The mere 10 minutes I’ve spent inside an Anthropologie store was enough to last me multiple years. But consumers who can’t get enough of the shabby-chic chain might welcome with open arms the thought of spending three hours browsing. Well, your wish may soon be coming true if the chain’s owners get their way.
Bloomberg reports that Urban Outfitters Inc. plans to create an atmosphere inside Anthropologie stores where customers can hang out for hours at a time – because everyone wants to chill in a place where everything you see is for sale and sales clerks ask you if you need help every five minutes.
The plan includes opening 25 to 50 new Anthropologie stores, some of which will be three times larger than current locations. Those super-sized stores will expand offerings of home goods, wedding items, beauty products and intimate apparel in an effort to entice customers to stay a lot longer.
Additionally, the stores will champion a more social component by offering dining and salon services.
Focus groups that tested a prototype of the new-format stores indicated the plan works, with customers staying for two to three hours compared with the current average stay of an hour.
Bloomberg reports that the new, larger stores won’t be an addition to the company’s already 178 locations, they will simply replace existing ones.
Officials with Anthropologie say the new focus of bigger is better is in line with their target customers.
“She wants more — more products, more of the world-class experience we’ve introduced,” David McCreight, CEO for the chain, said in a statement. “Just like Apple and their new iPhone, we truly believe bigger is indeed better, and in our case, necessary to expand our reach.”
Urban Outfitters to Supersize Anthropologie Stores [Bloomberg]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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