowing our customers to receive maximum flexibility with minimum disruption to site. Adyen and Klarna delivered on all of that, and once live, we can’t wait to see the reaction to flexible and alternative payments, as we strive to provide the best experience for our customers.”

To celebrate the official launch of the new 2019/2020 Everton home kit today, July 18, images of Everton stars such as Richarlison, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Seamus Coleman and Danielle Turner, were projected within Liverpool ONE last Friday (July 12).

As part of the collaboration between Everton and Umbro, the leading sportswear brand behind the new kit, the Blues’ stars were illuminated onto the walls of Paradise Street in Liverpool ONE, as well as other iconic buildings across Liverpool city centre including; the Albert Dock and famous St Luke’s Church on Leece Street.

The new royal blue home jersey designed by Umbro is influenced by the Goodison Park’s stadium architect, Archibald Leitch, and features the iconic criss-cross steelwork design on the chest.

Commercialisation Director, Cathy Meadows, at Liverpool ONE commented on the brand activation: “Liverpool ONE is such an iconic part of the city and our building design and architecture lends itself perfectly for such activations and enlivenment initiatives. This was a striking promotion for Everton and the launch of their new home kit and certainly captured people’s attention on a busy Friday evening but also proved popular via our social media channels.”

The release of the new kit has already proved a huge hit with supporters, with record-breaking sales in the first week of pre-order following the unveiling on July 4.

Green Room, the award-winning human experience design studio, has appointed Jamie Mac as Design Director.

Based in Green Room’s UK headquarters – Mac will spearhead the broader creative strategy, overseeing projects across the businesses growing, global client portfolio, whilst championing creativity and human design principles throughout the group.

Commenting on Jamie’s appointment, Group Creative Director, Paul Silcox said:
“Jamie is a strong appointment to continue to take our UK studio forward creatively and culturally. Coming from a communications and digital background, he brings a fresh new perspective to the studio and to the key brands we work with. Jamie’s integrated creative mindset, strong team leadership and energy will make a big impact on Green Room, taking us forward as a business, developing our team and proposition.”

Mac joins Green Room with 20 years of experience in the creative industry; joining from Dare in London he brings a breadth of knowledge across various digital platforms and experience of designing for a roster of global brands. Having also ran his own studio Create 48 in Glasgow, servicing clients in brand comms and content across Europe and the US, he has worked with brands from NHS and ScotGov, to Pfizer and the Chicago Bulls.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity to work as Design Director at Green Room,” said Jamie. “As a human experience studio, it’s refreshing to be able to tailor our offering to connect with customers in a channel agnostic delivery model. Green Room has huge potential to bolster its already impressive client portfolio and I’m delighted to get on board.”

The addition of Mac brings a fresh perspective to Green Room’s design team, further fortifying the standard of future global design projects across the group.

Exciting news – we’re partnering with the Hospitality Design Show, the UK’s leading event for the designs behind business growth, taking place on the 18th and 19th of September.

Connecting passionate hospitality professionals with some of the industry’s leading creatives, the show is FREE to attend and will feature an unmissable line-up from across the globe, whilst also showcasing the design solutions, tips and techniques that are transforming the world of hospitality.

What’s more, at this year’s event, you’ll have the chance to tune in and listen to influential speakers, engage in industry-altering panel sessions and get personalised 1-2-1 advice from some of the sector’s greatest minds, all whilst you cultivate invaluable new business contacts! You can expect to return to your business armed with ambition and brimming with ideas and inspiration on how you can take it to the next level.

Running directly alongside the Hospitality Design Show, for the first time ever, is Hotel360, the UK’s leading event fully dedicated to improving all aspects of hotels and increasing their profitability. Your free ticket gives you access to both events, with a combined line-up of 500 cutting-edge suppliers, 320 thought-provoking seminars, unmissable innovation awards and more.

Visit hospitalitydesignshow.co.uk to secure your FREE ticket today.

M&G Real Estate and intu, joint owners of Manchester Arndale, have welcomed AllSaints’ new architectural concept store at Manchester Arndale, marking the brand’s biggest UK store opening of the year.

Following several years of strong trading on Market Street, AllSaints committed earlier this year to a lease in a new location within the centre. The global contemporary fashion brand has now opened the doors to its beautifully designed new store on New Cannon Street.

AllSaints, which is headquartered in East London and has been designing full collections of womenswear, menswear and accessories since 1994, has introduced one of its market-leading shop fits to its new home. The architectural approach takes inspiration from a diverse range of references, including Sverre Fehn’s Nordic pavilion in Venice and Richard Serra’s industrial scale steel sculptures. The design employs a reduced palette of exposed materials and finishes, using warm tones of grey concrete and textured render for the floors and walls throughout. Within these a series of free-standing steel walls and niche linings create areas for product display. AllSaints partnered with London-based architectural firm Al-Jawad Pike on the project.

