CENTRAL LONDON RETAIL | Winter 2018/19
The highs, the growth, and how the company is moving forward
CEO of Deciem
a round up of the most sustainable fashion brands
The War Against Cotton
FROM IMPRESSIVE CULTURE TO GREAT COFFEE, THE NORWEGIAN CAPITAL HAS IT ALL
A day in Oslo
Nicola Kilner,
Introducing
National issue
WELCOME
website: savills.co.uk/retail
Designed and produced by: Savills commercial marketing
digital magazine: real media group
on the cover: Nicola Kilner, CEO, Deciem
social media: @savills
Welcome to our fourth issue of OPEN magazine, a Savills produced bi-annual magazine focusing on retail trends in London and worldwide, giving you in-depth insight into what’s going on in the market right now. This time around our cover star is none other than Nicola Kilner, CEO of one of the most disruptive beauty brands ever created. In this interview we delve behind the scenes to establish just how Deciem has been so successful in such a short amount of time. We even include our top picks of the brands' products, tried and tested here at Savills (p.17). With our focus remaining firmly on brands for this issue, we have an interview with the founder of Duke & Dexter, Archie Hewlett (p.12), as well as a 4-page spread headlined ‘The War against Cotton’ (p.4) highlighting some of the industry’s most popular sustainable brands and their pioneering products, from cotton imitation material made from wood and plants, to bottle tops made into shoes! Despite the bad press surrounding the retail world we are consistently seeing retailers that are triumphing in this time of immense pressure, doing so through consistent brand innovation. This is abundantly clear in ‘Collaborate or Die’ (p.15), an article about fashion partnerships, which proves if you can keep on top of trends you can make your mark and even lead the pack. And that’s not all, this special edition also includes a National supplement, proving it isn’t all about London. Flip the magazine over, turn it upside down and voila! OPEN National, keeping you up to date with everything happening outside of the capital city. Please do get in contact with us if you have any questions or want to know more about any of the articles featured. We hope you enjoy this issue as much as us, it’s our favourite so far! Savills Central London Retail & Leisure Team
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FASHION
The War against Cotton
Saving the world, one brand at a time… Lauren Higgins reports
NEIGHBOURHOOD FOCUS
The Power of SW11
store?
One of the most innovative retail and leisure destinations in the world
SAVILLS
Recent deals
See all of our recent deals on pages 5, 6, 9, 13, 14 & 20
European Focus
The Norwegian capital has it all. Here’s where to find it
xx
THE FUTURE OF RETAIL
Legalise this?
Could the future of retail and restaurants have a leafy green future?
RETAILER REVIEW
Does Amazon Deliver?
Tiffany Luckett reviews the retail giant’s recent Fashion pop-up
RETAILER PROFILE
In Conversation with Archie Hewlett
Founder of Duke & Dexter
RETAIL TRENDS
Collaborate or die
In the fast-moving world of fashion it’s all about finding the right partner
The team
Get in touch with us
WHAT'S IN
BEAUTY
Beauty rides the K-wave into China & beyond
The Korean cosmetic and skincare industry is preparing to expand and diversify beyond asia.
Ox cheek & bone marrow in Coal Drops Yard
Benji Ashe gets his freekeh on at Coal Office Restaurant
04
07
08
11
10
12
15
22
05+
The Ultimate Disruptor
Nicola Kilner on the future of the Deciem brand
16
19
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MY CITY
London
Tiffany Luckett on life in London
21
War
The
against
cotton
Saving the world, one brand at a time… LAUREN HIGGINS REPORTS
The long-term effects of plastic on the environment have been widely publicised for some time, and rightly so. The same, however, cannot be said for the cotton industry. Awareness of the industry’s damaging effects on the environment has only recently come to the forefront of public debate. A body of evidence has labelled the fashion industry as one of the biggest polluters on the planet, and is claimed to be the second biggest polluter after the oil industry. Documentaries such as "Stacey Dooley Investigates: Fashion’s Dirty Secrets" are giving the public an eye-watering account of the dramatic decline of clean freshwater; these have shocked viewers by demonstrating just how much water is needed for the growing and manufacturing of cotton to serve the demands of the fashion industry today. Clothes might be cheaper than ever, but our planet is paying the price. So, how are retailers taking responsibility in limiting their impact? The ever-growing consumer appetite for ‘guilt-free clothing’ has sparked a huge surge in eco-fashion start-ups. More and more retailers are finally beginning to sit up and listen. Here, I would love to share a few of my favourite brands who have built successful businesses while ‘doing their bit’ at the same time.
LEFT: The Reformation's cashmere boyfriend sweater TOP: Ninety Percent's ribbed-knit contrast-trim dress. BELOW TOP: Know the Origin's Organic cotton farm
Reformation
Yael Aflalo, the LA-based designer, founded Reformation in 2009, with a mission to build a stylish brand with a green footprint. All clothing is produced using fibres that feel almost identical to cotton, but are made from renewable wood and plant materials, as well as reusing clothing and fabric waste. Reformation not only manufactures more sustainably, but also invests in programmes which replenish the resources it has spent, such as restoring freshwater to declining rivers. All of this is tracked on the company’s ‘RefScale’ which enables the consumer to see just how green an item of clothing is, both in store and online. The brand has attracted an A-list following with the likes of Rihanna, Emily Ratajkowski and Karlie Kloss endorsing their clothing, influencing millions online and in their physical stores globally. It is safe to say Reformation is well on its way to achieving its mission of ‘bringing sustainable fashion to everyone’.
Ninety Percent
A contemporary London-based brand which launched in 2018, Ninety Percent has an ethos of sharing 90 per cent of its profits between charitable causes, with the consumer choosing where this money goes. Some of its collections are made from organic cotton, however the majority are made from Tencel®, a renewable wood material. The company is investing hugely into developing the sustainability of its practices, with a focus on continually improving its future collections. One of the more affordable eco-brands, Know The Origin, manufactures its clothing from organic cotton. This British brand was founded in 2015 by Cheshire-born Charlotte Instone with the aim of transforming the fashion industry, ensuring full transparency from seed to sale. Clothing is produced using traditional farming techniques with no toxic chemicals. This process is significantly less water intensive, with 70-80 per cent of this organic cotton being globally rainfed. The brand uses traceable fabrics, meaning the consumer can trace where the material has been sourced, right down to the plantation.
Know The Origin
TOP LEFT: Allbirds, Covent Garden store CENTRE: Organic cotton, Know the Origin BELOW: Levi's. TOP RIGHT: Ninety Percent, Extra-fine merino stripe-sleeve sweater
Allbirds
This exciting new American footwear brand has completely moved away from the traditional canvas and produces its shoes using purely Merino sheep wool - using 60 per cent less energy. Its love for mother nature does not end there – it prides itself on its highly sustainable manufacturing process, which focusses on producing, for example, its own laces from recycled plastic bottles, using Castor bean oil in its insoles, creating eyelets from micro-organisms, manufacturing shoe soles using sustainable sugar cane and finally, packaging its shoes in 90 per cent recycled cardboard. Intrigued? Go visit its debut UK store at 123 Long Acre, Covent Garden, London.
But how are the fashion giants helping fight the fight?
