SO FIRST WEEK BACK IS PRETTY STANDARD, READING THROUGH THE BRIEF AND JUST HAVING A GENERAL DISCUSSION ABOUT WHATS COMING OUR WAY IN THE COMING WEEKS. BEING THE OVER THINKER THAT I AM, I IMMEDIATELY JUMP AHEAD AND TRY TO THINK OF A BRAND WHICH I WILL START MY RESEARCH ON BUT I SOON FOUND OUT I NEEDED TO DO QUITE ABIT OF RESEARCH ON WHAT BRAND I WANTED TO DO AND WHY BEFORE LEAPING FORWARD.

ON OUR SECOND DAY WE HAD A VERY EXCITING TOUR AT THE NEW FLAGSHIP ADIDAS STORE IN OXFORD STREET. TO BE HONEST AT FIRST I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY WE HAD TO BE AT OXFORD STREET FOR 9.30 JUST TO “GO SHOPPING” BUT LETS JUST SAY I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.

THIS WAS MORE THAN JUST A SPORTS STORE, THEY REALLY PUSHED THEIR LIMITS AND IN MY EYES APPEALED TO PRETTY MUCH EVERY CONSUMER GROUP. THEY HAD AN AMAZING SUSTAINABILITY ASPECT TO THE STORE WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT ISN’T FEATURED IN MANY OTHER STORES, A MAKERS LAB WHICH WILL APPEAL TO ANYONE FROM 5-95 (MAYBE A BIT EXTREME BUT YOU GET THE JIST), A RUNNERS LAB TO ENSURE ALL THOSE RUNNERS HAVE THE BEST SHOES, A SNEAKER CLEANER BECAUSE THERES NOTHING WORSE THAN A MASSIVE STAIN ON YOUR BRAND NEW WHITE TRAINERS (OR EVEN JUST AN EXTREMELY OLD DIRTY PAIR OF TRAINERS THAT YOU CAN’T BARE TO PART WITH QUITE YET) AND AN AMAZING ARCHIVE JUST TO NAME A FEW THINGS.

THE WHOLE STORE SEEMED LIKE AN AVERAGE STORE UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY STOOD BACK AND THOUGHT ABOUT IT. FIRST OF ALL THE STORE FRONT ITSELF INVITES PEOPLE IN WITHOUT YOU EVEN REALISING IT. IT HAS BIFOLD DOORS SO AS SOON AS THEY OPEN THEY ARE BASICALLY OPEN TO THE STREET, MAKING IT EASILY ACCESSIBLE. THIS BECAME MORE APPARENT WHEN WE LOOKED AT OTHER STORES. FOR EXAMPLE WHEN WE WALKED INTO NIKE, WE WEREN’T APPROACHED OR WELCOME WHICH ALREADY MADE ADIDAS STAND OUT AS THEY WERE EXTREMELY BUBBLY AND JUST OVERLY FRIENDLY. THERE STORE WAS ALSO EXTREMELY DULL AND BUSY MAKING IT SEEM MESSY WHERE AS WITH ADIDAS NOTHING WAS CRAMMED AND IT WAS DEFINATLY MORE ABOUT QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. THE TECHNOLOGY IN ADIDAS WAS DEFINATLY MORE OF A FEATURE TOO AS IT WASN’T REALLY PRESENT IN NIKE. IM NOT TOO SURE THAT I LIKE THE USE OR OVER USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN SHOPPING BUT THE MIRRORS IN ADIDAS WERE PRETTY IMPRESSIVE AND I IMAGINE THAT NIKE ARE KICKING THEMSELVES FOR NOT THINKING OF IT FIRST.

OVERALL, THIS WEEK WAS A GOOD INTRODUCTION BACK INTO UNI AND TO BE HONEST GAVE MOST OF US HOPE FOR A DECENT TERM AS WE WAS ALL A BIT UNMOTIVATED FROM THE TERM BEFORE. GOING TO VISIT THE STORES REALLY GOT ME THINKING ABOUT WHATS FAILING IN THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE AS WELL AS WHAT I LIKE AS A CONSUMER SO I THINK THAT I WILL REALLY ENJOY RESEARCHING AND ANALYSING A BRAND WHEN IT COMES TO IT.

SO MANY IDEAS BUT I’LL SAVE THEM FOR WEEK 2

(All images my own)