15 ways shops are tempting us to return on monday

Tamara Abraham Fashion Editor 10 April 2021 5:00am BST After a long third lockdown, Monday will finally see the reopening of non-essential shops.  The next few months will be a make or break

period for store owners: many have lost out on significant sales over the past year, and have still had to cover overheads like rent, staffing and stock ordered long before Covid entered

our lives. And with a population more hooked than ever on online shopping, they’ll have to work hard to get us to leave our sofas and visit the shops. That’s why a number of retailers have

wasted no time in coming up with creative ways to tempt us back. From outdoor Soulcycle classes (Selfridges) to high-tech changing rooms (Browns), the post-pandemic in-store experience will

look very different from what we’ve come to know...  1. IT’S SERIOUSLY HIGH-TECH  Browns’ new four-storey Brook Street flagship may be in a Grade II listed building, but there are lots of

clever new tech features to make the shopping experience smoother and more personal. You can share your online wishlist with staff via a special in-store mode on the Browns app, for

instance, while ‘connected mirrors’ will show you how to style the item you’re trying on.  2. YOU CAN WORK UP A SWEAT Selfridges has joined forces with Soulcycle to run daily cycling classes

in an outdoor space at the back of its Oxford Street store. The studio is covered, should it rain, but open-sided so it complies with all Covid-related regulations.  3. STAY FOR A BITE 

Restaurants and cafes are a major draw at the post-pandemic store. Browns will have a zero-waste courtyard restaurant from wild food pioneer Native - expect seasonal produce, natural wines

and foraged cocktails. Selfridges’ food hall is well established, but a new pop-up space within it will play host to a rotation of buzzy street food vendors. Meanwhile Anya Hindmarch, which

will be opening a cluster of stores in Belgravia to form a chic branded ‘village’ next month, will dedicate one of the shops to an Anya cafe, inspired by an old-fashioned British caff.

Independent boutiques are getting involved too - Roo’s Beach in Cornwall has added a cafe to its destination store, as well as a plant shop.  4. YOU MIGHT LEARN SOMETHING NEW At Monsoon’s

Marylebone High Street concept store, which opens its doors on Monday and will serve as a template for 30 new boutiques across the UK, shoppers will be able to book in for talks and

workshops once social distancing rules have been relaxed.  Meanwhile Selfridges' new Experience Concierge will offer 11 gift packages that include a Moyses Stevens floristry workshop,

wine tasting and a skateboarding lesson. 5. POP-UPS ARE POPULAR The pop-up has become an important tool in luring us back to brick-and-mortar stores, as it often promises products and

experiences we can’t get elsewhere, or that are only available for a limited time. Anya Hindmarch’s Village Hall will debut with a hair salon inspired by Hindmarch’s book ‘If In Doubt Wash

Your Hair'.  Sustainable activewear brand Pangaia will be popping up at Selfridges’ Corner Shop until May 2, while workwear brand The Fold will be opening a pop-up outlet within its

flagship store on April 20 - all products will be under £200, and it will also showcase other female-founded British brands.  6. GET A CULTURE FIX  Browns will have an Immersive Room on

Brook Street, which will play host to a rotation of experiences. First up is British photographer Juno Calypso.  At Matches’ Mayfair townhouse, there will be an exhibition of works by New

Zealand born, Rotterdam-based designer Sabine Marcelis. The installation is inspired by her Glaze Splash Mirrors which have just launched at the retailer, along with a collection of her

sculptures.  7. YOU CAN GET A NEW PIERCING The ear curation craze is going nowhere, and for anyone keen to add a new piercing to their collection, jewellery stores are the new destinations

to hit.  Astrid & Miyu is opening its first store in London’s Notting Hill on April 15, offering ear piercing, tattooing and bracelet welding (for clasp-less bracelets designed to be

worn permanently).  Accessorize is getting into the same game, with piercing parlours opening at 81 of its stores across the UK. It will coincide with the launch of fine jewellery, with

diamond pieces starting at just £60. 8. IT GIVES BACK  Matches will be hosting an exhibition and auction of some of the world’s rarest vinyls from artists including the Arctic Monkeys,

Coldplay and The Rolling Stones. Each piece will be transformed into a one-of-a-kind artwork by the likes of David Shrigley, Gavin Turk and Shepard Fairey, with all money raised going to

Music Support - a charity offering support for those in the UK music industry affected by mental ill-health and addiction. At its new Marylebone High Street concept store, Monsoon will

donate 10 percent of the first month’s sales to its charitable trust, which supports disadvantaged communities across Asia and helps drive sustainable change through a range of education,

healthcare and income-generation projects. 9. CHECKOUT IS SMOOTHER At Matchesfashion and Browns, where online account holders have payment details saved, there’s no need to swipe a card at

checkout. Your purchases can be wrapped while you’re changing back into your clothes in the fitting room, then you can leave with your shopping without passing a till. A similar experience

will be on offer at M&S, thanks to a service called Pay With Me. Customers can pay for lingerie during a bra fitting in the changing rooms, so there’s no need to queue when you’re done.

10. PERSONAL SHOPPING IS NOT JUST FOR VIPS Anyone can get the guidance of a personal shopper or stylist at the post-lockdown store. In fact it’s become a familiar offering at smaller

boutiques as it helps them manage social distancing while also providing a more tailored service. Anna Park, who has six multi-brand Anna boutiques across England, will offer private

shopping to anyone vulnerable or unsure of being in public places with other people. Couverture & the Garbstore in Notting Hill will be resuming one-on-one shopping experiences too,

while there are glam private shopping suites at Matchesfashion and Browns. Personal shopping services will resume at John Lewis too. 11. YOU CAN BOPIS  That’s Buy Online, Pick-up In Store.

It’s a service offered by many retailers during lockdown and one that’s set to continue afterwards too, as it blends the efficiency of shopping online without having to wait for delivery.

You can expect BOPIS at John Lewis, H&M and Next to name a few. In fact, pretty much anything is possible. Browns East can have an out-of-stock product delivered to the store within 60

minutes, and London-based shoppers can get same-day delivery to their home. Matchesfashion can deliver anywhere in London within 90 minutes. 12. THERE WILL BE GIFTS AND PRIZES Couverture

& the Garbstore will be giving spring bulbs and daffodils to its first 40 customers on Monday, while customers at Anna boutiques will be doing a lucky dip - shoppers will receive a

raffle ticket for each purchase. 13. CUSTOM HAND SANITISER IS THE NEW SIGNATURE CANDLE  At Marylebone fashion boutique Mouki Mou, customers will be asked to sanitise their hands on entering

- but not with any bog-standard product. Instead it’s had a custom hand sanitiser made for the store by luxe scent design company Aoiro in Germany. 14. THE RETURN OF BRA AND KIDS’ SHOE

FITTINGS  This is less of a retail game-changer, more of a necessity, but for those desperate to stock up on new bras or kids’ shoes, fitting is back. Marks & Spencer will be offering

contact-free bra fittings when shops reopen, while John Lewis will be restarting children’s shoe fitting. 15. WE CAN TRY ON CLOTHES AGAIN After a year of closure, stores have finally been

given permission to reopen fitting rooms, if they can comply with Government guidance. This includes cleaning each cubicle between customers and steaming or quarantining clothing after it

has been tried on. So far, John Lewis, Selfridges and River Island have said that they will be reopening fitting rooms. _FOR MORE NEWS, ANALYSIS AND ADVICE FROM THE TELEGRAPH’S FASHION DESK,

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