The trailblazers of the fast fashion industry are quickly becoming the talk of the town amongst environmentalists, the media and the consumer. The rate of clothing production has never been higher, and there is no hiding from the fact that the fast fashion industry is having a detrimental impact on the environment. It is hard to ignore this impact when faced with the knowledge that up to 1,800 gallons of water go into the production of just one pair of jeans – over 11 years of drinking water for one person. However, this is changing. Fast fashion giants are beginning to take responsibility for their impact in the face of growing consumer awareness. This, in turn, is encouraging innovation and investment into new technologies which will have a profound impact upon the future of clothing production. Stella McCartney has long been hailed the ‘Queen of Sustainable Fashion’, leading the movement of ‘fashion with a conscience’. In the words of the Global Fashion Agenda, ‘sustainability is no longer just a trend, it is a business imperative’, and the fashion giants of the modern day are beginning to follow suit. Many of the big names, including John Lewis, Inditex, ASOS, Bestseller, Levi Strauss and New Look, to name just a few, are members of the ‘Better Cotton Initiative’. This strives to aid farmers in producing cotton in a more sustainable way, and an increasing number of retailers are making ambitious commitments to sustainably change the life cycles of their products:
ASOS
Levi Strauss
With denim production being amongst the biggest culprits of the cotton industry, Levis acknowledges that it is a US$5 billion company based on selling cotton clothing. It too spoke out at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit in 2018, with the aim of ‘slowing down fast fashion’ and sharing its aspiration to be a catalyst for change. It is also investing in developing a solution into circular fashion with zero water impact. Inditex claims to be leading the industry towards a toxic-free future, and is continually investing in innovative solutions to lessen its impact on the environment. Amongst its core commitments, it is aiming to reduce the amount of water required for the manufacturing of its products, and is working towards achieving zero discharge of hazardous chemicals by 2020 (the ZDCH Initiative). It is the world’s fourth biggest consumer of organic cotton (C&A is the first), which uses 90 per cent less water and 60 per cent less energy than normal cotton. It cooperates with key global initiatives promoting sustainable practice, including Textile Exchange and the Better Cotton Initiative. It is also a founding member of the Organic Cotton Accelerator initiative and collaborate with sustainable manufacturers such as Lenzing – look out for its Join Life Collection. Many of the fashion giants have set their sights on reaching green goals by 2020-2030 and only time will tell if these intentions will be realised. It is important to remember the consumer holds the power to control retailer trends through their spending habits. A shift to greener retailing and responsible innovation is becoming an increasingly important business driver and I am hopeful that we will begin to see more exciting solutions to fight the war on cotton in the near future. Watch this space.
Inditex Group (includes Zara, Bershka and Stradivarius, to name a few)
ASOS made a commitment at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit in 2017 to accelerate the circular fashion movement. This is an exciting and innovative concept which means that the end product is completely recycled and repurposed into a new item of clothing. It has a Sustainable Sourcing Programme with a team dedicated to ensuring the brand is being more sustainable throughout the entire product life cycle. The Eco Edit range was also launched in 2010 and promotes manufacturers and brands who use sustainable business practices. The range has a sales target to reach £30 million by 2020. As a member of the Better Cotton Initiative, ASOS also pledges to use 100 per cent sustainable cotton in its ranges by 2025. Already evident in its Conscious clothing line, H&M acknowledges the challenge it faces in clothing production. Anna Gedda, Head of Sustainability at H&M, took to the stage at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit in 2018 to pledge its goal of using 100 per cent sustainable materials by 2030 and 100 per cent sustainably sourced cotton by 2020. It is also striving to minimise the amount of fabric discarded in landfill and now recycles your old clothing (and even towels and sheets), from any brand, in any condition. You can do this in its stores all over the world – just ask for a garment collection box (usually by the tills) and you’ll be rewarded for your green deeds with a voucher. The same applies to other H&M Group stores, including & Other Stories and Monki, and so far the group has collected the equivalent of 89 million t-shirts.
H&M
Please contact Lauren Higgins for more information.
Lauren Higgins
+44 (0) 20 7299 3009
lhiggins@savills.com
savills deals
SAVILLS DEALS
Another outpost for the renowned French restaurant, originally based in Covent Garden. The restaurant was inspired by the owner’s (Aurelia Delclos) grandmother Antoinette, who served the best and tastiest French cuisine to her granddaughter. The restaurant is taking an outpost in the new London and Oriental residential scheme, Buckingham Green, located in the middle of Victoria and St James’ Park.
Chef Guirong Wei to open chinese restaurant Master Wei in Bloomsbury
Chez Antoinette set to open at Buckingham Green
Master Wei has secured it's first site in WC1. The Chinese restaurant, from the chef behind Highbury’s Xi’an Impression, Guirong Wei. Guirong co-owns Xi’an Impression with her husband. The new site on Cosmo Place was previously occupied by one of London’s oldest restaurants, Cagney’s. The brand is still on the lookout for more sites.
Corbin and King to open high quality seafood restaurant in Soho
Leading luxury operators Corbin & King will open another restaurant in Soho, just off Soho Square. The restaurant will encompass 1-8 Bateman’s Buildings, as well at 55 Greek Street. Plans are currently with Westminster for approval, but the idea is to create one restaurant over 3 floors. The restaurant will consist of 241 covers, as well as 44 extra covers on an outdoor terrace.
Please contact Benji Ashe for more information.
Please contact Billy Wright for more information.
Please contact Oliver Green or Benji Ashe for more information.
Benjamin Ashe
+44 (0) 20 7758 3889
bashe@savills.com
Billy Wright
+44 (0) 207 409 8084
billy.wright@savills.com
Oliver Green
+44 (0) 20 7758 3899
ogreen@savills.com
Roast, the Borough Market favourite, have been threatening to open up new outposts for some time. Where better a place to land than a few minutes’ walk from the Savills office on Great Portland Street. The site will be 3,800 sq ft in total and will serve the traditional British cooking they are famous for.
Fitzrovia heats up with the arrival of Roast
Boggi Milano, moves into the Aubette Shopping Arcade, Strasbourg
Boggi Milano, a contemporary men's fashion brand have taken c.2,000 sq ft on Place Kleber, the central square in Strasbourg, France. This area is the perfect mix of luxury and trendy with the likes of Louis Vuitton and Hermès sitting alongside & Other stories, Bash and Maje. With over 140 stores in more than 31 countries, the brand continues to speed up its expansion, especially in France.
Please contact Carlotta Matteja for more information
EUROPEAN DEAL
Carlotta Matteja
+49 172 399 1876
cmatteja@savills.de
the
of SW11
power
The Battersea Power Station redevelopment will be one of the most innovative retail and leisure destinations in the world
Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott,Battersea Power Stationwas once the most efficient power stations of its day, producing 20 per cent of London’s electricity supply. It was decommissioned in 1983 and despite a number of plans to regenerate the site in the 80s and 90s, it remained undeveloped. All that changed in 2013 when a £9 billion project got underway to transform Battersea Power Station and the surrounding area into one of the most innovative mixed-use neighbourhoods in the world. Today, not only is this Grade II* listed landmark being restored to its former glory, but the 42-acre site is set to become one of Britain’s most exciting retail and leisure destinations, offering the best of British and international brands.
Once completed, Battersea Power Station will become a new and thriving destination on the banks of the River Thames.
Once completed, Battersea Power Station will become a new and thriving destination on the banks of the River Thames that will house a carefully curated collection of some of the world’s most interesting and eclectic brands. As Battersea Power Station Development Company’s Head of Retail Leasing Sam Cotton says: The first phase of the development is Circus West Village, which was completed in 2016. Designed by SimpsonHaugh & Partners and de Rijke Marsh Morgan (dRMM), the building is located on the western side of the Power Station and is already home to over 1,000 residents as well as 23 independent shops and restaurants, including Cinnamon Kitchen, Japanese ramen restaurant Tonkotsu, London’s leading seafood restaurant Wright Brothers, Francesco Mazzei’s Fiume, Tapas Brindisa and super-cool Copenhagen pizza restaurant Mother.
Other outlets at Circus West Village – which has a river front permanently accessible to the public, as well as access to the MBNA Thames Clippers Service – include The CoffeeWorks Project, voted one of London’s Top 30 coffee shops by the London Coffee Guide; urban winery Vagabond Wines, which offers 100 wines by the glass from independent winemakers around the world; The Battersea General Store, where you can buy everything from Spanish crisps to Japanese whisky as well as local artisan beer, wine, cheese and more; micro-brewery Battersea Brewery and No 29 Power Station West, Circus West Village’s own pub.
RIGHT: Paul Edmonds, Circus West Village
The two turbine halls will have a very different look and feel and will house a vast array of carefully curated brands from around the world in just over 100 units.
