Innovative Retailer

Name: Thrift Books The Place: Headquartered in the States but selling internationally. The Story: Selling books for a penny. How does anyone make money doing that for goodness sake? Listen and learn, people. I’m listening: As the New York Times once memorably said: “Penny booksellers are exactly the sort of weedy company that springs up…

    Name: The Co-operative Group. Well the food retail part of it anyway. The Place: Oh, all over. 2.5k+ units across the whole of the UK. The Story: Well, I don’t think we need to rehash the entire history of the co-operative movement and its iconic blue clover leaf logo here… Phew. But, in…

  Name: Hoxton Street Monster Supplies The Place: As the name suggests, Hoxton Street in good old Shoreditch, London The Story: 200 years ago Igor left Transylvania for London only to discover that there was a woeful lack of provisions for monsters including such staples as compacted earwax and organ marmalade. Wait, our Innovative Retailer…

Name: As of very recently Freshippo, having renamed itself from the former Hema. Either way, it’s owned by Alibaba. The Place: China. It’s totally a Chinese thing right now and there are around 100 of them in 16 big Chinese cities as we speak. But they do things on an epic scale over there so…

Name: Bite Beauty generally and its Lip Labs specifically. The Place: Not here sadly. The ladies out there will have to wait to visit a Lip Lab. Or fly to the States/Canada if customised lipstick becomes necessary to continue living. The Story: Some retail sectors we just keep coming back to in this series on…

Name: Farmhouse Market The Place: Literally one store in the middle of nowhere – well, New Prague, Minnesota – population 7,600 souls. But trust me, this or something very like it, is what the future of the High Street could look like. The Story: Imagine two people. Married. No background in retail at all and…

Name: Iceland The Place: 900 stores across the UK and 23,000 employees. Can I just clarify so our readers don’t get worried – obviously this Iceland will be some kind of terribly modern and ironic ice cream brand or something: No But what I mean is: clearly we’re not talking about the old High Street…

Name: Wheelys The Place: Any street corner, anywhere on the globe! Now that’s what I call a marketplace. That’s what I call “not possible”: Nonsense. You can go anywhere on a bike. And Wheelys combines all those hot retail trends right now. Like: Like sustainability, eco-friendliness, organic produce, franchising, elements of the gig economy even,…

Name: Paul A Young Fine Chocolates The Place: There are a grand total of three shops all in the smoke: one in the City, the original in Camden Passage and another in Soho, all catering to the chocolate cognoscenti. But I expect you can buy them in supermarkets too, right? Get out, go on! Wash…

Name: BUILT The Place: Oh it’s terribly new. Only a baby in fact. Just one store in the Birmingham area. Plus it only opened in September 2017 so we are all over it really quickly. The Story: Builders – a breed unto themselves aren’t they? They certainly are: We’ve all heard the stereotypical stories of…

Name: BirchBox The Place: Head quartered in New York because, um, that’s where the early adopting cool people live but it’s mainly an online outfit which operates in numerous countries and is now definitely in the UK too. The Story: Every now and again this column likes to give a shout out to a company…

Name: Clutter The Place: At the moment US only but expect global domination any time soon, which may include Blighty…So watch this space. The Story: Stuff. It’s a thing isn’t it? It certainly is: Got too much of it? Nope: So you are in the minority then, my friend. Well, I’m used to being special…

Name: Elvis & Kresse The Place: The manufacturing workshop is in a picturesque water mill in deepest Kent – Tonge to be exact. And there are no shops. The Story: This is a story of a company that wants to redefine luxury in the most surprising way. Kresse Wesling is co-founder of Elvis & Kresse…

Name: SweetGreen The Place: America basically. Currently standing at 72 units spread all over the country with another handful opening soon. The Story: Back in 2007 three business undergraduates at Georgetown University Business School tried to find some good food off-campus and failed abysmally. The good, healthy, nutritious salad options full of locally produced stuff…

Name: Sephora The Place: Well, it’s part of LMVH which is French but most people think of America when they think of Sephora on account of it being the number one beauty retailer over there. Although actually it operates in more than 30 countries. But nothing in the UK? Sore point. Once a year or…

