Experiential shoe retail at Tracey Neuls

I spent some time at Coal Drops Yard in London recently. The entirety of this shopping complex is geared up to offering retail experiences which differ from the norm. From a lifestyle store offering candle making workshops, to a hot chocolate made with such love that drinking it was a spiritual experience in itself. Coal Drops Yard is the land of experiential retail. Naturally I was drawn to a store offering experiential shoe retail: Tracey Neuls.

The experience

When you step into this store, you step into Tracey’s world. You’re not faced with a team of bored looking sales staff. The lone brand representative Christine chats with you in a casual way, and you easily get on to the subject of shoes. She talks passionately about Tracey Neuls the brand, the shoes and the person. She shows you Tracey’s sketchbooks, stored in a museum-style cabinet along one side of the space.

Christine even let me play with the rolling storage racks at the back of the shop (I call it a shop, but it’s really experiential shoe retail at it’s finest).

Hanging shoes from ribbons makes use of the space above your head, books are used as wall shelves, and the floor-dwelling styles are lovingly arranged rather than dumped.

The shoes

The reflective styles in the photo above are meant for increasing your visibility when cycling. I think I’d wear them all the time, especially at night-time or on dark winter mornings.

The pits

The most mind-blowing element of the store design is the floor pits. When I visited, these were filled with soil and live basil plants. The plants smelt great, and softened the feel of the concrete floor and brick walls.

 

I can’t wait to visit this store again, to see the next idea Tracey’s creative mind has produced. Maybe it will be a new shoe style which will capture my imagination, or something new in the experiential shoe retail environment.

Has the Tracey Neuls store inspired you to do something different with your retail environment? Please let me know in the comments.

If you’re looking for ideas to wow your consumer, I’d love to help you generate the experiential shoe retail environment of their dreams. Please get in touch to find out how I can help you.