by John Herbert
The recent intensification of High Street competition has done much to concentrate the retail mind into generally raising standards. The consumer is no longer so accepting of the standardised, multiple-dominated High Street, or the poorly planned, dull environment provided by the early shopping developments. It is now broadly recognised that while financial success is still dependent on getting the product, quality and price balance right, there are other important elements in the retail equation.
The concepts of leisure and entertainment are playing an increasing role in developing environments that are stimulating and responsive to the needs of the market. It is all about encouraging people to stay longer, spend more and return sooner, and the designer’s task is to combine the various elements to create a retail package.
The retailer is learning to focus on the needs of the shopping public, and is consequently much more demanding of the designer in terms of producing a more sophisticated and quality response to a brief.
Just such a creative policy was followed by Sears Holdings in the development of the Sears Fashion Concept Store at the Metro Centre in Gateshead. It is a significant innovation for the group, who for the first time are trading to the customer under their corporate name, and placing a number of their well-known High Street multiples under one roof, together with a hairdresser and a restaurant to offer “Sears shopping” to the customer across all fashion needs.
The design brief to the John Herbert Partnership emphasised the distinction between Sears’ concept of a multiple fashion store and the traditional department store. The challenge was to create a trading environment that would be both dynamic and classical, with a clarity of style to mark it out, and allow the corporate presence of Sears to endorse each strongly branded retail formula. The concept is intentionally aspirational and uses environment and facilities to promote the “Sears shopping” experience and reflect the “lifestyle” image.
The Sears Circle restaurant represents the core of the concept. To achieve its grandeur, major structural modifications were carried out with the introduction of a spaceframe roof, mezzanine levels and a “floating” concrete podium.
A major feature is the double-height glass-fronted entrance facade, which acts as a linking device between the floors. It is used as a theatrical device to convey the whole concept rather than promote the interests of individual units.
Traditionally, the commitment to investing in a quality retail environment would have been more in evidence in Germany or America than in Britain. However, the various creative and planning elements developed at Sears have aroused much interest and the considerable enthusiasm shown for the quality of the environment, indicates perhaps a growing recognition in this country that such issues really do matter.
