With a relationship going back more than 70 years, internationally renowned luxury brands Vispring and Harrods are firm partners – and their relationship is only set to grow stronger, as the pair unveil an engaging new showroom space fit for the big spenders …
Europe’s largest department store boasts 330 departments, covering some 102,193 sqm of retail space – enough to earn Harrods its own postcode. Its motto – Omnia Omnibus Ubique, (latin for “all things for all people, everywhere”) – extends to the luxury bed market, and, in-store, the likes of Tempur, Savior and Hästens rub shoulders with Vispring in a bid to woo the capital’s more salubrious shoppers.
Vispring’s portfolio of made-to-order luxury beds ranges in price from just under £1000 to £40,000 – and a premium offer requires a premium platform. With this in mind, Harrods recently redesigned Vispring’s in-store showroom to maximise shopper engagement.
There are 12 models on display – including what the supplier describes as “the world’s most luxurious bed”, The Diamond Majesty – plus a selection of handmade divans and headboards. Around the floor models are features such as bedding rails and snapshots of the brand’s history, all designed to give shoppers a clearer picture of Vispring’s heritage and quality proposition.
Furniture News speaks to Vispring’s UK sales director, Jonny Mitchell, about the transformation …
At Vispring, I work closely with the other senior managers to manage all sales-related activity in the UK – including the management of five account managers, strategy, budgeting, devising promotional marketing and promotional plans, pricing, and the management of key customers.
Vispring has traded with Harrods for over five decades, and for the last few years Vispring has, by turnover, been the largest brand (not just the largest bed brand) across the whole furniture floor.
Both brands are focused on giving customers a great choice in luxury products, backed up with excellent customer service. Our tradition of using the finest materials and employing skilled craftsmen to make unique product aligns with Harrods’ ethos of exclusivity.
There’s a consistency to our branding across all our showrooms, worldwide.However, the unique shopping environment that Harrods provides means we’re able to use the space to display additional PoS such as mattress cut-throughs and more lifestyle imagery.
The Harrods staff – of which three are directly funded by Vispring – offer some of the best insight and knowledge about the product. It’s a loyal and long-serving team, some of whom have been associated with both Harrods and Vispring for over 40 years.
Our key objective for the redesign was to ensure we could demonstrate all the different models and unique features of a Vispring bed within the new space (and this was particularly true with regards to our mattress tensions).
There are 12 beds in the new showroom, and we worked closely with Harrods’ buying team to ensure we had the best selection in terms of look, feel and pricing. Ultimately, we needed to ensure the Vispring area showed off all of the brand’s USPs, as well as differentiating it from the nearby Savoir and Hästens displays.
The biggest challenge was visualising how the beds would look in a space that was very different to the old showroom area. We knew that the new space was not as open, and had lower ceilings, as well as being interspersed with columns. Striking the right balance between display, PoS and flow was key, and we are very pleased with the result.
I think we’ve managed to capture the essence of a luxury British brand in a clean, modern environment.
Vispring continues to grow its presence in Asia, and recent advertising within Harrods has translated into both brand recognition and sales in this expanding market, whose consumers are key to both of us.
Address: 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7XL. Photo by Chloe Lomax.
