Today sees the 13th new Frasers store concept open at the Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield, in the same space where Debenhams once resided, following a multi-million pound investment.
Combined with an all-new Sports Direct store, the total space is 100,000 square feet set over two floors, with Frasers occupying 45,000 sq ft of space on the ground floor and Sports Direct taking up 55,000 sq ft on level one.
It is the 11th combined Frasers and Sports Direct concept, with the aim to bring sports, premium, lifestyle and beauty all under one roof. Frasers Group’s Flannels opened just doors away in The Avenue at Meadowhall two years ago too (in the former House of Fraser unit), which also ticks the luxury fashion and higher end beauty boxes to complete the all-round offer.
TheIndustry.fashion was invited on a tour of the new Frasers and Sports Direct store two days before its grand opening and David Epstein, Managing Director of Premium and Luxury at Frasers Group, was on hand to talk all things “elevation” and how Frasers is moving on from the old House of Fraser ways of department store retailing.
David Epstein, Managing Director Premium & Luxury, Frasers Group
Indeed, House of Fraser is being transitioned into Frasers now at some pace. In terms of how far Frasers Group is with that transition, Epstein said it is “mid-flight” and the target for the full transition is “within the next two to three years”– with a possible total of 30 stores being the aim in the new format.
He commented: “We see the opportunity in regional stores and the vision is to have 20-30. Looking ahead, the old format stores will have gone and the new estate will all be Frasers – as long as we can do the right deals with the landlords. They are big projects, and we’ve been working on this (Meadowhall) for the last two years.”
The new store coincides with last month’s launch of frasers.com, which Epstein said now mirrors the look and feel of the brand mix and what you see in the new Frasers store concept. There is also a real focus on premium third-party brands, and less focus on own brand.
Nike in Sports Direct at Frasers Meadowhall (Image: Joas Souza)
Epstein said: “The retail brand is now very much Frasers, so if you look online today it’s frasers.com – and that represents and replicates what you see in the new format physical stores.”
On the new Meadowhall store, Epstein commented: “I am proud to say this is our thirteenth new Frasers store concept. The census that we are on number thirteen gives an indication that the model is working – and consumers like it because we’re giving them what we describe as a best-in-class, modern and elevated way of shopping the best brands.
“We inherited an archaic department store business in House of Fraser. But it wasn’t just House of Fraser that was faltering, as you could see it globally with department stores closing. The troubles that traditional department stores had made us think really hard how we reimagine regional retail.
“Department stores of old were about large format retail spaces with enormous beauty halls, enormous womenswear areas with a sea of floral dresses – that real old school dress department kind of retailing.
“Then digital came along and brands were available online. One of the things that we recognised, that was probably the reason why old department stores failed to attract younger consumers while retaining existing consumers, is they just weren’t agile.
“As you walk around our new space you will see branded spaces, digital elements, pop-up spaces that give us a bit more flexibility. As you walk around you will also see activation spaces such as the Rains space in the outerwear department. It’s more of a living store. The whole fixture system that we’ve invested heavily in gives us that agility to keep the space relevant.”
BOSS at Frasers Meadowhall (Image:Joas Souza)
With it being the thirteenth Frasers store, Epstein says they are now “quite well versed”, but each new store brings its own learning curve. Since Frasers opened in Wolverhampton, for example, Epstein said they have been testing and tweaking different elements to get it right.
“You’ll see that our beauty edit is slightly smaller here (in Meadowhall) for instance, as we have a huge beauty offering in our Flannels flagship in the centre. So, we’ve given a bit more space to menswear and women’s accessories,” said Epstein.
Footwear is another area where Frasers has upped the game for department stores. “Historically (in old House of Fraser stores) it would would have been an own brand footwear concession,” he commented.
“Now we’ve got the likes of Veja, New Balance, Timberland, Birkenstock, UGG and Comme des Garçons Play. It’s a full branded footwear concept across sneakers, heels, formal, kids and more.”
There’s also a large offer of Adidas Yeezy, following a deal to buy up surplus stock from Adidas – given the popular line has been discontinued. It is actually now going into four Frasers Group fascias. Epstein calls it “an amazing opportunity” for customers to still be able to get their hands on sought-after sneakers.
A large number of the new Frasers stores are opening in old format Debenhams, or repurposed old former House of Fraser stores, but the retail footprint couldn’t be more different.
Sports Direct at Frasers Meadowhall (Image: Joas Souza)
Epstein said: “The benefit is, coming as Frasers Group means we can bring lots of different components. For instance, Frasers (which also now incorporates USC) also has Sofa.com as our homeware concept, and there are a lot of different offerings within Sports Direct (including USC, Evans Cycles and GAME).
“There are not many groups that can come and look at a large footprint of retail. Rather than trying to replicate what was here before, it’s bringing different concepts under one roof. On the high street today, there aren’t many groups who can offer sports, premium, lifestyle, luxury, beauty – all those different areas – in one space.
“So, we work closely with landlords. It’s tough out there, but where landlords are willing to bring the best retail concept into their space and work on sensible deals, then we are willing to invest.”
The shift away from the old House of Fraser department store concept is very evident in the brand mix. “If you came to the old House of Fraser store in Meadowhall there were a lot of own brands,” said Epstein.
Barbour at Frasers Meadowhall (Image: Joas Souza)
“Today, we are positioned to just work with the world’s biggest brands. There are the likes of Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Fred Perry, Barbour and Armani. Fewer, bigger, better is our mentality in terms of the brand mix – giving the customers the best range of products from the world’s biggest brands.
“Typically, in-store the brands around the perimeter, as you would expect, are what we call the anchors – they are evergreen. BOSS is not going to go anywhere, Ralph Lauren is a global brand and will always be here. But the space and the fixturing system allow us to flex and be seasonally focused as well. We’ll always try to bring in the most relevant brands of the season, as is the case with Yeezy in footwear.
“Flannels is more luxury, and you will see some crossover – more in the contemporary area such as Ganni in womenswear, and BOSS goes into Flannels as well. But it’s more about premium lifestyle fashion in Frasers.”
Frasers Meadowhall runs over two floors
The customer profile has also changed and Epstein believes they are now navigating the new retail landscape with a much more considered approach.
“We’re definitely talking to a younger customer than House of Fraser did,” he said. “Once you go into the USC area you will find the likes of CP Company and more of the denim and streetwear brands, but at the same time we have to have the tailoring offer in Frasers – such as Boss Black. We still have to attain that customer who wants to buy elevated global brands in an elevated retail space.
“The job we’ve had over the years is recruiting the new young consumer – with modern, elevated retail and the right brands – while also retaining the original House of Fraser customer who still wants to go out shopping for those elevated brands.”
Pret A Manger at Frasers Meadowhall. (Image: Joas Souza)
Another new edition at Meadowhall is a Pret-a-Manger within the Frasers store on the ground floor, adding yet another dimension to how customers now shop. It is the first, but it won’t be the last – depending on available space in other stores.
Epstein added: “We think they are a great brand and a good fit. It talks to all of our consumers. When we looked at the space, it was all about how we bring the right experience in all areas.
“People often try food and beverage in retail, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but we found the space lends itself to that grab-and-go coffee element.”
Epstein describes Frasers Group’s new store strategy as a “build it and they will come mentality”, and it’s highly likely the new Frasers and Sports Direct concept store at Meadowhall will see a surge in footfall at the shopping centre, as retailers enter the so-called “golden quarter”. The timing for the opening could hardly be better.
