Sharps has opened a new concept store at Elliott’s Field Shopping Park in Rugby as part of a wider programme of investment in its retail estate, with further locations set to follow.
The 3412 sqft store represents a substantial investment from the company, showcasing several room settings beyond the core bedroom offering that Sharps has been known for.
The opening of the store has created an additional four local jobs, and if the new concept store model is successful, a plan will be developed to roll out further stores across the country, says Sharps.
The retailer says the new format has been developed to strengthen the role of physical retail within its wider sales and design model, creating "a larger, more design-led environment in which customers can begin planning their space before progressing to the brand’s established in-home design consultation service".
Located alongside other home, furniture and lifestyle retailers at Elliott’s Field, the Rugby store also reflects a deliberate move towards destination retail: "The larger footprint gives Sharps greater visibility among customers already shopping for the home, while providing the space needed to showcase its new design services as well as a broader range of fitted solutions beyond the bedroom."
Rather than replacing Sharps’ existing model, where sales and design experts visit customers at home to understand the space, take measurements and develop a tailored solution, the store adds an earlier stage to the journey.
Customers can explore full room schemes, finishes and materials, work through initial ideas with the store’s studio designers and create moodboards before those ideas are developed further within their own home.
The format enables Sharps to showcase multiple room solutions within one location, supporting the company’s expansion into spaces including home offices, living areas, boot rooms and other parts of the home where fitted furniture can provide both storage and design benefits.
Paul McClenaghan, CEO of Sharps Furniture Group, says: “Our investment in Rugby is about defining what we need from physical retail as the customer journey continues to evolve.
“The showroom is no longer the only place where people begin researching a purchase, but that does not make the physical environment less important. It means it has to work harder. Customers need to be able to experience the quality of the product, explore different solutions and get meaningful design input when they visit.
“We have a very strong in-home sales and design model and that remains fundamental to the business. What this format allows us to do is strengthen the journey around it. A customer can begin thinking through their space, their style and what they need from it in store, and our experts can then take that thinking into the home and develop a solution around the realities of the individual property.
“The larger footprint also gives us an opportunity to demonstrate the breadth of what Sharps can now offer. We want customers to see us as a fitted furniture business for the whole home, and being able to show those different applications together is an important part of that.
“Rugby gives us a format from which we can learn as we continue to invest in our estate. It is about creating stores that have a clear role within the wider business and making physical retail work harder at every stage of the customer journey.”