Name: Reformation The Place: America (again). I promise the next one will be in the UK but we like Reformation so we’re doing it anyway. It’s headquartered in Los Angeles – where else? But also has eight other stores including a couple of pop-ups scattered about in New York, San Francisco, Miami and the like.…

  Name: Stew Leonard’s The Place: Not here, basically. America in fact, where there are currently five outlets with another one scheduled for New York sometime in 2017. It’s a ‘retailtainment’ phenomena. The Story: Way back in the 1920’s Charles Leonard opened Clover Farms Dairy in the state of Connecticut. Howdy pardner: Oh no, you’re…

Name: Depop The Place: On your smart phone via the Depop app, which has over six million registered users. Sorry, how many? 6 million. I know. And it’s no slouch on Twitter either with 166,000 followers and a Facebook community with over 36,500 likes. But the app is where it’s really at. The Story: Currently…

Name: Rapha Racing The Place: 13 units globally right now, but they’re nothing if not ambitious at Rapha and want to get up to 20 by the end of the year and then keep that growth level up each year. Crikey. The Story: This is really a tale of a biking gear brand not primarily…

Name: The Unlimited Company. The Place: 14 stores currently spread around the UK fairly evenly and an increasing online presence too. The Story: You have to have your wits about you when you shop here. How so? If you visit a store in Norwich you are looking for the sign that says ‘Simply Health Independent…

Name: Long Tall Sally The Place: Well, as you’re asking so nicely there are 10 stores in the UK, five in Germany, four in the US, and seven in Canada. As well as a big online presence of course. The Story: Back in the mists of time, well 1976 actually, an American called Judy Rich,…

Name: The Library of Things The Place: So far one outlet based in Norwood – which is sarf London to you. And all neatly enclosed in one shipping container.   The Story: You know those weekends when you wake up and say to yourself: “This weekend I am going to learn how to play the ukulele?”…

The Name: Enclothed The Place: The office is in Islington while the warehouse is in deepest Berkshire, well Slough actually. The Story: This is a tale of men, pants and a reinvention of the way males shop through the subscription model. Crikey. You’d better start: Three years ago two young women decided that it was…

The Name: Metro Bank. The Place: The first one opened in Holborn, London, in 2010 and there are now 42 branches in the UK with the pretty hefty aim of opening one a month for the next five years, which makes a grand total of… a jolly big number. The Story: Shiny, shiny, shiny. Metro…

The first Retail Insider Innovative Retailer Top 25 report has launched with the objective of shining a light on the most innovative retail businesses that are proving great inspirations to the rest of the industry. Sponsored by PCMS Group it highlights retailers from across the board – from the youngest of operators right the way…

The Name: Starbucks The Place: Well, obviously the whole universe is bloomin’ full of them, around 24,000 stores spread all over the world. The Story: Let’s pretend I am a hipster. This might take some time: What do I think when I see yet another Starbucks in front of me? Hang on, I’m still envisioning:…

The Name: Sue Ryder The Place: 455 charity shops all over the country The Story: If I say to you “charity shop” what’s the first word that comes into your head? Musty: Right, how about “donations”? Waterfalls. What? Those weird pictures of waterfalls they always have. Or highland cows: Okay. Now how about “Sue Ryder”?…

The Name: Kochhaus The Place: Various affluent and cosmopolitan cities in Germany, but it all started in Berlin which now has three branches The Story: Have you ever come across a concept so simple that you thought ‘That’s not an innovation, there must be loads of people doing that already’? I certainly have: Well, you…

  The Name: Unmade The Place: Although the lovely Somerset House in London WC2 is where the office is based this is mainly an online retailer at present. And it has had a pop-up store in Selfridges for a brief stint. The fact is to be honest they’d rather not be a retailer at all,…

The Name: Zara The Place: All over the world pretty much, with more than 2,000 shops in just about any place where young women own bank cards. Actually there is a menswear line too so the other half of the population is also catered for. The Story:  Founded in 1975 by one fashion-loving Spaniard Amancio…

The Name: Tossed The Place: Around 26 units currently, including several in Dubai, and more than a handful located in Welcome Break stations around the UK.   The Story: So, shall we begin our tour of a very successful salad provider with more than a decade’s experience in the very competitive business of healthy eating.…

