Frasers Group is transforming the retail experience with their ‘next-generation’ department stores, phasing out House of Fraser.
- With its 13th store in Sheffield’s Meadowhall Centre, Frasers is redefining large-scale shopping spaces.
- The flagship encompasses diverse collections, from clothing to homewares, leveraging in-house brands minimally.
- The strategic layout includes significant partnerships, like with Pret-A-Manger, enhancing customer experience.
- Flannels and Sports Direct remain vital to Frasers’ strategy, marking a shift in consumer engagement.
Frasers Group is ushering in a new era of retail with their ‘next-generation’ department store format, gradually replacing the House of Fraser brand. As part of this strategic shift, the 13th Frasers store has opened in Sheffield’s Meadowhall Shopping Centre, occupying a 100,000 sq ft location that represents one of the largest and most advanced in the Frasers portfolio.
The store offers an extensive range of clothing and accessories, featuring globally renowned brands. Consumers will encounter an agile store design with branded spaces, digital elements, and pop-up areas, which collectively create a dynamic and modern retail experience.
In close proximity to the Flannels flagship, Frasers is strategically positioning itself to cater to a broader audience while ensuring that each store serves distinct consumer bases. David Epstein, managing director of luxury and premium, states, “We’re not competing for the same customer. Flannels targets the young and aspirational, whereas Frasers caters to a wider demographic.”
The reduction in beauty space at Frasers, made possible by the proximity of Flannels boasting one of the UK’s top beauty halls, reflects a deliberate decision to avoid redundancy and optimise the use of space. This move underscores Frasers’ intent to enhance the customer journey with meaningful and integrated product offerings.
Frasers Meadowhall also features the largest Frasers Home department to date, built around the Sofa.com business. By integrating homeware into the central retail experience, it moves beyond the traditional model of relegating home sections to less prominent spaces, as was the case with House of Fraser.
The inclusion of a Pret-A-Manger concession is a strategic enhancement to the shopping experience, encouraging longer stays and drawing in footfall with its “grab and go” offerings. Epstein notes the positive impact of such elements in crafting a comprehensive consumer journey.
Sports Direct features prominently within the Frasers model, occupying significant floor space with a diverse range of sporting goods and outdoor concepts amidst new brand introductions like North Face and Osprey. Ger Wright, managing director of sports, highlights the expansion with 11 new brands added to Sports Direct recently, signifying a robust strategy to attract diverse consumer interests.
The restructuring and rebranding efforts by Frasers Group are not mere aesthetic changes but signify a profound shift in how the company engages with its consumers, aligning online and offline strategies into a coherent retail vision.
Frasers Group’s strategic transformation underlines a commitment to redefining retail through innovation, adaptability, and strategic brand positioning.