Top hair salon Paul Edmonds, luxury florist Moyses Stevens and independent cinema Archlight have all recently opened their doors. 16 railway arches are being renovated as part of Circus West Village to create a pedestrianised thoroughfare of cafés, shops, a cinema and a cultural and community venue as well as being a permanent location of the Battersea Academy of Skills and Excellence (BASE), an initiative focused on training and placing local people into end-users jobs including hospitality. Pop-up spaces and Santander Cycles are currently located under Grosvenor Arch, fronted by a vibrant art installation by award-winning artist Morag Myerscough. Next to complete at the development will be Phase 2, comprising the iconic Power Station and its two turbine halls. The halls were built in very different eras – Turbine Hall A hails from the art-deco 30's while Turbine Hall B was completed in the 50's and has more of a brutalist/industrial feel – and the retail offering of both halls will reflect their different surroundings.
Says Sam Cotton: The two turbine halls will have a very different look and feel and will house a vast array of carefully curated brands from around the world in just over 100 units. Turbine Hall A will be home to the Premium Collection – brands that portray elegance, sophistication and timeless style. Turbine Hall B has a sparer aesthetic and brings together contemporary brands, providing an eclectic mix of younger, faster and more diverse names.
LEFT: Wright Brothers, Circus West Village. BELOW: Mother, Circus West Village
There has already been keen interest from South Korean and Japanese brands, as well as those from the rest of Asia, UK and the US. ‘The response we have had from businesses has been incredible – brands really get it,’ says Sam Cotton. ‘It’s essential to balance the big well-known brands with the start-ups from the UK and around the world. Apple has already pre-let 500,000 sq ft of office space within the Power Station as their new London Campus, which they will move into in 2021.’ Connecting the two halls will be a 18,500 sq ft food hall which will showcase the very best of London’s food scene, including restaurant start-ups, new concepts and international cuisines. ‘The Power Station will be a new food destination for London,’ says Sam Cotton. ‘We now know this is going to be a destination that will attract food connoisseurs.’ Phase 3, Electric Boulevard, will be the development’s new ‘High Street’ linking the new Northern Line Extension to the Power Station and the rest of the development.
When fully open, Battersea Power Station will be a place for visitors to not just do their shopping, says Sam Cotton but a place to eat at one of the many fantastic bars, enjoy the new park being created, have a coffee overlooking the River Thames or soak up the culture of the instantly recognisable building with tons of heritage.
Please contact Sam Cotton, Head of Retail Leasing, Battersea Power Station for further information
Sam Cotton
+44 (0) 20 7501 0634
SCotton@bpsdc.co.uk
MAIN: View of Battersea Power Station
AVOVE: Turbine Hall A
this?
Legalise
Could the future of retail and restaurants have a leafy green future? It is already legal in the UK to sell products made from cannabis derivatives. Will the legalisation of cannabis be next? And if so, what might it mean for retail and restaurants?
CBD – WHAT IS IT?
- CBD stands for Cannabidiol. This is a cannabis compound with significant medical benefits. It has no effects on the psyche but can actually counteract the psycho-activity effects of THC. - It can help with pain relief and with a variety of medical conditions including relief from; inflammation, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, PTSD, epilepsy, antibiotic resistant infections and schizophrenia.
THC – WHAT IS IT
- THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol. This is the main psychoactive compound in marijuana. THC produces the high or sense of euphoria that you associate with smoking cannabis. - THC has been used to help with pain, muscle spasticity, glaucoma, insomnia, low appetite, nausea and anxiety. - THC has been linked to long- term negative psychiatric effects, especially when consumed in large amounts during teenage years.
LEGALITY
- 20 states in the US plus Washington D.C. have passed cannabis-related laws, making medical marijuana with high levels of THC legal. In most states, the cannabis must be prescribed by a licensed physician. - 9 states have made recreational use of marijuana and THC legal. - All forms of cannabis are still illegal in US states that haven’t legalised it. - Canada has also legalised the use of marijuana.
ABOVE: Source, BusinessInsider.com
You might not have realised it, but cannabis derivatives may already be on sale in your gym, your local coffee shop or even your local health food store. Cannabidiol, or CBD can now be legally sold in the UK and although businesses are not allowed to claim it has health benefits, there is growing evidence to suggest it may have. Indeed, medical cannabis oil has been available by doctor’s prescription in England, Scotland and Wales since the beginning of November 2018. The change in the law is already affecting the retail and restaurant industry, with some of the most forward- thinking brands getting on top of the trend. Holland & Barrett was the first retailer to stock CBD oil in the UK, selling an oil containing 5% CBD.
1) Frame Fitness (Fitzrovia, Hammersmith and various other locations)
The following retailers, gyms, bars and restaurants are offering CBD products; With 7 large studios across London, with classes ranging from yoga to reformer Pilates, Frame now offers CBD oil as an additive in their healthy smoothies. Claiming to be London’s first CBD boutique, the shop offers a range of different products containing CBD oil, ranging from skincare to oils and tinctures, providing consumers with a totally different experience to the cannabis cafes typically associated with cannabis. The organic Cotswold farming brand Daylesford, which has its own skincare brand and spa based in London’s Brompton Cross, is now selling a ‘herbal tea’ infused with hemp. The tea is marketed as a night-time organic infusion to aid sleep, with valerian root, passion flowers and hemp leaves which are advertised as ‘anti-inflammatory, reduces pain and anxiety’.
2) LDN CBD (Camden)
3) Bamford and Daylesford (Brompton Cross and various other locations)
The vegan only restaurant chain from the US which opened its first UK outpost last year in Covent Garden, now sells ‘weed brownies’. Made with CBD oil to help with anxiety and pain relief, the brownies are decorated with a fondant marijuana leaf. If you aren’t London based but fancy topping up your CBD levels, Holland and Barrett stock various brands of CBD oil. The retailer claims that sales of its CBD products have been growing exponentially since their launch at the beginning of 2018.
4) By Chloe (Covent Garden and Tower Hill)
5) Holland Barrett (various UK locations)
In Canada, just two days after legalisation of the drug, therewere claims that the country was ‘running out of marijuana stock'.
What about cannabis?
The sale of cannabis has now been legalised in Canada and many US states for medical, as well as recreational purposes. In the US, cannabis is now a $12 billion a year industry and it’s estimated that this will reach $75 billion by 2030. So where does that leave the UK? William Hague recently commented in the Daily Telegraph that the war on cannabis had been ‘comprehensively and irreversibly lost’ and called on the Government to legalise it. In October 2018 former Met Police Chief Bernard Hogan-Howe said the law on cannabis needed an urgent review. However, many government officials were quick to refute these claims so it remains unclear whether this will happen in the next 24 months in the UK. Nevertheless, it’s certainly something that pharmaceutical companies are planning for, and perhaps retailers should be too. In Canada, just two days after legalisation of the drug, there were claims that the country was ‘running out of marijuana stock’, so if it does become legal here, being prepared is going to be very important.
LEFT & ABOVE: FEELZ a CBD infused range from, By CHLOE
Please contact Tiffany Luckett for more information.
Tiffany Luckett
+44 (0) 20 7758 3878
tluckett@savills.com
& Other Stories opened its doors to a brand new 8,000 sq ft flagship in Spitalfields in November, just in time for Christmas trade. The store is the sixth Central London outpost and features a glass orangery, a new feature curated by architects Foster & Partners.
Old Spitalfields Market: & Other Stories open Foster & Partner's designed storeup with the arrival of Roast
Pandora sparkles in Madrid
Pandora, the prestigious Danish jewellery company, has opened its flagship store in the Salamanca district, the luxury hub in Madrid. The new store is 120 sq.m over 2 floors and is located at Serrano 46.Pandora are present in over 100 countries worldwide and have more than 60 stores and concessions in department stores in Spain.Savills Aguirre Newman has been involved in Pandora's acquisitions in Zaragoza and San Sebastián.
Harrys of London are replacing Bobbi Brown at Spitalfields Market. Harrys opened in January 2019 with the store becoming its second home in London. The brand specialises in men’s contemporary British footwear, selling sneakers, loafers, boots and slippers. In addition, the brand also currently has a pop-up in the Ham Yard Hotel for anyone in the Soho area.
