White Company opens supersized store, underlines appeal of Bluewater

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 18, 2017

The White Company has opened an upsized store at Bluewater having almost doubled its presence in the major mall to create a 5,881 sq ft statement location in Bluewater’s lower Guildhall section.  

The opening is the latest in a number of flagships opened or announced at the Kent mall, which is one of the UK’s major shopping destinations.

The new position for The White Company store is a strong one, adjacent to Hobbs, Russell & Bromley and the recently opened Michael Kors. It is also between the two anchor department stores John Lewis and House of Fraser that are located at either end of the Guildhall walkway.

The store has been designed by an in-house team to evolve The White Company’s classic look, with the emphasis on creating a calm and inviting retail experience.

The extra space allows it to offer its full range of lifestyle products from women’s fashion and accessories, to homewares, beauty and The Little White Company’s childrenswear.

The company announced back in February that it would be supersizing its Bluewater presence and this week its director of property, Sarah King, said Bluewater has “been a longstanding top-performing location” for the brand.

Land Securities portfolio director Russell Loveland said the larger store highlights the success of the location for the brand.

That’s a message mall owners are keen to stress at present. The allure of their specific properties is key in attracting the right tenants in a retail environment characterised by weak footfall to malls.

But what’s also important is getting those tenants to make major commitments beyond just opening a store, with the White Company’s supersized approach clearly achieving this.

Bluewater appears to be particularly successful on this front. Gap also recently upsized its Bluewater presence with a new store that also includes its Denim Addict customisation bar, a major addition that offers a differentiated experience from buying online.

And Missguided has also taken a large space for only its second standalone store, which is due to open this summer.