Living at the other end of the Earth is no fun if you love to keep an eye-spy on what's happening in retail in Europe and the USA. Eighteen months ago I decided to ignore the tyranny of distance and make sure I spent more time OS looking at merchandising and emerging trends. I have just returned from my 3rd trip to London in just over 12 months. It's a fabulous city with brilliant retail benchmarks for fashion, food and lots of things in between.
The windows at White Stuff have caught my eye on every visit ... ranging from squirrel heads on mannequins to celebrate autumn, to 'village fete' tea type sets ... each time I have loved their kooky approach. Last week I spotted their super hero cartoon character windows ... too much fun. White Stuff started out as a ski apparel brand ... over the past 25 years they have gone mainstream whilst retaining an indie feel through store design and careful location selection, and from what I can gather continue to post fab sales growth figures. They were onto retro wall papers and props seemingly before everyone else in retail land and their casual, easy to wear, clothing is presented as colour stories. Their VM makes me smile, if not laugh out loud. The 25 year Silver Jubilee theme was a right royal corker ... or should I say a corg-er! Coronation chicken sandwich anyone?
Smokey BBQ pork belly served with an 'orchard' salad sounded good to me ... when I quizzed my waiter if I should pick this dish, or if there was another the restaurant was well known for, his reply was "you know the pork belly reminds me of Sundays". My immediate thought, on what was a rather grey and quite nippy London day, was ... ooh that sounds comfy, familiar, family and friendly ... and SOLD! The delightful Richie Davis was my boy wonder waiter at Barbecoa (blurry pic on the right), Jamie Oliver's new restaurant tucked in behind St Paul's Cathedral in The City. Whilst I tried my darndest to snap a pic of the super friendly and knowledgeable Davis he was too fast on his feet to get a clear papparazzi shot (in other words, I failed dismally).
I've long been a fan of Carluccio's food store & cafe and was so pleased to secure an interview on my last trip. Emma Woodford looks after the brand, product development, buying, retail campaigns and shop displays (ooh what a fabulous job - and not one she was offering to give up either - despite my pleading!). Whilst it has been a couple of months since we chatted (and I don't have my notes on hand whilst taking a family break here in "raining raining raining, could it rain any more?" Brisbane) I concluded that everything I had assumed about the brand was indeed true.
Harvey Nic's food hall in it's current guise has been around for approx. 10+ years. It was fab when it first opened, and it still is. Whilst the historical, and much larger, Harrod's Food Hall just across Sloane Street is the more famous of the two and a 'must visit' particularly if you haven't 'been and seen', I love taking the express elevator to the 5th floor of Harvey Nic's for a foodie snoop then wind my way down through each floor for the latest fashion and shoe finds. The delightful Rebecca Radmore in PR could not have been more accommodating to my request for a visit and chat. Like all high-end, modern multi-channel brands, exclusive lines and first to market are the ways to a customer's heart in these competitive times. I particularly liked the 'Buyer Recommends' shelf moments that showcased new food finds and 'lifestyle' product combinations. A small outdoor terrace is used for brand experience events with valued suppliers and clients and a colourful pop up patisserie championing an up and comer on the London bakery scene was a new innovation whilst I was in town. Always good for a contemporary foodie gift to take home, the signature sepia/grey tones of the Harvey Nic's food packaging is quirky and fun, and has been from day one.
My introduction to Jillian McLean's award winning venues was via the web site for The Anthologist. Words like 'culinary theatre', 'book the chefs table' and 'the perfect antidote to the city' combined with some great looking food and interiors caught my interest and it was put on my 'must visit when in London' list. I wasn't disappointed. Firstly, I love the thinking behind Jillian's company name, Morgan and Drake. Sir Francis Drake was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and Captain Morgan, was a Welsh buccaneer. A pioneer of the hospitality industry, Jillian is an adventurer who set off on her own voyage in 2008 to build a group of independent, innovative bars in central London with a strong customer experience focus. Her first venue, The Refinery, opened in September 2008 in the landmark Blue Fin Building, Southwark. The Parlour in Canary Wharf followed in 2009 and The Anthologist on Gresham Street has delighted City suits since opening the doors back in April this year.
One of the fun things about blogging is that you make new friends and have email chats with people from all around the world. Whilst I have never met Ramzi Haddad from PSLAB in Beirut, I woke up this morning to find these wonderful pics of their latest project waiting in my inbox. It made my day (and it was only 6.30am!). PSLAB is a multi-disciplinarian team of over 80 architects, designers, engineers, technicians and artisans who dream, design and build site-specific lighting that is an integral part of an interior or overall design. The Barbican Centre is home to the London Symphony Orchestra and has been given a complete overhaul by SHH Architects. Stripped back to its original wall textures, ceiling and fittings, it is now an honest palette of concrete, steel, brick and glass. I particularly love PSLAB's use of the olive jars with energy saving light bulbs as a reference to the food. Oooh I can hear the sounds of 1979 in my head, I think it was The Clash who sang London Calling.
Authenticity, artisan, having a moral compass, actually giving a rats about your suppliers, a credible brand story ... the rest is just landfill really. Menswear label Albam is based on the philosophy of continuing to manufacture their products in Great Britain, and if this isn’t possible then they look as close to home as possible. Their goal is to enable British factories to grow and develop along side them. The web site says "There is no hidden agenda with this, but there is something that is great about making products in an area when people think you are slightly crazy 'because no one does it anymore'. In some respects there is an old mindset within Albam combined with a forward outlook". 
I love illustration / hand drawn style. I also love a snoop around British supermarkets as they do some of the best packaging in the world. I love the new look for M&S snack range.