Harrys of London step into former Bobbi Brown store
retailer review
Amaz0n
does
Pop-up:
DELIVER?
Tiffany Luckett reviews the retail giant’s recent fashion pop-up.
The online retail giant made a cautious entry into the physical retail market at the end of October 2018 with a pop-up store on Baker Street. The store was a showcase for Amazon Fashion and featured brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and LOVE Moschino interspersed with Amazon’s in-house clothing lines, including Meraki and Truth & Fable. The pop-up offered a different experience each day and focused on fashion, health and beauty with influencers and special events drawing in the crowds. On the Tuesday and Wednesday it showcased an Autumn trend edit of both menswear and womenswear. The Pepe Jeans team was on hand to help shoppers customise their purchases and there was an evening DJ performance by Charlotte de Carle. On the Thursday, stock was refreshed and the attention turned to fitness and wellbeing, with yoga classes from Ella Mills (Deliciously Ella) and diet and lifestyle advice courtesy of Reshma, a lead dietitian from Louise Parker. On the Friday and Saturday the stock changed again to feature ‘party and streetwear’ trend edits and there were more sound sessions from Tom Grennan, NAO, Arielle Free and Charlotte de Carle.
ABOVE: Reshma, Lead dietitian from Louise Parker
Throughout the week, shoppers could purchase items by scanning the products’ ‘Smile Codes’, creating a virtual basket on the Amazon app which could be checked out once they had finished shopping. For those without the app there were Amazon Fire tablets placed around the store enabling shoppers to view the entire Amazon fashion range and complete their orders online. While purchases could still be made in store, the app enabled shoppers to have their items delivered to their home in the standard Amazon Prime time frame.
ABOVE & LEFT: Interior & exterior, Amazon pop-up store. FAR LEFT: Amazon 'Smile Codes'.
Despite occupying a sub ‘prime’ pitch on Baker Street, the pop-up store was busy, attracting most shoppers during the scheduled events; the yoga sessions proved particularly popular. Given Amazon’s tech supremacy, the online retailing giant is well positioned to roll out physical retail innovations including VR fitting rooms or the Internet of Things to enable products to communicate with shoppers and inventory suppliers for example. The establishment of the Amazon Go concept in the US will act as a good foundation for Amazon’s expansion in the physical retail environment. In the future, technology will act to complement traditional retail and create an omni-channel experience for consumers. Amazon will likely be at the forefront of this evolution.
We are extremely excited to be opening our first ever UK pop-up store for fashion. We have curated a selection of top brands and key fashion items, which we think our customers will love, all of which can be purchased virtually through the Amazon app or physically in store. With the ongoing schedule of activities taking place throughout the week, we hope our pop-up shop will be an exciting and inspiring way to shop for fashion.
Susan Saideman, Vice President of Amazon Fashion Europe, commented:
european focus
A Day In
From Nordic brands to international designers; from impressive culture to great coffee – the Norwegian capital has it all. Lars Simen Paulgaard introduces the hotspots.
Oslo has been hailed The Queen of Nordic Cool by National Geographic and The New Capital of Scandi Cool by Conde Nast Traveller. It has some of the best luxury shopping in Scandinavia, a vibrant cultural scene and an impressive array of new pioneering architecture. So it’s no wonder that Norway’s capital city is such a popular destination for shoppers, foodies and culture vultures from all over the world. Oslo is a compact city, offering a blend of diverse and colourful neighbourhoods, fanned out around a relatively small centre. It has been named European Green Capital 2019 and you will be amazed how much residents enjoy being part of the green transformation, in how they move about, eat, live and enjoy life.
TOP: Aerial View of Oslo Sentrum ABOVE: Aker Brygge RIGHT: Sørenga Seawater Pool
Let us start our day at Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen, two modern seafront neighbourhoods bursting with shops, bars, restaurants, a stunning art museum and exciting private art galleries. If you like a good breakfast you’ve come to the right place. Try the French pastries or a classic croque monsieur at Albert Bistro, or how about a Danish brunch with the tasty skagen toast at Sorgenfri? If you prefer a coffee on the go, stop by Håndverksbakeriet then take a seat on one of the seafront’s orange benches and enjoy the view of the medieval fortress, Akershus Festning. Aker Brygge is a high-end shopping arena that hosts international brands such as Gant, Mark + Brandy and Aspeli, as well as Scandinavian designs such as Ganni, Samsøe Samsøe, Acne, Ulla Johnson, Tiger of Sweden, FWSS, and many more. The modern shopping street Jenny Hemstads gate offers exclusive stores, from beauty to shoes. From Aker Brygge you can visit some of Oslo’s biggest and most prestigious attractions by walking along the harbour promenade which stretches all the way to the Opera House and Sørenga. Discover the Astrup Fearnley Museum, a must for lovers of contemporary art and cutting-edge architecture, the City Hall, the Nobel Peace Center, Akershus Fortress, Vippa Street food market, SALT (a nomadic art project with one of the world's largest saunas) and the Oslo Opera House, designed by the multi-award-winning architect firm, Snøhetta. While you’re at the Opera House, don’t miss the rooftop walk which offers fantastic views of the angular architecture arising from the waters of Oslo Fjord.
Morning at the seafront
You’ll find some of Oslo’s finest stores conveniently located on and around Karl Johans gate, the city’s main pedestrian street. At the end of Karl Johans gate is the Royal Palace, surrounded by the beautiful Palace Park. You might even spot a member of the royal family since the palace is still the official residence of the Norwegian monarch. A short walk from Karl Johans gate is Promenaden, Norway’s epicentre of luxury, fashion and lifestyle. This is where you’ll find the flagship stores of many international luxury brands such as Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Burberry, as well as contemporary brands such as Acne studios, A.P.C. and Isabel Marant, and multi-brand fashion department stores EGER Shopping Gallery and Steen & Strøm, which houses a notable food court and beauty department.
an Afternoon stroll
A stone’s throw from the Royal Palace is the internationally acclaimed luxury department store Paleet. Paleet underwent a total renewal in 2013 and 2014 and has since been lauded by the likes of Monocle, Wallpaper and FRAME magazines. The various stores and fashion concepts at Paleet offer high-end fashion in clothes, shoes and accessories by national and international designers: Acne Studios, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike, Adidas, Chanel, Enzo Poli, Giorgio Armani, Comme des Garcons, Dior, Hugo Boss, Levi`s and Ray Ban are just some of the many brands you will find here.
LEFT & ABOVE: Louis Vuitton & shoppers & in the Promenaden fashion district
For a more bohemian vibe, check out the urban area of Grünerløkka, along the east side of the Akerselva river, for great vintage boutiques, cafés, cocktail bars and pubs. Looking for something unique? Don’t miss Kollekted by, Kuratert, Luck Oslo and EAM. Coffee plays an important part in Oslo’s everyday life and a stop at Tim Wendelboe in Grunerløkka is a must for all coffee enthusiasts. Wendelboe is a multi-awarded barista who won the World Barista Championship in 2004. Now he has his own bar, micro roastery and training centre. A two-minute walk from Tim Wendelboe is Oslo's largest indoor food market, Vulkan Mathallen, with more than 30 specialty shops, cafés and eateries, offering high-quality products from Norwegian small-scale producers as well as special imports. If you are looking for what’s known as ‘trash gourmet’ head over to Youngtorget, half way between Grünerløkka and the city centre, where Michelin-trained chefs serve street food in simple, urban spaces.
