There surely cannot be a better example of why online retailing will never replace the physical store than The White Company.
The recent opening of the extension of Westfield London sees the latest incarnation of the home retailer, now lifestyle retailer, inviting the customer to literally dive into the sumptuous textures and fabrics that make-up its assortment.
If this is your brand taste then there is nothing to compare, however for any retailer of physical stores, and online as well, there is much to admire in its strategy, assortment development, customer service and its store experience.
The White Company stores have always been beautiful with visual merchandising prioritised to create beautiful environments where the assortment comes alive for the customer. However, important to its commercial evolution has been the way that the ranges have grown from the original bedroom proposition to cover most rooms of the house, fragrance, kids and crucially ladies loungewear.
As a result The White Company offers everything for the lifestyle of its core customer now allowing them to dress casually from bedroom to living room, cleverly remaining close to its core values of quality and simplicity rather than becoming embroiled in the fickle world of fashion.
The latest stores adds more authority to ranges through powerful and more functional wall displays offering clear segmentation and communication of display logic, whilst losing none of its sensuality.
So, just because the sun is shining outside and the temperature is rising above permafrost levels, if you happen to be passing this particular branch, or indeed any other White Company Store, its always a pleasure and an education to pass through their inviting doors.
Live a little & learn a lot with the White Company.