What is a concept store?

The term “concept store” may seem vague, since it refers to all kinds of innovative or unusual stores. To better understand its specific character, let’s first focus on the origins of this very specific store format.

According to Wikipedia, the concept store is “a marketing concept that describes a thematic detail of a business. […] It is characterized by the staging of creative universes that mix products and multiply trends. ”
In my opinion, and after my numerous interviews with concept store owners, it is a multi-brand point of sale with a selection of products that fit a thematic universe, a philosophy of life and/or a particular lifestyle. These stores are not just places to buy, they are places to learn and be inspired. Even if it means slowing down the shopping process.

Bazaar by Mary Quant, the world’s first concept store

A place of passion and inspiration

To understand the arrival of concept stores in the retail world, let’s go to the west of London, to Chelsea. I had the opportunity to visit the Mary Quant exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. British and famous tailor creator of the miniskirt, Mary Quant revolutionized fashion in England. With her original clothing creations, at affordable prices, she wanted to satisfy a new market: young people. The Mary Quant exhibition traces the first 20 years of her creative career. From 1955, when she opened the world’s first concept store, the Bazaar on King’s Road, to 1975, when she built a global fashion empire.

Designed by Terence Conran, founder of the Habitat brand and The Conran Shop, Mary Quant’s boutique is a real place for artistic encounters and a mix of music, design and art. The originality of this boutique was an immediate success. Its unique character is impressive and creative personalities began to meet there to discuss their passions and inspirations.

Sharing before selling

Mary Quant described her shop as “a bohemian world of painters, photographers, architects, writers, socialites, actors… “. It was therefore a place of life, or more precisely, a place of debate, where sharing was much more important than selling. Among her loyal customers, Mary Quant could count influential journalists from the fashion and design world. They helped her build a reputation and attract the London fashion scene.

Bazaar’s success was also based on the growing affluence and mobility of young people who benefited from higher education and incomes. Buying clothes became a leisure activity. In 1966, Quantrademarks, Mary Quant’s logo, is worn as a badge. This badge immediately conveyed the youthful spirit of her brand and allowed her to connect more with young customers.

10 Corso Como creates the term “concept store”

Fine and exceptional items

The term “concept store” came much later. It was introduced in 1991 by the Italian sociologist Francesco Morace to define the 10 Corso Como store. It was founded in Milan in 1991 by Carla Sozzani, a former fashion editor for Vogue and Elle Italy. At the beginning, Carla Sozzani wanted to make this place a bookshop where she could organize art exhibitions.

Passionate and open to all forms of art, Carla Sozzani expands her offer to share a little more of her vision of art and design. She added photography, furniture, clothing, accessories and decorations. 10 Corso Como thus brings together objects for sale, works of art, books, clothes, accessories and even souvenirs in one place, mixing commerce and contemplation, fashion and art. Objects are not consumed as business, but rather as art.

Services that enrich the place

10 Corso Como then became a place of fashion and culture in Milan. Gradually, it welcomed new services: a café, a restaurant and a small hotel for its loyal customers who wanted to stay longer to better appreciate the exhibits. Tucked away in the gardens at the back of the store, the café and restaurant offer a peaceful and tranquil setting, surrounded by plants and seasonal flowers.

Today, the store has expanded its unique selection of art, music, design, cuisine and culture to Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing and New York. Beyond art and fashion, Francesco Morace saw in this concept something completely new and radical for retail. First called “Concept Shop”, he introduced this new retail concept.

Leclaireur, France’s first concept store

Experience at the heart of the store

It was in Paris, of course, that France saw its very first concept store. Leclaireur opened in 1980. Martine and Armand Hadida’s ambition was to bring together fashion, art, design and the art of living. It was the first store to introduce artists such as Arne Quinze, Paul Evans, Borek Sipek, Pierre Bonnefille, and brands such as Comme des Garçons, Yamamoto, and many others…

Now in Los Angeles, Leclaireur’s philosophy is to put the experience at the heart of each store, bringing together fashion, design, architecture and the visual arts. The ambition is to show that all these disciplines are part of the same ecosystem, evolving and in constant transformation.