LEFT: Youngstorget BELOW: Torggata
This old city square has found a new lease of life in recent years, with new bars, clubs and venues springing up, extending along the nearby streets of Torggata and Møllergata. It’s impossible to visit all the great places on Youngstorget in just one evening, but some of the highlights are worth a look such as a cocktail bar called Himkok. It’s well hidden in a back street, behind a nondescript door, under an unassuming lamp. But if you can track it down you will find yourself in cocktail heaven. Himkok was ranked 19th in The World’s 50 Best Bars Awards 2018. The name means ‘moonshine’ or ‘home brew’ which is a reference to the bar’s own distillery which produces aquavit, gin and vodka for use in the bar’s signature cocktails. The drink menu embodies the Norwegian food culture with its traditional names and ingredients. After a delightful cocktail experience at Himkok you can swing by Kulturhuset, a famous local hangout and recent architectural prize-winner, open from early morning until late at night. Kulturhuset is a catch-all cultural venue that stages gigs, seminars, concerts, DJ sessions, fairs and shuffleboard and is also a great co-working space. If you’re a foodie, you must visit Oslo Street food. Located right in the center of Oslo, a former public bath has been transformed into a foodies’ heaven. It contains of 17 food stalls and 3 bars, serving food from around the world. As soon as you walk in the atmosphere is electric, with a loud buzz around the place. Oslo Street Food is ideal for a group of people who can’t decide on one restaurant or simply on your own. Not only is there food on offer, but bars serving alcohol and coffee too. Check Facebook for the latest opening hours, but they tend to be from lunch to late night, making it a great place to eat during a busy day walking around Oslo. Oslo has become one of Scandinavia’s hot spots for retail therapy, with both local and international brands opening over the last 15 years. But as you have just discovered, the city has a lot more to offer than shopping, whether you’re into food and drinks, architecture or culture or simply want a break in the country that boasts some of the happiest people in the world.
A fun evening at Youngstorget
Please contact Laura Salisbury Jones or Lars Simen Paulgaard for more information.
Laura Salisbury Jones
+44 (0) 20 7409 8830
lsjones@savills.com
Lars Simen Paulgaard
+47 47 47 36 55
lars.simen.paulgaard@malling.no
retailer profile
In conversation with
Archie Hewlett,
founder of
Duke & Dexter
In a pedestrianised enclave of Victoria sits Eccleston Yards, a new mixed-use hub for creative and independent occupiers. This multi-functional space offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of Victoria, providing both tenants and shoppers with a community-orientated destination. Eccleston Yard has 19 units centred around a courtyard, dominated in one corner by a portrait of Frida Kahlo. The yard has hosted events and art exhibitions, including the Paradise Now installation which featured a pink mist waterfall, outside yoga sessions and even a croquet pitch. This unique enclave, which is anchored by Central Working, a 500-person co-working space, has attracted a range of occupiers, including Duke & Dexter, Barry’s Bootcamp, Re:Mind and The Jones Family Kitchen.
MAIN IMAGE: Duke & Dexter Boot(Image source: Appear Here) LEFT: Duke & Dexter, Unicorn Shoe (Image source: Sam Gill) ABOVE: Duke & Dexter, Eccleston Yards, (Image source: Appear Here)
Duke & Dexter is a premium men’s footwear brand which began with velvet slippers. The idea initially was more of a commercial play than a brand. I had quit a job in recruitment and I was looking for something I wanted to do, so I started sourcing velvet slippers and selling them. Once I saw the idea was going to gain traction, the issue I had was that I didn’t really like the product I was selling. So I rebuilt it and manufactured loafers in different styles and designs, from there we created the actual brand. In 2016 we moved all of our production to our factory in Sheffield, which enables us to have a one-week turnaround on orders, which has been excellent for sales.
How did Duke & Dexter come about?
The challenge was knowing how to get a product out to market. We had a very limited budget for marketing and brand promotion. We started with Instagram and the initial challenge was to figure out if it would actually work as a marketing tool. The biggest concern wasn’t whether or not the product would sell, it was the bigger challenges of business – getting the right team behind me, scaling the business whilst also keeping costs down. I would say that building a team and trying to do it sustainably has been the biggest challenge for us. We are now around 24 people but in the beginning it was just me.
What were the initial challenges?
A big factor for us is that we can easily push the product and gain good traction organically. If you are trying to sell something simple like, say, water it is very hard to do without a lot of additional marketing and creative ideas. But with our brand we gained a loyal following early on and we have a lot of great marketing material from our social media interaction. We have found that capturing our product in destinations around the world or photographing free-runners wearing them, for example, increases audience interaction because it’s something different. It gets us noticed on Instagram, which today is a very difficult arena to get noticed in.
How do you use social media to market your product and grow the brand?
Duke stands for ‘quality’. This relates to the high quality of the shoes, including the attention to detail and the time which goes into making them. It also relates to the quality of service our customers receive. Duke & Dexter shoes are not a throwaway product, they are a high-quality, long-term shoe. Dexter stands for ‘Fearlessness’. This relates to the boldness of the product which people can relate to, but it is still underpinned by quality.
Why name your company ‘Duke & Dexter’?
I am lucky enough to be involved with other brands now and that is exactly what I recommend. It is so important to have an understanding of where you are going, but you have to find an entry point into the market otherwise it is so easy to get associated with another brands or pigeon-holed. A perfect example is that if you come into the embroidered shoe market, people will just identify you with Gucci, so you have to find a distinction. We started off with velvet loafers and slippers but now have other product lines. Once you establish your niche you can then move into more competitive areas, but it is first essential to find a point of distinction.
Duke & Dexter began with one product. Would you recommend other start-ups do the same?
The introduction of the new product lines was due to seasonal change and customer demand for another product which can be worn in winter. We are a lifestyle brand as opposed to a fashion brand - we are not dictated to by trend and we do not try to follow trends: we build our brand on emotional connections with our clients and how the shoes make you feel. In October last year, we felt that our brand was at the right stage to move into Chelsea boots. The Chelsea boots market is a much more competitive market, with some key players, so we really had to up our game.
Duke & Dexter now has the Original Loafer, Penny Loafer, Chukka and Chelsea Boot. How did they come about?
Opening our store in Seven Dials two years ago was very powerful. We have been lucky enough to work with some amazing celebrities, but to have a retail presence was very special and was most probably my proudest moment. We set up the store within a month of our first viewing and we developed a great space to be able to interact with our clients.
What has been your favourite moment since launching the brand?
We recently announced a collaboration with Snoop Dogg in January 2019. An existing customer introduced the brand to Snoop Dogg and there was an instant connection. He got in touch so we sent him a few pairs of shoes and started engaging with his team. We were aware that Snoop had been involved in paid partnerships, which isn’t something we would do, but we were keen to establish a genuine and organic partnership with him. We are co-designing a limited range of our classic loafers in three unique styles with the possibility of having some extras included. I’m really excited to be working with Snoop Dogg and there is certainly an enjoyment factor for him too. Read more about this in our Collaborations article on p15.
What is in the pipeline for Duke & Dexter?
The main driver was that we wanted credibility. Other brands had begun to copy us (both big names and smaller start-ups) and therefore the store would help to enhance our global presence and our brand understanding. We chose Seven Dials as Shaftesbury was very keen to work with us when we explained our concept of having a space to host events and where clients could come in for a coffee and a chat or to bespoke their shoes. Shaftesbury is good at getting all the brands in the area to work together.
Why did you choose Seven Dials?
We really liked the idea of having such a central location from the perspective of our team: we wanted them to love their job and where they work. We now have the office above the store which has enabled people in the team who perhaps hadn’t had much customer interaction before to understand how the retail element works. There is also a good sense of community here, with Barry’s and Central Working. Grosvenor hosts events such as art installations which also encourage people to come down. We have a great online presence and we have found that we have been able to draw people here, especially with our sample sales.
You’ve now moved your HQ operation to Eccleston Yards, why did you choose this location and what do you hope to achieve here?
We sell to 120 different countries; on average to 80 different countries per month, with New York being our largest market. There is obviously a global appeal but the key is to be able to figure out how to expand internationally without the associated expense. The priority is to work with the right retailers and look more into collaborations. We won’t use retail in the traditional sense of planting a store and signing up to a lease, it will be around using dynamic pop-up concepts and working in collaboration with different brands. We believe that the international expansion will be driven by the strength of the brand and the British heritage, which really appeals to the global customer base.
The Duke & Dexter brand has been established for two years. What do you hope to achieve over the next two years?
An existing customer introduced the brand to Snoop Dogg and there was an instant connection.
