MAKING SPACE: Customers gathered through the night outside the new Space NK flagship in Oxford Circus to be the first through the doors of the store when it opened on Friday morning.
The flagship, located in part of the former Topshop at 214 Oxford Circus, was a long time coming. Spanning 4,600 square feet, it took the place of a much smaller store nearby. It was designed for socializing and shopping, with interactive features and visual elements.
“This store represents an new inflection and a new era for Space NK,” said chief commercial officer Margaret Mitchell on Friday.
Related Articles
“We are so excited to bring to market a new customer experience and our brands are looking better than ever with unique visual merchandising concepts and more brand elevation,” she added.
Although the store interiors may look familiar to customers, there are myriad new features including a fully staffed fragrance bar and special areas that focus on single, high-demand categories where customers can play and experiment with products such as lip balms and body sprays.
Chief executive officer Andy Lightfoot told WWD earlier this year that Space NK was seeing “significant demand across the spectrum for full beauty. Customers are looking for efficacious products and for personal, niche fragrances and unique smells that no one else has.”
As reported, the retailer, which was acquired by Ulta Beauty earlier this summer, teamed with the plush toy maker Jellycat to create a bag charm marking the opening.
The limited-edition, palm-sized Amuseables charm was inspired by the retailer’s signature black shopping bag. It has the trademark Jellycat smile, soft handles, little corduroy boots and enough room inside to store a lip gloss.
The Oxford Circus store is a big step up for Space NK in London’s West End. Until recently the brand had a small shop on Regent Street, which measured well under 1,000 square feet and was working “very, very hard,” according to Lightfoot.
As reported, Space NK is on track to open 11 stores in the U.K. and Ireland this year. Earlier this summer it opened its largest store outside London, at the Bullring in Birmingham. That unit measures 4,400 square feet over two floors.
By the end of the year, Space NK will have 88 stores, seven of which will be new, with four existing units moving to larger locations.