Colin Flinn, regional managing director at intu, comments on behalf of the joint venture:“AllSaints’ new concept store at Manchester Arndale is exceptional – a stunning retail environment that further elevates Manchester Arndale. This relocation by AllSaints, alongside new leases for leading brands including Uniqlo, Jack & Jones and Quiz, demonstrates the continued confidence in the centre as one of the true fashion hubs of the north.”

Wil Beedle, Chief Creative Director of AllSaints, said: “We are delighted to have opened this beautiful new store in what has been a highly successful location for AllSaints over the last number of years. We are extremely proud of the design, which re-assembles the existing visual codes of our brand and creates a space for both the customers and the collection that has a pervading sense of calm within a look of raw but stylish industrialism. Manchester has long been known as a fashion-conscious and trend-setting city, and it is great to know that our iconic brand is set to play a key role in that scene for many years to come.”

Fashercise, the successful activewear e-commerce label, has selected Seven Dials for its first UK store. Launching at 46 Monmouth Street this summer, the 650 sq ft space marks the evolution of the digitally native brand into a specialist concept store in London’s West End.

Headed by solo female entrepreneur, Alexandra Vanthournout, the debut location in Seven Dials will stock a range of sought-after inclusive activewear. With leading brands such as Khloe Kardashian’s Good American, the store will utilise on-trend Klarna’s flexible payment system. Beginning life as an online business, Fashercise ventured into pop-ups before choosing Seven Dials to launch their permanent bricks and mortar site. This flagship store will host regular brand takeovers and primarily be an experiential space for their core brands.

Sam Bain-Mollison, Head of Retail at Shaftesbury said: “Fashercise is an on-trend emerging brand, led by a solo female entrepreneur, and is a natural fit for Seven Dials with our existing mix of relevant wellness tenants. For a brand who wants to make their mark with their first flagship store, Seven Dial’s offers an exciting destination to transition from e-commerce to physical retail, within the heart of London’s West End.”

Alexandra Vanthournout, Managing Director of Fashercise added: “We selected Seven Dials for our first permanent store because we wanted an attractive high-footfall location to display our fantastic activewear labels for our loyal customers to discover in person. The space will combine the choice of e-commerce with the experience of physical retail and will offer Seven Dials visitors complete brand takeovers, including trunk shows, hosting talks and running clubs with wine at the finish line.”

JLL and Nash Bond represented Shaftesbury. Fashercise dealt direct.

ABOVE: Merryhill Shopping Centre. Picture by Shaun Fellows/Shine Pix

intu is set to welcome two new Mango stores to its centres, as the premium international retailer continues with its model of opening larger-format stores. Mango has signed up for space in two of the UK’s premier shopping destinations, intu Watford and intu Merry Hill.

At intu Watford, Mango is the latest retailer to join intu’s multi-million-pound redevelopment and extension project. The expansion of intu Watford, which launched last year, has brought in new retailers, restaurants, and leisure operators previously unavailable in the town to create a thriving destination at the heart of Watford high street.

The new store at intu Merry Hill will be the only Mango in the West Midlands outside of Birmingham and is the latest of more than 20 new retailers to the centre in the past year. 

The two new stores opening at intu Watford and intu Merry Hill combined will comprise almost 11,000 sq ft of selling space and are part of Mango’s ambitious plan to open almost 65,000 sq ft (60,000 sq m) of new selling space in 2019.

Julian Wilkinson, asset management director of intu said: “These two new Mango stores are an example of a premium international retailer choosing to invest in the very best British locations, where brands can really flourish.

“Mango’s new store at intu Watford will add to an already impressive line-up of new and existing brand names and will offer our customers the best choices in retail and leisure, further strengthening intu Watford’s position as a true destination.

“By investing in a new store at intu Merry Hill, Mango are taking advantage of the unique opportunity offered at the 1,400,000 sq ft centre and are creating a large store in a prime retail location.”

By Guy Chiswick, Managing Director, UK & Ireland at Speakap

Summer is here and advertised retail vacancies have increased. Although the high-street is evolving in unexpected ways, retailers are still eager to hire top talent in anticipation for the summer rush, particularly on flexible contracts. With summer sales drawing near, retailers will no doubt be preparing for the surge in footfall they hope to witness – with salesfloor advisors, stock room assistants and delivery drivers all employed on a needs-must basis.

However, seasonal workers might just be looking for an income during the school or university holidays, and won’t necessarily be committed to delivering their best performance as they aren’t planning to pursue a career in that function.

If retailers want to make the most of the seasonal peak, they must ensure their store teams are doing their best work in order to deliver an excellent shopping experience and keep customers coming back. So, how can merchants effectively motivate their short-term workers to put their heart and soul in their customer service?

Invest in onboarding

Although it might seem like a time-heavy investment, retailers should focus on onboarding temporary workers just as effectively as they would permanent staff. The initial training is crucial, especially because the seasonal hires won’t necessarily have the time to learn as they go along. Starting a new job in a store which is about to be hit a by seasonal traffic peak can be overwhelming – what with the terror of having customers desperately searching for the last item in their size and not knowing where to find it, or having no idea how to process a refund at the till. It’s critical for retailers to engage the new hires from the get-go. For example, they can invite them to use the company comms platform, encouraging them to connect with their new colleagues, reach out for help and consult learning material shared on the platform.

