Jo Malone's St David's upgrade reflects experiences focus

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Mar 10, 2020

Store upgrades may not be the most exciting news stories, but they are interesting when those upgrades are reflective of strong trends in the market. And the work that has been done on the Jo Malone London store at the St David’s mall in Cardiff illustrates that perfectly as it fully reflects the importance of both experiences and personalisation in beauty retail today.

The Estée Lauder-owned company has revamped its store in the shopping centre that’s controlled by the St David’s Partnership, a joint venture between Landsec and Intu.

The new-look 1,201 sq ft boutique is situated at 49 The Hayes, adjacent to Seasalt. Designed in-house, it has a dedicated Tasting Bar that “invites customers to indulge in relaxing hand or arm massages, as well as personalised fragrance profiling from Jo Malone London stylists”.

And importantly, there’s a brand-new events space capability and an allocated customer ‘lounge’ area.

The company said the changes are part of its work to “future-proof its Cardiff store, catering to the growing demand for a tailored lifestyle approach in high-end retail”. 

And it’s not the only company doing that. The service-focused refit follows the launch of the John Lewis Beauty Society at St David’s, that also puts personalised customer service for beauty products at its heart.

Intu’s regional MD Colin Flinn said “experiential elements are increasingly important in the beauty industry, and Jo Malone London’s store re-fit is testament to the St David’s offer as a key UK destination for lifestyle brands. Sitting alongside the likes of Michael Kors, The Ivy, and Vivienne Westwood, Jo Malone London forms an integral part of our premium retailer offer.”