RIGHT: Internal store shot (Image source: Appear Here) ABOVE: Archie Hewlett (Image source: Appear Here)
Polestar rev up roll out plans
Taking 398 sq m over 2 floors, Polestar, the standalone electric performance company from Volvo Car group will be opening its first global retail space at Ovre Slottsgate 7 in Oslo, Norway. Polestar are looking to roll out this new retail concept in Europe, China and the U.S. Malling & Co (Savills Associate) advised Polestar on the deal.
Please contact Laura Salisbury Jones for more information
A new Chinese restauranteur with 40 sites over the US and Canada have decided to take on the London market, opening its first restaurant in Holborn. The hot pot concept serves an assortment of broths, along with meats such as lamb, beef, chicken or meatballs to add to endless varieties of vegetables.
Pannus bakery to open first UK site on Camden High Street
Happy Lamb spring up on Bloomsbury Way
A new bakery is coming to London from Spain where they have 80 sites in Barcelona alone. The site has allowance for a restaurant but the concept of the chain is more grab and go. The brand are still on the lookout for more sites.
Bloch, the world famous creator of the pinnacle of dancer’s shoes and clothing, has moved premises taking a new site on Monmouth Street from landlord Shaftesbury. The brand had been previously located on Drury Lane for 10 years in the heart of theatreland but chose Seven Dials as their new home to access more of their target audience whom they believe shop in the area
Bloch make the leap to Seven Dials
Australian accessories brand Lovisa is due to open on Kensington High Street. The store fronts both the Kensington Arcade and the high street itself. The brand specialise in affordable jewellery and accessories and now have a number of stores countrywide.
Jewellery brand Lovisa set to shine in Kensington
Luxury Family Affair, Walton Street, Brompton Cross
Luxury Family Affair, a boutique retail unit, has opened its first outpost on South Kensington’s Walton Street. The store is run by German fashion designer Tilla Lindig and will sell both original pieces by the designer as well as some vintage pieces from brands such as Burberry.
Please contact James Fairley for more information.
James Fairley
+44 (0) 20 7758 3877
jfairley@savills.com
retail TRENDS
Collaborate
or die
Move fast, evolve, change, create, or die is the rule of retail today. But how can a retail brand do any of this without taking the time to come up with solutions?
In the fast-moving world of fashion it’s all about finding the right partner – the more unlikely, the better.
Time is money and in retail, money is now made through mutually beneficial partnerships which expedite creativity, experience, resources and elevate following. The most obvious example is the recent headline-grabbing collaboration between Ralph Lauren and Palace. Ralph Lauren has been one of the most successful luxury brands of recent times with an empire worth around US$12 billion at its height. However, fast forward to the competitive market of 2017 and the company was reporting falling sales figures and announcing the closure of some of its most famous stores, including its Fifth Avenue New York flagship, which, in a demonstration of extreme cost cutting, it closed despite still paying the rent. The reasons were obvious. Ralph Lauren's preppy look was popular in the 1990s, but with competition fierce and fashions evolving at a rapid pace due to social media and the internet, Ralph Lauren seemed to have been left behind. This led The Washington Post to pen an article entitled ‘It’s 2018 Ralph Lauren. Why do you think this look is still cool?’ And yet Ralph Lauren is now reporting increased revenue for Q2 2018, with a 2 per cent rise from the previous quarter. Could the increase be due to the recent announcement of a collaboration between Ralph Lauren and streetwear favourite Palace? It's clear this may have had something to do with it.
The collaboration arena isn’t all billion dollar companies collaborating with other billion dollar companies. It extends to smaller companies using other companies to create interest and/or give their brand the extra services they don’t have the time to specialise in. Blow dry bar DryBy (which only has one site) collaborated with cult beauty blogger Alex Steinherr (who has also collaborated with Primark, read more on page 08 of the National Edition) in order to launch a specific nail collection in store. Emma Louise Connelly (model and fiancée of MIC’s Oliver Proudlock), has recently collaborated with Nasty Gal (online fashion brand owned by Boohoo), releasing two huge collections that sold out almost immediately. Celebrities are collaborating with brands left, right and centre, with some surprising partnerships surfacing such as Post Malone x Crocs. Everyone knows about Supreme x Louis Vuitton, but did you know about Supreme x John Smedley? Or Supreme x Hardcore Hammers? Or Supreme x Budweiser?
The key to collaboration
Why did Louis Vuitton need to do a collaboration with one of the world’s coolest streetwear brands? The answer is quite certainly, it didn’t. In 2017, Louis Vuitton was at the top of its luxury game, with increasing sales and celebrity endorsements and still among the top five most luxurious brands in the world, if not the most luxurious brand in the world. But that’s not the point. Why settle at the top when you could reach higher heights? And nothing gives you more credit than an exclusive collection that sells out, despite a steaming price tag. In addition, Louis Vuitton is luxury and heritage, but how does it tap into millennials, who are the future of luxury fashion? Tap into a brand which boasts millennials as its core customers, of course.
Louis Vuitton x Supreme
Our top 5 collaborations
Was it a success? A resounding yes. This collaboration is without a doubt the most highly famed and publicised luxury x streetwear collaboration, and perhaps the biggest collaboration ever. The re-sell websites also did rather well out of it: some of the smaller pieces such as the card holder re-sold for a 199.8 per cent mark-up, going from $350 RRP to a staggering $914, while on average, items were re-sold with a mark-up of between 87 per cent and 150 per cent. Post Malone – rapper dubbed the ‘Donald Trump’ of rap due to his hard-hitting views. Crocs – footwear made from foam, formed in the shape of a clog shoe and worn by the middle-classes, most commonly under the age of five. A collaboration so un-cool it’s cool which sells out in one day.
Crocs x Post Malone
ABOVE: Post Malone x Crocs Dimitri Clog – Photo Business Wire BELOW: H&M x Moschino front row BOTTOM: Snoop Dogg x Duke & Dexter (@archiehewlett)
H&M has historically been one of the most famous collaborators in the fashion world, bringing luxury fashion to the masses at high street prices. It has now collaborated with everyone from Balmain to Erdem to Alexander Wang and most recently with Moschino. Its first collaboration was with Karl Lagerfeld back in 2004 and the rest is history.
EVERYONE x H&M
Palace is a London-based skate brand. It was founded in 2009 but didn’t start out with a huge investment. It started out with a family of people who shared a common love for skateboarding and their ‘skate crew’. The brand is original and it encompasses the true, male, London fashion aesthetic. It’s modern, it’s realistic, it’s real. Palace has maintained its originality through slow growth and interesting collaborations with the Tate Modern, Jonah Hill and the ICA gallery. But never has it collaborated on such a scale as with Ralph Lauren, which begs the question, can this collaboration still maintain the brand’s originality? It’s clear from the lookbook that products are certainly a very grown-up version of Palace's traditional style; showing an obvious influence of Ralph Lauren throughout the collection.
Ralph Lauren x Palace
Duke & Dexter is a home-grown loafer brand founded by Archie Hewlett (read our interview with Archie on p.24). The brand is still in its infancy, but part of its success has been down to its celebrity endorsements which have catapulted it onto the global stage. ‘Our biggest market in terms of sales is actually in New York, which is likely to be strongly correlated with the amount of US-based celebrities who are huge fans of our product,’ says Archie. Eddie Redmayne wore Duke & Dexter shoes when he won an Oscar in 2015 for The Theory of Everything which boosted the brand’s reach worldwide; other celebrity fans include Ryan Reynolds, Tinie Tempah and, surprisingly, Snoop Dogg. Snoop has been a fan of the brand for some time with quite a collection of Duke & Dexter shoes, so a collaboration with him made sense. ‘The key is to work with the right retailers and collaborate with the right celebrities who can grow the following of the brand,’ says Archie.
Duke & Dexter x Snoop Dogg
MAIN: Amiaya, H&M x Moschino red carpet
beauty profile
ultimate
disruptor
ABOVE: Nicola Kilner with Brandon Truaxe. RIGHT: Internal store shot, Deciem
DECIEM continues to sell more than one product every second.
