Archives for category: Retail

Escape to Cape Town

March 2, 2014 //

Clifton Beach, Cape Town

I made my annual pilgrimage to Cape Town as a last minute trip this year. It is always great to escape the UK weather and given the recent rain, it was fantastic to find an opportunity to get away between my other commitments and forget the real world for a short while.

It’s not just the weather that gets me on that 12 hour flight. The first reason to go is that it feels like home from home to me and that’s all down to having the most fabulous friends there who welcome me into their place with open arms. And I realised more than ever this year that they share my outlook, my way of life and my interests. We may not see each other for a year and may not even make much contact over that year but as soon as I step over the doorstep, it is as if that year in between was yesterday. That’s the best sign of friendship I can think of.

Every year I am interested to see what is new. And this year, Cape Town is the World Design Capital following in the footsteps of cities such as Turin, Helsinki and Seoul. So my expectations of this great city were high … and it didn’t disappoint. With design front of mind, I discovered Weylandts this year. I can’t figure out why I have never been there before and was pleased to find some fabulous lights for my new home. You really can’t beat the prices with the exchange rate more than ever in my favour, and the South African designs were spot on. This multi storey warehouse of beautiful stuff is well worth visiting.

It got me thinking about just why this city is so inspiring. I think it is embedded in the fact that South Africans are just so straight up and honest. Some people find that difficult to relate to but in the retail and food world, it means that you get a very true experience that is what it needs to be without having to try too hard. And because the country is so vast and isolated from others (unlike Europe, for example) businesses just get on with doing what they want to do with creativity and purpose. Finally, there is more of a culture of support than I see in other places. When a new young someone wants to put an idea into practice, they get encouragement and help rather than a queue of people hurling cynicism or trying to knock them back. It all adds up to lots of innovation and passion that translates directly to the consumer.

The big explosion over the past two years has been in coffee which I will talk about next time. So what else is there to report back on?

Firstly – Karen Dudley. She has been fronting her Kitchen for a few years now which was the restaurant of choice for Michelle Obama when she visited Cape Town. Given Karen’s philosophy and food, you can understand why. It certainly isn’t on the usual tourist path of restaurants but it is in the trendy Woodstock area so not too far off the beaten track. In the past year, Karen has published her second cookbook “Another Week in the Kitchen” and opened The Dining Room in the adjacent building.

Trolley service!

We visited for dinner and had a lovely meal hosted by the chef herself. As with her first place, it is as if you are in Karen’s home eating whatever she has prepared that day. The decor is eclectic with mismatched cutlery, plates and funky decorations. The menu is short with starters served from a trolley, a choice of two mains and desserts. The team are incredibly attentive and Karen herself just oozes interest and joy in the food that she offers.

Cosy cafe at Schoon de Companje

Coffee roasting

Lovely produce section

Another of my favourites from last year has had a makeover. Set in Stellenbosch, Schoon de Companje is the next iteration of a great bakery and cafe that I saw last year. Now the space has expanded to include butchery, coffee roasting, wines, ice cream making and produce in addition to the bakery and cafe. The whole atmosphere is cosy and relaxed with natural wood, lovely displays and a simple menu. It’s definitely worth a trip on the way to exploring the vineyards in the area.

The other discovery was a new market at the city farm in Oranjezicht. It may be small but I can see this one growing, if you pardon the pun. The stall holders focus on local produce along with some home made delicacies. It seems there is a lot of focus on gluten free, carb free and raw foods in Cape Town at the mo and here you will find people doing a good job of making yummy healthy treats as well as a central braai for tasty lunchtime eats.

Craft brewing, hand bottled and all at the back of a spacious bar and restaurant

The final place to report back on in this post is the Taproom. Once again, this new place is to be found in the Woodstock area which is most definitely the area to discover when you are out there. Here they are hand bottling home made craft beer and serving a short menu to accompany the Devils Peak liquid. It was just a very good example of the beer fashion with production there on site and open to be seen by all who visit, not as a theme park but as a real brewers. Once again it is straight forward, simple and yummy.

Tags Cape Town, Devils Peak, Karen Dudley, Schoon de Companje, Taproom, Weylandts, World Design Capital

Categories Design, Food, Restaurants, Retail, South Africa

Maille Maille

January 7, 2014 //

I finally got into Green Park last week to have a nose at the Maille shop in Piccadilly which opened at the end of October.

This is the first London outpost of the successful French formula already in Paris and Dijon. It represents another outlet in the grand scheme of people doing one thing very well in order to promote their product and their brand. I saw a lot of this in NYC and equally so there are plenty in London: doughnuts, coffee, pickles, oils, etc. It feels like the next iteration of the pop up culture so I guess it is a sign that sites are becoming available at prices that make sense. Roll on the food boutique.

The shop does a really great job of telling the story of this mustard brand. It was founded some 265 years ago and shares the history in simple bold ways: old mustard jars in the window, the brand story told on bold black and gold decor along with pictures on the wall and fun quotes throughout the staircase leading you upstairs. There are tasting bars both upstairs and down so that you can engage with the whole range of products and boy, what a range! For those of you who think there is only wholegrain and dijon mustard in the range, think again. There are over 60 mustard products here ranging from the simple to the crazy. The luxury end boasts truffle and Chablis, or simple Sauternes which can be bottled traditionally from the pump. Also a surprise to me was the range of oils, vinegars and pickles also under the brand.