The Name: Bloom & Wild The Place: In your letterbox right now! Actually it’s an online business started in the Autumn of 2013 but letterboxes are going to figure highly, trust me. The Story: We’ve just had Valentine’s Day when Bloom & Wild were probably dealing with a lot of stressed and difficult people with…

The Name: Eataly The Place: Well if you live in Italy or Japan you virtually can’t move for Eataly stores and there are around 30 globally – dotted about, one in Sao Paolo, one in Munich, one in Moscow. But none in the UK until a joint partnership opens in Selfridges later this year. Oh,…

The Name: Great British Exchange The Place: Mainly online but also one showroom in Harrogate. The Story: Patriots arise! Your country needs you. I’m ready: I have a stuffed bulldog. Mmmm, not really the style I wanted. I’ve got Union Jack underwear. Too much information. I’m singing Rule Britannia. Again, it’s one way to show…

The Name: Graze The Place: Through your letterbox – so anywhere in the UK and now launched in the US too. The Story: Snacks are very big business, agreed? I should coco. You can’t move for family bags of salted nuts in my house: OK, what about super kale and edamame bean snacks? Well, slightly…

The Name: Startisans The Place: London only, in fact only one site to date – Shelton Street in Covent Garden although goodness knows they are searching hard for sites. Oh and there was a pop-up too for a bit. But as you will see there is a network through which successful startisans can progress. The…

The Name: Spar The Place: 2.4k stores around the UK, so very prevalent basically. And if you are talking global reach then 12k shops around the world. The Story: Spar, I hear you cry. What, that corner shop mainstay with its Kingsmill bread rolls and Heinz baked beans. What on earth is innovative about that?…

  The Name: T2. The Place: It’s Australia-based (with 60 stores in the country) but well and truly over here now. Six outlets in the capital from old money Chelsea to new money Shoreditch and opening fresh outlets like topsy. It’s all so exhausting I need to put the kettle on for a nice cup…

The Name: Pirch The Place: It’s an American concern with eight showrooms dotted around the big cities. The Story: Who hasn’t seen that really funny joke on social media which goes along the lines of: “Just been to the toilet in B&Q…Mind you not sure the staff liked it – seems they’re not plumbed in.”…

The Name: Argos The Place: Oh everywhere. Almost everyone lives within ten miles of an Argos store apparently. The Story: Innovation, you say. Argos, you say. It can’t be done, you say. Actually I haven’t… Well, this column is about to prove to you once and for all that a big company with a catalogue…

The Name: Mast Brothers The Place: New York City, London and soon to be Los Angeles. And expanding. The Story: Let me ask you a question. What’s the definition of a difficult sell? Well, let’s see, there’s snow and Eskimos: Harder. Coals and Newcastle. Harder. Give up: Trying to get people to part with £8…

The Name: Cannibal NYC The Place: New York City The Story: This is the tale of how you can buy a unit with one purpose in mind only to find it hijacked by the customer who has quite different ideas about what they want you to do with it. Cannibal is a B&B with a…

  The Name: Audi The Place: Very selected showrooms: Piccadilly in London and also Beijing and Berlin. The Story: So the thing with selling cars is this – they’re big and you can’t get many into a small showroom and the rents on a large city showroom would be astronomical. And then, oh dear, you…

The Name: Community Shop backed by parent company Company Shop. The Place: Two locations currently, Barnsley up north and Gypsy Hill in South London. But you have to be a deprived area to get one so be careful what you wish for. The Story: Actually I’m sure it would be very nice to have a…

The Name: Gekås Ullared The Place: Tiny village of Ullared near Falkenberg on the west coast of Sweden The Story: We’ll start with a quiz. What in your estimation might be the top tourist attraction in Sweden in terms of visitor numbers? Ah, The Abba Experience centre: Nope. Wait. The Absolut Vodka distillery tour: Not…

The Name: Rent The Runway The Place: Headquartered in New York and currently only operating in the United States with a small army of campus reps drumming up business in their core graduate student market. Grab ‘em young. The Story: Two young female business graduates and a lot of taffeta. There are all kinds of…