If there was ever a beauty brand that became a cult movement in its own right, its undeniably Deciem. There have been many who have credibly tried to emulate the success of Deciem, but few who have managed to feasibly create such a monumental buzz around their products, nor have there been many of these ‘cult’ brands who have well and truly stayed at the top to become a staple part of a beauty editor’s essential skincare regime. Started by the late Brandon Truaxe in Toronto, Canada in 2013, the brand wanted to break free from the huge cosmetic giants out there and start a transparent, multi-branded business of beauty products that actually work and sell them direct to the consumer. Suffice to say that Brandon realised the company’s initial intent. As the co-CEO and founder of the world’s fastest growing beauty brand, he was open, focused and hands on. When The Ordinary was released Brandon was interviewed by some of the world’s biggest beauty bloggers, detailing every aspect of the products, breaking down the science behind them and explaining how to use them, which meant he successfully engaged with the brand’s target market. As a result The Ordinary became a household name in skincare, mainly due to its transparent approach and cheap prices. To put things into perspective, it is worth noting that comparative brands sell products containing the exact same ingredients at a 95 per cent mark-up. For example, The Ordinary sells 100 per cent Cold-Pressed Virgin Marula Oil for £8.10, while competing brand Drunk Elephant sells the same product for £61 in Space NK. That’s a 653 per cent increase. As you can imagine from these figures, demand for products skyrocketed. Eventually the brand took on investment from Estée Lauder Companies in 2017 when it realised that it couldn’t grow rapidly enough to support product demand. Estée Lauder now owns 28 per cent of the business and with its backing and funds in place, The Ordinary has been able to service the demands of its customers. Before this, it was running out of stock every week.
RIGHT: Spitalfields store. BELOW: Internal store shot, Deciem
Brandon, who sadly passed away in January this year, went on to become one of the beauty industry’s most controversial figures, the subject of many a provocative headline. However, the company has had a constant figurehead in the form of co-CEO Nicola Kilner. Bright and bubbly and very level headed, Nicola has captivated the hearts and minds of the beauty industry and has now become the sole CEO of this ever-growing company. As we enter into 2019, we speak to Nicola about some of her favourite parts of being a leader at such a disruptive company which has grown so quickly in the last five years.
All of our brands stand for innovation, integrity and transparency (trust). The functional beauty category has been plagued with marketing fluff and mistrust for so long that consumers were longing for transparency and efficacy. Our audience has also been a hugely beautiful and important part of our growth. When people see results, they want to share. This organic, word of mouth awareness is something that can only be achieved with good products that work.
Why do you think Deciem has seen so much success in such a short space of time? What has it all been down to?
The Ordinary prompted a change in the industry by saying that price point doesn't define luxury anymore. The consumer was ready for this change and The Ordinary offers effective, clinical skincare at affordable price points.
The Ordinary is arguably the most coveted Deciem brand. Why do you think this brand in particular has been so well received?
DECIEM continues to sell more than one product every second. We are very grateful for the support our team, customers, partners and suppliers have shown us. Stephen Kaplan, who left the business earlier in the 2018, has returned as Chief Operating Officer to help support the infrastructure we need to continue the fast growth we are seeing.
Following Brandon Truaxe’s departure from the brand in October 2018, how does the company plan to move forward?
I'm currently expecting our first baby and The Ordinary 100% Organic Virgin Chia Seed Oil has been great for keeping stretch marks at bay. Our NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum and Multi Molecular Hyaluronic Complex will always be my staples. I've also recently added our new Pycnogenol antioxidant from The Ordinary to my regimen and I'm loving the results.
What’s your favourite Deciem product and why?
Some of my favourite memories are from the early days, when you really have to wear every hat needed – from working in our production facility overnight to packing orders with the team to make sure everything gets out on time. It gives me such a feeling of pride to see where we are now with over 650 team members. The team is really what makes the journey so special and I have such happy memories from all of our offices around the world.
What has been your favourite moment at Deciem?
Not only is Nicola a CEO of one of the world’s best beauty brands, but she has also just given birth to her first child. Congratulations Nicola!
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06
CAIS2 by the NIOD range (15ml £38.00)
MMHC2 by the NIOD range (15ml £25.00)
Hyaluronic Acid 2% by The Ordinary range (£6.00)
Serum Foundation by The Ordinary range (£5.70)
Hand Chemistry by the Chemistry Brand
Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion by The Ordinary range (£8.00)
Thinking about trying out one of the Deciem brand? Below is our review of the brand’s top six products.
This is NIOD’s undisputable best product. If you’re going to use one thing from Deciem, we recommend this product (ideally in conjunction with MMHC). CAIS is a copper peptides-based product which helps long-term skin care. It increases production of collagen and can repair damage to the skin from the sun.
Used in conjunction with our number 1 hero product, MMHC2 works wonders. Containing the hottest ingredient around, hyaluronic acid, this product contains 15 hyaluronic compounds including a 1.0% direct hyaluronic acid whose inclusion is exceptionally rare as it’s often too expensive for companies to put into their products. This ingredient will result in improvements to the elasticity of skin and the general healthy look of the skin. This shows visible results very quickly, rather than CAIS which takes some time to improve overall skin health.
Retinoids are hailed as the single most important ingredient for skincare. It is said there isn’t a single other ingredient that can rival the scientific results of the ingredient in the battle against aging, and any dermatologist will likely agree. Retinoids thin the top layer of skin while thickening the second layer, which gives skin a luminous glow. They also help clear dead skin cells, oil and debris from pores, which helps people who suffer with acne too. Essentially they are an essential feature of an excellent skincare regime.
Hyaluronic Acid is able to hold 1,000 times its weight in water, giving you ultimate hydration all day. It keeps skin dewy, plumped and youthful. When others were selling this product for £37.00, The Ordinary smashed the market and sold this for £6.00.
Only £5.70 but with a waiting list of 25,000 when it launched and 250,000 orders in its first week. The Serum foundation is a lightweight medium-coverage formulation available in 21 shades. This was the first make-up product launched by any of Deciem’s brands and it is possibly one of its most successful products too. Next to launch is a foundation that’s lighter than water, Watercolours is coming soon.
This was Brandon’s first launch brand and first product. When he left Indeed Labs before starting Deciem he had a two-year non-compete clause to deal with which stated specifically that he was not allowed to produce an anti-aging face product. To get round this problem he launched an anti-aging hand cream, which is one of the bestselling hand creams out there for its age reversing properties - supposedly people use it on their faces.
beauty
Beauty
rides the K-wave into
China & beyond
The Korean cosmetic and skincare industry is preparing to expand and diversify beyond Asia.
If you want to know the next Big Thing in beauty take a look at South Korea, where the beauty industry is among the most innovative in the world. BB creams for example, might have been invented in Germany, but it was Korean companies that redeveloped them and made them popular. Sheet masks, sleep packs and products made from snail slime? Korea did them first. The 10-step beauty regime? Another Korean invention. With Koreans viewing beauty and grooming as part of their cultural capital it’s perhaps not suprising that the Korean beauty industry is among the world’s most successful, with K-beauty already worth several billion dollars and increasing rapidly. According to the Korea International Trade Association, South Korean cosmetics exports totalled US$3.92 billion in 2017, quadrupling the US$1.05 billion reported in 2013. The bulk (37.4 per cent) of Korea’s beauty exports, however, goes to mainland China. Korea’s influence, dubbed the 'K-wave', on fashion and lifestyle trends in China has been gathering pace for a number of years, underpinned by the hugely popular stars of Korea’s entertainment industry who endorse products throughout the region. K-beauty has the added attraction of being designed for Asian skin and is typically far more affordable than premium Western brands.