Giving seasonal workers a warm and enthusiastic welcome can also help to make them feel like they’re part of the team – even if just for a brief period. Encouraging them to send a company-wide message to introduce themselves on the internal social network can go a long way. This will result in increased team spirit – which can be of great help to cope with a hectic, busy shop floor: a shared ethos will lead to a better performance.

Support and recognise

Today’s young workers seek a sense of purpose and community – whether they’re full-time or temps. Employees in the retail industry are no different. Working long, tiring shifts including unsociable hours, they need to know their hard work is valuable in order to soldier on, particularly during the sales period. That’s why floor managers must do their best to recognise their successes, whether they be big or small, and instil a sense of accomplishment. This tactic simply cannot be limited to permanent staff. To ensure seasonal workers are motivated to advise and support shoppers to the best of their abilities, employers should make them feel like they’re making their own unique contribution to the store’s success during their brief time with the company. Sharing cross-business messages celebrating a big sale they closed or positive customer feedback they received can play a key role in achieving this.

In an industry like retail, workers are the ultimate extension of the brand – by dealing with customers with skill, enthusiasm and determination, they are responsible for projecting a positive image of the organisation as well as propelling it toward hitting its sales targets. In order for the sales team to deliver a memorable experience for their customers, retailers must provide them with the necessary tools to do so. This includes onboarding and training them effectively, creating a collaborative team environment and incentivising them by rewarding their successes.

3 Newburgh Street, Soho, London W1
18-21 July 2019

Eco fashion campaign #LoveNotLandfill presents the #LoveNotLandfill pop-up on Newburgh St, London W1 – in the heart of Carnaby, one of the world’s most recognised fashion hubs.

As we face a climate emergency, and high street fashion is hit by online shopping, #LoveNotLandfill is supported by cult fashion marketplace app Depop to create a more meaningful relationship between sellers, customers and clothes. The aim is to reduce waste and help more young people realise that second-hand is affordable, unique and better for the planet than buying everything new.

This is a chance for fashion lovers to meet some of their favourite depop sellers, and for sellers to meet their followers. It will be a showcase for the very best diverse, pre-loved and vintage fashion.

Thursday and Friday:
@iszi
@cammys_classics
@pasttrash
@originalmaterial
Saturday and Sunday:
@gracecullinane
@nudelagoon
@royalrags
@minisworld

Mobile devices are a popular way to buy clothes in the UK with consumers spending an average of six hours per week researching and buying fashion1. For customers this means no human interaction (which comes with style advice and compliments), no feeling the clothes, no testing the quality, no seeing colours accurately.

Most importantly, there’s no trying on for correct sizing which results in more waste as many returns go to landfill rather than back out on the shop floor. What’s more, buying online increases the environmental impact of clothes due to all those trucks doing delivery and returns – and returns are significantly more likely than with clothes bought in person.

Hannah Carter, Campaign Lead for #LoveNotLandfill said, “Our mission is to reduce waste and when it comes to fashion, we want Londoners to recycle, share and buy second-hand. We wholeheartedly support depop and their creative sellers who trade fantastic second-hand, vintage and upcycled clothes and style alternative looks. We’re delighted to offer them a physical space at our latest pop-up, where eight of their most talented sellers can actually meet their customers and followers in person.”

Adwoa Owusu Darko who runs @minisworld added, “After three years, I still sell on Depop because I’m inspired by the community – a bit of my creativity and my personality is being worn by someone else. Buying preloved is an easy way to reduce waste – I’ve been making more of a conscious effort to educate my buyers and change my processes to be more sustainable too. The pop-up is an opportunity to connect with people in a positive way and promote sustainability – I’m super excited!”

Simon Quayle, Director at Shaftesbury, which has provided the space for the #LoveNotLandfill pop up: “We love the work of #LoveNotLandfill and are delighted to be able to support them. We are dedicated to supporting environmental & sustainability causes throughout Carnaby and feel that the #LoveNotLandfill will be a great activation with a great message.”

The #LoveNotLandfill campaign encourages young fashion lovers to donate their unwanted clothes to charity, put them in clothes banks, swap them, borrow them and buy second-hand and stop the 11 million items of clothing that go to landfill each week in the UK.2

#LoveNotLandfill x depop-up, 3 Newburgh Street, Carnaby, Soho W1
Open: Thursday 18th July, 11am – 8pm; Friday 19th July, 11am – 6:30pm; Saturday 20th July, 11am – 6:30pm and Sunday 21st July, 12pm-5pm

1 https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/top-industry-trends-2018-6-mobile-obsessed https://www.ft.com/content/76095276-1995-11e9-b93e-f4351a53f1c3