The Name: AO.com The Place: Headquartered in Bolton and what headquarters they are… but more of that later. The Story: In 1999 John Roberts thought he would shake up the selling of white goods good and proper. So he did. And everyone was happy. The end. It’s a bit short this week isn’t it. Can…

The Name: BrewDog The Place: Headquartered in Scotland (Ellon is the main bit with the original site in Fraserburgh used as the test bed for beers) but bars and shops are scattered all over the globe. The Story: Here at Retail Insider we like a company who shakes things up… Yeah, shakes things up: A…

The Name: Hointer The Place: Not here. America. Seattle mainly. The Story: This is a tale of a woman who opens shops to sell things, anything, because she is interested in how she can sell stuff more efficiently rather than in what she sells. But beware you need a smart-phone or you are sunk. Curious:…

The Name: Muddy Boots The Place: That throbbing metropolitan centre – Crouch End, N8 And? That’s it. Just N8. Don’t worry, it’s going to get bigger. We’re just telling you about it early so you can look smug later when there are lots of them. I didn’t know there was so much demand for wellies…

The Name: Country Food & Dining The Place: Mainly in the south east, there are currently eight outlets in places like Chichester, Winchester, Basingstoke, and Reading with the flagship branch near Hungerford. The story: Bow your heads. There is a man so hallowed in brewing circles that a mere mention of his name will bring…

The Name: Dressipi The Place: Well, as so often in innovative retail it is an online set up, but there are reports of around 14 people working in an office in Great Portland Street, London. The story: It’s women, it’s fashion, and it’s technology. But not necessarily in that order. In fact I would put…

The Name: Curzon Cinemas The Place: Most people think of it as a London-based chain which is not unreasonable with six venues in the capital (including the very-soon-to-open Victoria, SW1 unit) but actually it would really like to show films and sell beer to the rest of the population too so after Stafford, Knutsford and…

The Name: Appear Here The Place: Omnipresent in that it lets out retail space all over the country but if you want to be pedantic about it, headquartered in Hoxton, East London and run by a small team of around 10 staff. The story: The founder of Appear Here is so young, it’s not even…

The Name: ASOS The Place: No shops, of course, but head office is in scruffily trendy Camden Town and fulfilment is up in Barnsley which is probably just scruffy. The story: Who would found a fashion company aimed predominantly at 18-34 year old women? – Two (almost getting on for) middle-aged men of course. It’s…

The Name: Ocado The Place: Well, mainly in two places with lots of other little bits sort of attached if you see what I mean. Not really: The two full-on warehouses with all the whizzbang technology are in Hertfordshire and Warwickshire but then there are 11 ‘spoke’ sites around the country. Head office is also…

The Name: Aldi The Place: 500th store in the UK has just opened in posh old Bury St Edmunds of all places. The Aldi group also operates all over Europe and in the US and Australia. The Story: Well, this one is really a tale of two cities or rather two brothers in one city…

The Name: Tiger The Place: 250+ stores across 19 countries, 24 of which are in the UK. And before you ask there is no online trading and I will thank you to remember that The Story: Tiger, Tiger burning (very) bright – what a success story this Danish chain begun in Copenhagen actually is. Whatever…

The Name: Zulily The Place: It’s online, don’t you know. But operating mainly in the US, where it has 10 million members, and the UK. The Story: As if your children didn’t already have every luxury money could buy, they can now also have designer wear/toys/nursery furniture at a fraction of the price. Launched in…

The Name: Walthamstow Village Stores The Place: London, E17 – where else? The Story: Long before Walthamstow had a ‘village’ James Brundle and his brother Chris (now the chef in the business) used to walk past an unloved and rundown off licence on the Orford Road. Ah, a common tale of neglect and urban retail…

The Name: The shop at the London Transport Museum The Place: The throbbing heart of the Metropolis – otherwise known as the old flower market at Covent Garden, WC2. The Story: The shop attached to the London Transport Museum is a mecca for… Wait! A museum shop – this is a joke right? Let me…

Brought to you by Retail Insider and PCMS The Name: PetShop.co.uk The Place: An online business headquartered in Stratford-upon-Avon with one click and collect showroom. The Story: Right, give me two of the hottest retail topics around and blend them into one, what have you got? Umm. OK, give me the business model du jour and the retail…