Game-changing new Frasers store set for for Monday debut

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 9, 2021

​As shops in England return on Monday, Frasers Group will open a milestone development. It’s the first brand-new Frasers store in the UK with a debut in Wolverhampton. 

But the firm’s overall 60,000 sq ft development also includes other key chains owned by the company (Flannels and Sports Direct, each with  a separate entrance) after a multi-million pound investment in the city’s Mander Centre.

The Frasers store itself (in a unit that once housed Debenhams) covers 34,000 sq ft and houses a curation of new-to-the-city beauty, fashion, lifestyle, kids and home brands with homewares in an interactive ‘Frasers House’ area of the store, alongside a restaurant offering.

The aim has been to make its “an inspirational place to meet, explore and shop”.

The group’s Head of Elevation, Michael Murray, called it “a pivotal moment as we open our first multi-fascia destination to feature a Frasers store. We are committed to raising the bar for retail and delivering aspirational stores with a focus on experience, brands and service; and Frasers Wolverhampton demonstrates our dedication to, and our vision for, the brands future. 

SMALLER CITY

It’s important too because of the specific location in this case. Murray added: “Not only are we opening brand-new flagship stores in some of the UK’s biggest cities, but we are also investing in elevated propositions in smaller towns like Wolverhampton setting the benchmark for regional retail and demonstrating the ambition and scale of our strategy. This new lifestyle proposition means residents of Wolverhampton no longer need to travel to Birmingham to seek the best luxury, fashion and beauty brands.” 

So what will shoppers find there? Customers will enter Frasers through a marble façade and see a “beauty playground” offering 120+ brands, They include Christian Dior, Clarins, NARS, MAC, Natasha Denona, Uoma, Olaplex, Mario Badescu, Vapour, and Roen. The service-led proposition is “designed to align with the way the modern consumer shops – across price-points, brands and product categories”. 

This area also features a Trend Marketplace, “a dynamic space bringing together an ever-changing roster of emerging beauty, tanning, hair, bath & body brands, alongside beauty tools and accessories. A plethora of clean beauty options are available across all categories including disruptive new skincare brands Grown Alchemist, Evolve Beauty and Goldfaden MD”.

Meanwhile, the all-important women’s ready-to-wear fashion collections in the store include a comprehensive mix of hundreds of brands, such as Coach, Mario Valentino, DKNY, Michael Kors, Barbour, Polo Ralph Lauren Calvin Klein, Kitri, Faithfull the Brand, Agolde, Sleeper and Cult Gaia. 

And the company said that “in response to the ever-growing demand for activewear and leisurewear”, the store will carry lines from “game-changing brands” including Les Boys Les Girls, Rotate Sunday and Sporty & Rich, and luxury high-performance sportswear from PE Nation, Victoria Beckham x Reebok, Adidas by Stella and more. 

There are also extensive women’s lingerie, footwear, loungewear and denim destinations. 

On the first floor, menswear includes CP Company, Barbour, The North Face, Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. There are areas dedicated to men's loungewear, denim and footwear all offering a cohesive edit of wardrobe solutions. And the store also has a luxury kidswear area.

Designed by luxury architects Argent, it’s “an agile retail space that can react quickly to the ever-changing retail environment”. Key features include “raw exposed steelwork contrasted by modern interventions including flooring, fixtures and finishes. Materials such as concrete and natural marble are used to create a modern contrast and a feel of timelessness used together with digital accents including colourful ticker-tapes, and digital displays and screens. The ripple metal textures that are seen throughout the store are inspired by the original Frasers store in Glasgow”.