Online retailer Joe Browns has chosen Sheffield shopping destination Meadowhall as the location of its first physical store.
The 4,000 sq ft store will open this autumn and has been designed by Dalziel & Pow; its opening will co-incide with the launch of the brand’s AW17 men’s, women’s and accessories collections.
Joe Browns founder and managing director Simon Brown said he was thrilled to be moving into physical retail with the Meadowhall store. “We are […] offering our existing loyal customers a new way to shop with us and allowing us to meet a brand new audience. This is a really exciting step for the company that will transform us into a true multi-channel retailer and we can’t wait to start that journey at Meadowhall,” he said.
David Dalziel, creative director of design agency Dalziel & Pow, said: “Designing a store for a popular online brand is a huge responsibility, we need to reflect their core strengths in a way that is truly individual and appealing to the new audience it is about to meet. Joe Browns is full of personality, so it’s clear we have lots of inspiring content to build on.” The design firm was also behind the first stores for online fast fashion brand Missguided which were recently opened in Westfield Stratford and Bluewater.
Co-owner of Meadowhall British Land‘s True Value of Stores research shows that physical stores improve brand awareness, trust and customer service for online brands and also drive online sales. Richard Crowther, asset manager for British Land, said of the Joe Browns’ move: “Such a unique brand choosing Meadowhall for its global debut demonstrates Meadowhall’s firm position as a leading UK retail and leisure destination. We think it’s a strong endorsement of our work to create environments that reflect the way people shop and demonstrates the importance of an omnichannel offering for today’s retailers.”
A string of premium brands have recently committed to Meadowhall including Flannels, Neal’s Yard, Tag Heuer and Nespresso, while House of Fraser, All Saints, Hollister and Hugo Boss are also redesigning their stores.