A number of Western brands and private equity houses have either acquired or are backing Korean brands as a way to access the huge appeal of K-brands in China. In 2016 L Catterton Asia (the private equity arm of LVMH) became a minority stakeholder of CLIO, one of Korea’s longest established make-up brands, while in 2015 Estée Lauder bought a 33.3 per cent stake in the parent company of Dr Jart+, an anti-ageing skincare brand based in Seoul. While the expansion focus of South Korean beauty brands largely remains on China, we are starting to see some brands look to new markets beyond Asia Pacific, typically starting with the US. In 2017 Innisfree, a natural brand made with ingredients from Jeju, an island in the Korea Strait, opened in New York, its first store outside the Asia Pacific region. Korean snail slime, meanwhile, has taken the US market by storm. To some extent the expansion into new international markets beyond Asia Pacific is about targeting Chinese consumers when they are abroad in order to reinforce the brand at home. But this isn’t just a marketing initiative for South Korean brands; it’s more about global revenue expansion and diversification beyond the Chinese market. This is just the start of South Korean brands moving beyond their established Asia Pacific stomping grounds and we expect to see more make the leap, with North American markets likely to be their first port of call before heading into Europe.
Please contact Marie Hickey for more information.
Marie Hickey
+44 (0) 20 3320 8288
mlhickey@savills.com
BELOW: South Korean cosmetics brand, Innisfree
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Ox
cheek
& Bone
marrow
in Coal Drops Yard
Benji Ashe gets his freekeh on at Coal Office Restaurant, a collaboration between Israeli chef Assaf Granit and British designer Tom Dixon
MAIN IMAGE: The Coal Office building & restaurant
My parents came to London recently, visiting from the green, green fields of Ireland where I grew up. Their trips are infrequent but they've been enough times to no longer feel the urge to visit Big Ben, Leicester Square and Buckingham Palace. So when they do come I try to show them a different side to the capital.
This time I decided on a ying and yang experience. We started in Camden for the hustle and bustle, the giant Converse shoe-adorned buildings and the fantastically tattooed populous. We then walked along the Regent’s Canal towpath to King’s Cross, emerging at the newly redeveloped Coal Drops Yard with its sweeping Thomas Heatherwick roof and merging of the bygone with the contemporary. I hadn’t been there since the hoardings came down and I was impressed; what’s more, so were my parents. Job done. Two weeks later I returned to Coal Drops Yard to try out Tom Dixon’s and Assaf Granit’s new Coal Office Restaurant. We went early as we hadn’t booked so when we got there at 6:30pm other patrons were few and far between. This made the design-led character of our surroundings even more obvious, making us wonder whether we were in an actual restaurant or simply a showcase for restaurant design. In reality it is both. Tom Dixon’s creative influence is evident everywhere, particularly in the use of lighting which is so synonymous with his design. The choice of materials and colours, meanwhile, is clearly indicative of the former use of the building. Slate, dark stone, smoky glass and ebullient, volcanic lighting harks back to a time when mounds of coal would arrive here by canal before being taken away by horse and cart to power Victorian London.On arrival we were seated on high stools and immediately handed two copper egg cups of Arak, a delicious palate cleansing drink that tasted of lychee and vanilla. From our elevated position over-looking the kitchen we could watch the theatre of seven chefs weaving their way around one another as they churned out a plethora of Israeli-themed dishes. Every few minutes the head chef would bellow an order to a response in unison of ‘YES CHEF!’
Our first dish was a hunk of bread, light and brioche like, served with reduced yoghurt, tomato confit and oregano. This kept us busy nibbling while we selected a handful of dishes from the Small Plate, In Between and Large Plate sections of the menu. We opted for the tuna sashimi with beetroot, apple and fennel. The tuna and beetroot were good, but the apple and powerful fennel accompaniments were great. Next up was the Yemei Mansaf, an ox cheek stew with freekeh and Jerusalem artichoke. We had no choice but to select this dish as printed on the top of each menu were the words ‘Today you’re gonna meet the Yemei Stew creator’. It transpired that the head chef’s father and creator of the Yemei stew, was soon to sit next to us at the bar. The substantial ox cheek was tender and delicious, despite this the freekeh, a wheat-like grain, was even better, with an earthy, nutty and slightly smoky flavour. Move over quinoa – it’s time to get your freekeh on. Next up was the bone marrow, served with shawarma and caramelised onion. A dramatic and very primal finish with the bone marrow cooked and served inside a huge piece of bone. The marrow was melt in the mouth while the beef shawarma and onion packed a deep and rich flavour almost to the point of being overwhelmingly hearty. By this stage we were done, but in the interests of a comprehensive review of the whole menu, we soldiered on, ordering a fantastic fig leaf ice cream to share. The partnership of leading chef and leading designer is definitely a winning combination. Next time I might even bring my parents.
FAR LEFT: Tuna sashimi with beetroot, apple and fennel BELOW: Bone marrow, served with shawarma and caramelised onion LEFT: The Coal Office building & restaurant
Please contact Benji Ashe for further information.
Benji Ashe
Coal Office Restaurant, 2 Bagley Walk, King’s Cross, London N1C 4PQ, 020 3848 6085, coaloffice.com
Space NK has opened its first East London outpost, taking store numbers in Central London to 20. The store is located on Brushfield Street opposite the Grade II listed Old Spitalfields Market.
Vilbrequin to cast a ray of light on the Kings Road
Space NK to give Brushfield Street a makeover
Vilbrequin has taken a new Chelsea flagship to sell its designer swim trunks to the well-heeled residents of Chelsea. The new store sits in the heart of Cadogan’s ownership on the Kings Road and gives the brand ultimate access to its target customer. Swim shorts range from £135 for men but they also sell women’s and children’s swimwear as well as other beach related clothing.
Harman opens first experience store in Europe
Harman International, the automative audio company, has opened its first European Experience Store in Munich. The store is located at Sendlingerstrasse 42 and is designed to serve as a showcase for Harman’s family of brands including JBL, Harman Kardon and AKG, selling audio solutions across all consumer and automotive categories. Harman have three other flagship stores in Shanghai, Tokyo and New York City. With its deep automotive roots, Munich was a natural choice for the first European Experience Store. Savills Germany advised Harman on the deal.
Please contact James Fairley for more information
Please contact Peter Thomas for more information.
Peter Thomas
+44 (0) 20 7734 3443
pthomas@savills.com
my city
TIFFANY WORKS IN THE CENTRAL LONDON RETAIL TEAM FOCUSING ON MAJOR LANDLORD INSTRUCTIONS AND ADVISING INTERNATIONAL RETAILERS ON CENTRAL LONDON ACQUISITIONS.
Home is...
What do you collect?
Building you’d like to be locked in overnight?
Chiswick. It’s leafy and green, nice pubs and decent restaurants. Plus an easy escape out to the countryside on a Friday night on the M4.
It’s always changing. At the moment, hair accessories. I’m a huge fan of Anthropologie Alice bands and if I could afford it, I’d buy everything I could from Lelet NY.
Selfridges, Harrods, Liberty. Any of those would do. I’d try on every single thing I’d ever fantasized about buying, and be sorely upset when the sun rose its head the next day.
What is your favourite all time London shop?
It’s too hard to choose one but I love Koibird on Marylebone Lane. It’s exactly what they say on the website, never boring, ever-changing and full of life. Plus I love holidays and they basically have everything you ever need for a wonderful summer or winter holiday.
Best piece of advice you have ever been given?
If someone makes you happy, make them happier.
Most memorable meal?
Unfortunately it wasn’t in London but on the back of a boat in the Caribbean when a man turned up on a small blue wooden boat with live lobsters and sold us some to cook on the barbeque. Couldn’t have been a more glorious day!
Biggest extravagance?
I probably spend one quarter of my salary on beauty products, hair care and facials. I’m an addict and my boyfriend would attest to that.
Favourite place for a Sunday stroll?
When I lived in Notting Hill I loved going to Hyde Park every day. It’s busy yes, but if you are in London it’s that buzz you want. Families, dogs, couples, old and young, everyone is there and everyone is enjoying the “fresh” air.
If you could buy any building in London, what would it be?
Claridges. I’d live in a different suite every night, have a 24 hour butler service and own one of the greatest hotels that there ever was.
Earliest London memory?
Coming to stay at my grandad’s who lives right next to Hyde Park. I was so excited to hit Oxford Street and go to Tammy Girl, aged 11.
Savlls retail team
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