Create surprise

The creation of Leclaireur is also a response to the power of big brands with remarkable budgets. Armand Hadida, founder of Leclaireur, explains its success:

In 1999, I was in New York. Prada was preparing to open in Soho in the 2000m2 of the former Guggenheim, Issey Miyake was partnering with architect Frank Gehry, Dolce & Gabbana was unveiling its huge flagship store… Back in Paris, I was completely depressed.

How could we compete with such powerful brands? Brands that we also highlight in our store. As a small retailer, we were like little plowmen facing the rich industrialists with their big machines and their GMOs.

So we decided to do the opposite of the big luxury groups. Instead of a flashy flagship store with great visibility, we created a secret space, hidden behind a carriage gate on rue Hérold. In the end, the success we achieved exceeded our expectations.

Leclaireur’s goal is to offer visitors a completely different atmosphere than they’ve experienced before. This is why the pioneer constantly surprises its customers by frequently renewing its offer, its shop windows, its visual merchandising and its events.

colette, the world reference

Rarity is the key

The arrival of colette in Paris in 1997 also made an impression. Created by colette Roussaux and her daughter Sarah Andelman, the store offered all kinds of trendy products: fashion, perfume, design, music and publishing, photography and press, beauty products and high technology.

Together with her daughter Sarah Andelman, a graduate of the École du Louvre, colette Rousseaux searched for products that had never been seen before in France, in order to create exclusivity and rarity. colette thus became a trendsetter and precursor of trends for Parisian consumers, a benchmark in fashion and design.

Designed by French architect Arnaud de Montigny, colette’s interior layout and windows change every week. To bring their customers back and make their store a place to be, colette and Sarah have made their store eventful by organizing collection launch parties, cocktails, workshops and monthly exhibitions promoting a favorite artist.

Assets of influence

The sales force was also a branding asset for the concept store. In 2012, the mother-daughter team hired a hundred people. Among them, they found influential salespeople with thousands of Instagram followers and credibility in the fashion world. Like Elisabet (@UneMorueAParis), who at the time had more than 4,800 followers and contributed to colette’s visibility. The sales teams and employees were true ambassadors of the concept store.

Another axis of visibility was the partnerships with major luxury houses such as Chanel and recognized brands such as Comme des Garçons to create themed pop-up stores. In 2012, the store averaged a thousand visitors a day, and four times that number during fashion weeks.

Colette Rousseaux recently retired. So you will no longer have the opportunity to visit colette. However, the space is now home to Karl Lagerfeld’s concept store, which is also very impressive.

So, what is a concept store?

Since the creation of these historic concept stores, other entrepreneurs have followed, strongly inspired to create their vision of retail. Concept stores are springing up like mushrooms, created by a single passionate owner with a very individual aesthetic. Concept stores are the improved versions of the classic local store. More innovative, more digital, they help beautify the urban landscape by offering a unique experience, a new place you choose according to your values, interests and affinities with the owner’s offerings.

In addition to the four values that characterize local commerce: quality, know-how, authenticity and humanity, these historic concept stores have other assets that appeal to new entrepreneurs today, as well as to brands and retailers:

• A place to meet and share,
• The ability to surprise, to give the feeling of being on board a journey, a unique experience,
• Surrounded by a community committed to values, passions and common interests,
• A selection of rare products to create exclusivity,
• An expanded offering, a mix of the ultra-high-end and the trivial, complemented by services to bring people back and make them stay,
• Frequent renewal of the concept store (offer, presentation, merchandising and events),
• Influence strategy by working closely with journalists and influencers,
  Partnership strategy to achieve better visibility.

However, it’s important to underline that a concept store is not necessarily a clothing or object boutique; it’s much more than a store. It can be applied to many other sectors: design, hospitality, food, lifestyle,…. In fact, at the end, it’s a brand/creator’s ability to physically translate its universe, immersing its community, customers, partners and friends in its DNA, vision and values.