Who knew there was so much you could do with mustard? This is a great place to find an unusual gift and to be treated to some good old fashioned service in a lovely retail environment.

Tags food boutiques, Maille

Categories Gifting, Marketing, Retail

Eataly does it again

December 14, 2013 //

Those clever people at Eataly have done it again, this time in Chicago.

Eataly Turin produce section with the salad bar adjacent to the produce display

I first discovered the concept when H and I were doing a case study for M&S on the original Turin site. The old vermouth factory adjacent to the building that houses the Salone del Gusto was a vast space housing all the necessary zones to showcase the best of the slow food movement. Founder Carlo Petrini of the Slow Food Movement created Eataly with local businessman Oscar Farinetti as a place that would support the sale of all the local slow food producers but in a more commercial environment.

The unique element of the concept was combining the ability to buy the product there to take home or to have a massive team of chefs on hand who were creating dishes to eat in. This juxtaposition of the raw material and the finished product was handled with inimitable Italian style so that the whole experience was one of food discovery, showcasing the best producers and their wares.

To be fair, not everything was perfect and during the morning and afternoon, the somewhat empty space was cold and aloof in places just feeling unconnected but when the Italians came in for lunch or dinner, the place transformed into one which was vibrant and inspiring.

Seasonal produce in the New York shop

Enter Mario Batali and the Bastianich crew in the US. In partnering with these guys, the Eataly concept got a new lease of life translating the principles into a central New York hub which addressed the coldness and vast space by the very fact it was centrally located in the Flat Iron district. What the Americans did was add in a pace that simply didn’t exist in Italy. From morning to night, this place is packed. There is a constant buzz around each area that is much more sporadic in Italy. The preparation, cooking and eating in seems to have a new lease of life either at the stand up tables central to the deli area, or alternatively in the well regarded restaurant and everything in between.

New Yorkers stand and snack in the deli zone

Making fresh pasta in store

Design wise, there are things I would do differently, but you really can’t criticise. Everywhere you turn, there are people making products in front of you and the displays are inviting and abundant. It was inevitable that this formula would go further and further, and a couple of weeks ago Chicago opened. Sited on two floors, this is the next evolution and one that is going from strength the strength. There is a new nutella bar to indulge in and a nice balance of space with a central atrium which gives it more breathing space than NYC.

In its first week, Eataly Chicago was reported to have welcomed 120,000 visitors and 80,000 diners. In fact, the launch week was so outstanding that they had to close for a day in order to restore themselves into serviceable order. How wonderful. I just love the open, honest approach and the genuine appreciation expressed in the latter posted on their website:

“Dear Chicago,

What a week! We have never felt more welcomed! More than 120,000 visited our new location, more than 80,000 dined with us at our restaurants and more than 30,000 Chicagoans purchased our food and enjoyed cooking it at home. Never, ever has another Eataly been as successful as our new outpost in Chicago…therefore we say: THANK YOU, CHICAGO!

You have understood and grasped our “experiential” concept and our love for all things Italian and local, along with our priority for high quality food, and passion for education.

Because of this deep understanding of our manifesto and what we believe in, we have decided to close the store on Monday, December 9th, in order to preserve our standards of quality and service. We want to pay back your love and passion for Eataly Chicago by providing you the best food and the best service.

See you all bright and early on Tuesday at 8AM at our Caffe Lavazza!

Thanks again Chicago,

The Eataly Team”

Good luck Eataly Chicago. Congratulations and I can’t wait to see the first UK outpost which is rumoured to be in the making as I type.

Tags Bastianich, Carlo Petrini, Eataly, Mario Batali, Slow food movement

Categories Food, Restaurants, Retail

Go West Elm

December 5, 2013 //

West Elm opened it’s first UK site today in Tottenham Court Road.

I have to admit that I have not shopped a West Elm in the US but I am a huge fan of their owners Williams Sonoma and there is clearly a standard and attention to detail that permeates the whole company.

The first thing you recognise is the difference in the staff attitude and approach. There were loads of excess teams there as you would expect on opening day but what was lovely was the interaction they had with the customer. It was one of genuine excitement to be opening here in the furniture/homewares heartland of London and also a clear understanding of soft selling.

The other element that translates so competitively from the US model is their ability to catalogue and visually merchandise. They manage to combine these two elements to create wonderful stories which are stimulating and enjoyable to shop. Every corner has something to discover and whilst some product is familiar to me, lots is new and interesting. They are also pretty competitive price wise at the mid level range with clear intro key prices as well as some at the luxury end. In support of all this is a great tone of voice that fits their brand well keeping signage and communication something simple that makes you smile.

At the centre of the shop is a living wall which is something that has been done many times before, but it is still attractive. It adds colour, vibrancy and a sense of outdoor space which helps to define a relaxed tone within. The natural wall wraps around the central staircase which leads downstairs to a more conventional home floor but with nice room sets and an ordering zone which was very efficient when I put it to the test.

The fun zone upstairs is their market area which has a funky coffee shop, a mixture of kitchenware and food plus some well thought out toiletries. Studded throughout the whole ground floor were little highlights which showed product combinations and stimulated nice ideas to enable visualisation of the product in a home environment.

It will be interesting to see how this first foray goes for the Williams Sonoma team. I believe they are looking at other sites for their other brand – Pottery Barn. I personally think it is a welcome addition to the UK high street and I wish them well.

Tags West Elm, Williams Sonoma

Categories Design, Retail, The high street

Escape to Cape Town

Maille Maille

Eataly does it again

Go West Elm

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