A quick look at the new Lush store at White City in London

While visiting the extension to Westfield's White City shopping centre in London, I was keen to take a look at the Lush store, which is a subtle evolution of the existing concept. Here's what I found.

The store front is understated, with a double layer of branding and two windows. One window has a small Easter promotion, the second an illuminated brand statement. As is often the case with a bold, brightly coloured store, the best thing to do is open the doors wide, and with the added impact of the scents emanating from within, Lush has no problem drawing attention to passers by.

Walking into the store, the visual impact is typical Lush, warm lighting, a mix of visually arresting displays and also a central focal point; a modestly entitled 'Intoxicatingly Good' display.

Bath is a key category for Lush and it gets a lot of attention at the front of the store. As is the Lush way, different products are presented in a variety of different displays. This approach has always worked well for Lush, with much of their product in similar sizes and shapes, it's easy to lose individual identity in store. Instead, we have a mix of wall and freestanding unitary that merchandises in differing ways to engage shoppers.

Another key focus in this store is Skincare, which has it's own soffit to raise awareness as well as assist navigation. This category includes seating, which hasn't historically been used much in Lush stores, apart from the 3 floor flagship in Oxford Street.

Attention to detail has always been a strong point for this brand, and this gridded wall feature is a great example. Products, brand messages and plants combine for a browser's delight.

Demonstration of products is a key aspect of the Lush offer and here we have several points around the store where staff demonstrate and apply products to shoppers. Staff make a huge difference at Lush and they are very effective at engaging cautious shoppers and demonstrating products in an enthusiastic manner.

There is a quote from Cosmopolitan in the store claiming Lush is 'The Delicatessen of the Beauty World' and the way products are merchandised here illustrates this claim very clearly. I took some people from a leading global food company around the Lush store in Oxford Street recently and they were astonished, claiming they are unable to merchandise food this way, never mind soap. This is one of the key differentiators for this brand, everything looks good enough to eat. The crushed ice is a touch of genius, further enhancing the freshness of ingredients.

Another real success for Lush is the communication around the store. It's a combination of friendly, fun tone of voice and great messaging hierarchy. Calls to action encourage shoppers to dive in, try, ask. The weighting of messaging on product tickets is well thought out; bold statements to attract attention, and a qualifying message that explains and entertains in equal measure. Price tickets get hierarchy right too, with large product name and price, then smaller supporting information for shoppers interested and willing to invest more time to explore and learn about the product.

Lush is a retailer that genuinely lives and breathes an ecologically sustainable existence and business. Rather than employing a superficial marketing pledge, this company is built on a social conscience; sourcing environmentally friendly ingredients, supporting suppliers, ensuring their stores use reclaimed materials and minimise energy consumption. Messages throughout the store emphasis these principles, with recycling points, a charity bay and company principles explained.

To further emphasise the ethos of the company, in November last year, they announced an Employee Benefit Trust, with 10% of the company shares being allocated to staff. As well as a financial reward for the staff, this also gives them a voice when the company makes decisions about shareholders and investors.

I have always admired Lush for having very analogue stores, resisting the urge to fill every wall with screens. I noticed a number of screens in this new store, but thankfully they were subtle and didn't change the overall ambience. Small screens at the till act as animated weighting scale information coupled with brand statements. Further screens appear at the Charity bay and amongst company statements.

I was impressed to see shopping baskets are located throughout the store. Many shoppers will enter a store like this, thinking they won't need a basket. This ends up limiting their impulse purchases to the amount they can hold in their hands. By positioning baskets in numerous locations, engaged customers can place their handful of products into the basket and continue shopping.

Summary

Anyone who reads my articles and posts will know that, along with lots of others, I hold Lush up as an example of how to do retail properly. This evolutionary concept continues the well thought out retail experience, combining strong visual displays, well thought out communication, a strong ethical principle and amazing, friendly staff.

Lush is one of only 4 brands I have encountered that positively encourages photography in their stores. They see the value of people recording their experiences and sharing them with a wider audience. This is common sense to me in the social media age, yet so few retailers allow photography. Ok, I will put my soap box away now (It is a Lush soap box of course).

Anyone who wants to see how to develop a genuine retail experience should visit a Lush store to see how it can be done. Go to Oxford Street in particular, where Scott the Store Manager will happily arrange for someone to show you around. They even book appointments in advance.