As part of its expanding Multi-Channel business, House of Fraser the UK and Ireland’s premium department store group has is partnering with Caffè Nero. The partnership will see the opening of a new Multi-Channel shopping concept in Cambridge (opening 16 October 2014) in an existing Caffè Nero on Fitzroy Street. The innovative concept is the first of its kind, combining online shopping and the UK’s growing café culture.
Multi-Channel offering – with a coffee
In line with the department store’s plans to grow its Multi-Channel offering, the new concept will allow House of Fraser to create an ‘online shopping service’ and ‘Buy & Collect’ point in a location without a physical brand presence. Creating a high-tech community hub with state of the art technology, whilst offering a premium service proposition, the new concept has evolved from House of Fraser’s original online store, which opened in Aberdeen three years ago.
The ground floor will have the look and feel of a Caffè Nero with the addition of House of Fraser tablet devices on tables and touch screens at key points, enabling customers to shop online whilst relaxing with a coffee.
The first floor will have a House of Fraser branded ‘front of house’ which will have the look and feel of a ‘Buy & Collect’ department, with till points for customer collections, product showcase, Order in Store terminals and a fitting room.
Most innovative digital House of Fraser store
Following the successful launch of the new beacon mannequins in Aberdeen, House of Fraser will install the interactive mannequins at the Cambridge Fitzroy Street location, making this the most innovative digital House of Fraser store yet.
The first floor will be staffed by House of Fraser offering personal customer service which is a key feature of the overall concept.
House of Fraser and Caffè Nero are both set to benefit from new customer acquisitions and an uplift in sales within the region.
Increasing physical footprint for House of Fraser
Andy Harding, Executive Director of Multi-Channel at House of Fraser comments: “Over the last couple of years we have committed to investing in our Multi-Channel offering and evolving our proposition, so this is an extremely exciting new concept for both House of Fraser and Caffè Nero.
“We have a high density of online shoppers within Cambridge postcodes, so having a physical brand presence was an obvious move. As part of our expansion plans we are keen to increase our physical footprint, especially in towns and cities where a store isn’t present. With a growing café culture and more customers shopping ‘on the go’ with mobile devices, we believe we’re providing our customers with an innovative solution which meets the needs of today’s busy consumer.
“This new concept will not only act as a hub for our online shoppers wishing to collect their orders but will also become a destination for new and existing customers who want to shop their favourite brands which may not be available in the area. Many customers will also enjoy the added benefit of having a personal shopper on hand for advice.”
Added value and convenience for customers
Simon Thomas, Head of Business Development at Caffè Nero, adds:
“Our customers have always come to Caffè Nero to enjoy their coffee in a relaxed and friendly environment, and are increasingly passing their time whilst with us using our wifi or on their mobiles. The opportunity to provide added value and convenience by enabling them to shop online, and collect their items in store appeals and the evolution of our existing partnership with House of Fraser is an exciting one.”
About House of Fraser
House of Fraser is the leading, national premium department store group in the UK and Ireland trading principally under the iconic House of Fraser brand name through a portfolio of 59 well-invested stores, as well as through its rapidly growing web-store, www.houseoffraser.co.uk and one Houseoffraser.com concept store.
The House of Fraser brand is differentiated from other department store groups in the UK by its 165 year history in the UK retail market, its wide geographic reach (across the UK and on-line), its broad range of high quality premium branded merchandise offered at competitive prices, its increasing exclusive House Brand offering and its commitment to providing an imaginative, exciting and relevant shopping experience to our customers.
About Caffè Nero
Ever since we opened our first café in 1997, Caffè Nero has been dedicated to two things: creating the very finest handcrafted Italian coffee and providing a warm and relaxing atmosphere in which to enjoy it.
Caffè Nero Group Ltd is the largest independent European coffee house group with over 600 stores in the UK, Poland, Cyprus, Turkey, the UAE, Republic of Ireland and most recently the U.S.
Caffè Nero is still a family-owned business and continues to be one of Europe’s most successful and consistent retailers with 62 quarters of positive like for like sales growth since its inception 17 years ago.
Amongst its accolades, Caffè Nero was recently voted the best tasting coffee on the high street by Independent Consumer Magazine Which?, and has been ranked ‘best UK coffee house brand’ and ‘best coffee quality’ by Allegra Strategies for more than a decade.
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