On 14th November, Leekes opened its seventh home department store, on Kingsditch Retail Park in Cheltenham. Covering just 18,000 sqft of retail space, it is Leekes’ first retail park store, and a new format for the business, explains MD Emma Leeke …
Why open this store, any why Cheltenham?
Opening a new store in Cheltenham aligns perfectly with our strategic vision to expand Leekes’ presence in communities that value high-quality items in their home, and a personalised service.
Cheltenham is a vibrant, dynamic area with a thriving local economy and a demographic that matches our customer profile – people who care about investing in their homes and creating beautiful, functional spaces. Expanding to Cheltenham allows us to strengthen our brand footprint in the South West and build on our reputation as a trusted, family-owned independent retailer.
We’re excited to introduce our unique range of products and expert services to this area and also bring our brand closer to customers who share our passion for creating beautiful homes.
How did you keep it ‘on brand’?
Every element, from the store layout to our chosen product selection, emphasises our commitment to offering leading brands, quality and style across a number of product categories. This is our first store of this size that offers a comprehensive furniture offering, along with fitted kitchens, bedrooms and a range of accessories – allowing customers to furnish their home and add all the finishing touches.
Our new Cheltenham team has been with us for over a month and have spent time in our other stores and with the wider team to be trained to provide the personalised, expert guidance customers expect from Leekes.
How are you driving footfall?
We have a multichannel marketing strategy for our new store launch that includes direct mail, out of home, radio and a number of features in Cheltenham-specific lifestyle magazines that allow us to showcase the beautiful ranges we have on offer. Alongside this, there is a digital awareness strategy for the brand including online video, display and social media advertising to help create online excitement around our brand and show customers what they can expect from us.
What do you like about the location?
We love Kingsditch Retail Park for its accessibility and convenience, making it easy for customers from Cheltenham and surrounding areas to visit us. The retail park has a fantastic mix of well-established brands, which attracts a high footfall and creates a vibrant shopping environment. It’s an ideal setting for Leekes to showcase our quality home products to a broader audience, and the ample parking and accessible layout align with our goal of providing a smooth, enjoyable shopping experience.
Who does the store team comprise?
Our new store manager is Jonathan Lay, who has a background in furniture retail and is local to the store. His team includes a number of furniture experts, kitchen designers and catering professionals that work in our in-store cafe.
How does the store work as part of Leekes’ omnichannel offering?
Customers are able to explore a wider selection of products in-store thanks to our kiosk, which allows them to browse and search our website. Customers can also click and collect to this location if they have made a website purchase.
Is this showroom different from the rest?
This is our first store of this style, and our very first Leekes store on a retail park, so we are very excited to launch – our others stores offer a wider mix of products and services due to their much larger footprint.
Any other developments we should know about?
We continue to refurbish our flagship store in Llantrisant, near Cardiff, South Wales as part of a £4m investment. Work on Phase 3 of this refurbishment is due to start in the new year.
See more shots of the store, and read insights from Leekes' group visual merchandiser Joanna Mounty, in December's issue.
