Harrods maintains a presence on WeChat where they share promotions and videos of events at its London location. Its recent Dolce&Gabbana fashion show, broadcasted on WeChat and Weibo, is a successful example of connecting with Chinese millennial customers. Photo courtesy: Jessica Rapp
Consumers are seeing it from the likes of Shanghai?s new mega-sized Starbucks and Tokyo?s iconic Dover Street Market?it?s called ?destination retailing? and now, London?s luxury shopping mecca, Harrods, is making adaptations to its Knightsbridge store to capitalize on the trend.
The brand recently announced it was undergoing a £200 million, three-year renovation project across its 1 million sq. ft. space, the first of its kind in its 180-year history. In part, the upcoming changes were prompted by an overwhelming need to cater to one of its top clients, affluent Chinese consumers, who surpassed British nationals in terms of spending in the department store Harrods Managing Director Michael Ward said that to cater to these Chinese shoppers and its overall ?discerning modern luxury customer,? the store is responding to customer demands for unique experiences, revamping its floor plan to ?offer unparalleled retail theater opportunities in-store.?
?It will see the redevelopment of entire departments and large-scale improvements to make the store more navigable and customer-centric, with investment across a number of divisions,? Ward said. These include a fine watch room due to be complete ne...