New Look shows commitment to physical retail with £3.3m upgrade to Greater Manchester stores
New Look has announced it is making a “strategic investment” of £3.3m to upgrade 20 of its stores in Greater Manchester over the next 12 months.
The move “will create a blueprint” for further improvements to be rolled out across New Look’s wider estate.
It will centre around improving store layouts and designs, upgrading technology and offering enhanced training to colleagues.
New Look stores at the Arndale, Trafford Centre, Peel Centre in Stockport, St George’s shopping centre in Preston, the Grant Arcade in Wigan and Rochdale Riverside are among the 20 stores to benefit from the initial upgrade.
The investment “demonstrates New Look’s commitment to bricks-and-mortar retail” as part of its omnichannel strategy.
New Look Trafford Centre
Elaine Cartwright, Retail Director at New Look, said: “With over 20 stores in the surrounding area, Manchester is the perfect location for us to trial these exciting new initiatives and turn up the dial on our omnichannel offer.
“I am looking forward to working with colleagues to implement our plans and see which experiences add the most value to our customers.”
A significant part of the investment will go toward cosmetic upgrades to boost the in-store experience for customers, improve product merchandising and “better align the shopfloor with New Look’s brand identity”.
As part of that, the retailer will be launching interactive displays to showcase online exclusives and a wider range of outfits and footwear which customers can browse from in-store and order for next day collection.
New Look Trafford Centre
New Look is also implementing new technology in the stores back-end systems to run an improved returns approach, and a new swift next day click & collect service, to create a seamless shop for customers.
Helen Connolly, CEO of New Look, commented: “We’ve always been very proud to have a strong presence on British high streets, ever since we opened our doors over 50 years ago.
“This investment programme is an exciting step for us in how we can continue to elevate the shopping experience for our customers, while bringing them fantastic quality products and creating future growth for New Look.”
