Hello and welcome to Five Things [music] Friday, Friday the 24th of July, UK edition. Now you're probably thinking, what's top of mind this week for Simone and I? We've got M&S and their new store opening, but with a strict new format. We've got an iconic Primark uh continuing. They had a news release on something that they're doing that's really interesting. Then we're looking at a new pop-up in Notting Hill, which is super lovely cuz I love the the flavor. Then we're looking at some more store openings. I just say Simone's, a pop-up closing summer with another two actually two beauty brands to to finish with, Sephora and Lancôme. We'll start with me if that's okay, Simone. Absolutely. Fantastic. So, let's go straight in. M&S almost, I think they're almost a supermarket. I know they're a grocer, they sell food, they have food shed, but this they've launched their own biggest ever stand-alone food store, which is in the Wharf Retail Park, and it's 22,000 square foot. So, it's not a small thing.
It's a really interesting play. Obviously, the pricing has always been a little bit more than what you would class as a weekly shop, but for some people it is their weekly shop, and it's continued to gather investment and growth, which is interesting to see how that goes because on the one hand, people are spending more on food, which is then driving fashion retailers such as Primark to have to and what they've done is they've lowered prices across hundreds of favorites. Now this sounds like an like a a grocer advert, right? In terms of when they're combating each other and they say, "We've reduced prices." Well, Primark have gone they've done that. And the interesting thing is I think we spoke about this, I don't know, a month or so ago, Lefties, which is Inditex's or Zara's cheaper brand, but still really upscale in terms of store format design, they're entering the UK. Their store is opening up in Liverpool imminently and I think Primark is under pressure from all elements to keep delivering that value for their customers and they're doing that by lowering their prices across all of their iconic ranges with six in 10 products having their price lowered. So that's going to be an expensive attempt to keep the customers keep coming to them.
And certainly I'm I'm assuming it's well just on that. Just I bet a big proportion of the old Primark customer is now a Shein customer. You know, I all of these really large fast fashion brands, you know, particularly Shein which just you can't beat their value. I I assume that the old Primark customer there's a big percentage of them that have gone to Shein which is it's a struggle for them. Simone, over to you. What's top of mind for you this week? Yeah, going completely opposite to the value conscious is on the opposite side of the spectrum where we've got the very luxury Loewe. Love it. Um they have opened up an ice cream bar in Notting Hill which I love. I love the color as well. Um and as you can see it's green. They are launching to celebrate their new pistachio candle. Very essential Loewe.
ice cream. [laughter] So instead of just telling people what it smells like, they're letting people taste the flavor too. Such a clever way to bring a product to life. I I really love it and I think, you know, looking at this obviously it's great but I think the biggest story here is is, you know, we know that luxury brands have really struggled. And they we've spoke about it before, you know, they they are finding new ways for for people to really experience the brand without buying a handbag or a candle. You know, an ice cream or a coffee or a candle is a much more accessible entry point but you still leave that emotional connection to the brand as well. And Yeah, so I loved it. Very cool. Yeah, and and I've got to say this is a Pause Online. They look super cool. A lifestyle magazine. So, if you want go to their Instagram, they're called Pause Online. I'll put the link in the show notes. Staying with you and pop-ups.
Yes, so sticking with London. Actually, it's not a pop-up. It's a permanent store. Yes, pop-ups and permanent store. Um but, Sephora is um celebrating its new Is it Carnaby Street? Yeah, it's I think it's Carnaby Street and Spitalfields. Carnaby Street and Spitalfields store with beauty experiences, treats, and surprises. So, just wanted to give a shout-out to them. If anybody wants to go and visit, and if we just move on to the next one cuz it ties in with our lovely beauty pop-ups. And also, we've got Lancôme who have brought back their longevity clinic in Covent Garden where you can get a free skin analysis that is normally priced at £40 along with samples and gifts. And but what I was saying is I I think what I I noticed about both of them is they're less on the kind of the the free samples. And a lot of beauty brands are moving away from this. And instead, they are trying to give away more of an experience such as a skin consultation, something that Right.
Yeah, it's going to make the customer feel um yeah, so it's just a it's a much smarter way to to break to build loyalty. I know myself, I've been to events, free samples, you put them in the bottom of your bag, and you forget about them. Whereas actually, having one-on-one with a with a consultant that is going to say, "Okay, for your skin, this is what I would advise." Whatever they say. Don't know the lingo. Yeah. Um it's just it's much more powerful. Yeah, it's super interesting. Um so, I did the show the international show. We put it out today with Jill from NRF. And we were talking about how in Japan Oh god, I wish I could remember the beauty brand. Anyway, it's one of the big beauty brands and they have like a a sister brand that's opened the store and they have an augmented face scanning service that sort of takes your pigmentation and that focuses specifically on color matching.
Now, that in itself is not new, right? Because I think Sephora There's always There's always been these looking mirrors where they where you look and it tells you the tones. I I even did it in Sephora in in Times Square what my shades are. But what's super interesting is that, you know, we are very much all still human in the UK area in London. Whereas the new story there in Japan was it's augmented, it's digital, it creates your profile, it then goes to a your profile somewhere online and then you can keep going back to it again and again and again. Which I just thought in the world of beauty, it's Yeah. I don't know if it's it's too anecdotal in terms of it's only two use cases, but I think is beauty cuz my my comment there was I I I don't know I was talking about this in the project. I I did a small project with Boots where I worked on the number seven counter for a little bit.
Oh, nice. What what what I really learned was how people's skin sensitivities and you know, it's such a sort of personal element Mhm. for for for a lot of people. It's not a minority thing, for lots of people. And how they've built their whole sort of let me get to know you, then I can make a bunch of recommendations for your skin type. And just like GLP-1s and health care, it's like skin care. Do I mean, does Do you feel any beauty brands know you that you will go back to them time and time again cuz they know your skin and you know, you're fully bought into that ecosystem? Not necessarily, I go to get facials quite a lot and whilst it's not necessarily beauty brand as such, I love it as it feels so tailored to me and personalized and I love it.
and yeah. But do they give you products? so kind to myself. Um they they recommend what products I should I should be using. Um I've also said they'll they'll go through like they'll ask me, "What's your current beauty regime?" They're like, "You should be using this." And then they'll recommend something for me to get, which usually they have in the clinic. And I'll be like, "Hmm, I'm going to go somewhere else." So I just do my research. But but yeah, I love it. It's um it's nice when you come back and they really remember you from the the previous appointment. They're like, "Oh, last time your skin was like this. It's good to see that now it's this." It's um it's powerful. Yeah, I I I just think we're we're in this moment where you know, Boots even in the UK there are so there's so much focus on beauty, such a growth category. But has it really matured enough to to have that connection with the customer?
And I just thought that does a phenomenal job of interaction, right? And experience. I will say that I don't I am yet to feel like that personal connection with a beauty brand specifically. And that might be because I shop along such a variety of beauty brands, but I'm I'm yet to have that. Yeah. I got you. Well, okay, listen, 13 minutes. Um time's up. It's been fabulous. And until next week, Simone. Look forward to speaking to you then. Wonderful. See you next week.
