US apparel giant VF Corp has officially opened its new business hub in London with highlights including avatar-based virtual mannequins to showcase seasonal looks in 3D and dedicated brand experience floors.
The group, which counts industry heavyweights such as The North Face, Timberland, Vans and Wrangler among its portfolio of about 25 brands, has invested in a multi-year lease of Axtell Soho in London as a demonstration of its commitment to continued growth in London and the UK.
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The move, which was first announced in December of last year, marks a new era of business success and investment, VF says.
The 15,000 sq ft building, which will be a key support to its European operations, boasts dedicated brand experience floors for Timberland, The North Face, Vans and Kipling, as well as a showcase space for Napapijr, Dickie, Eastpak, Icebreaker, Smartwool, and Altra. It also has a digital innovation and design studio on the sixth floor.
The digitally connected, intelligent building features custom video walls and cinema surround-sound to immerse customers in the unique vision of each brand. Avatar-based virtual mannequins showcase key seasonal looks in 3D, which are designed to manufacturable specifications – evolving VF’s go-to-market and supply chain process. Users can even use the touch screen displays to change the lighting and visualise the products in different scenarios, inspiring them to place wholesale orders from the interactive digital selling display stations.
The interior design and experiential brand showcase has been designed for VF by the Design Laboratory who used a user and narrative design-centred approach to deliver an augmented experiential space that will inspire, educate and engage VF brands’ business partners.
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By GlobalData“At VF, elevated design is at the heart of our brands’ strategy and product creation. This, along with our company’s purpose and commitment to sustainability, drives all our business choices. Having our experiential brand showcase for retail customers in the centre of one of the top fashion capitals in the world will help our brands to innovatively develop and support our company growth in the years to come, including recruitment of the industry’s best talent,” said Martino Scabbia Guerrini, VF EMEA group president, at the opening yesterday (5 June).
London remains VF’s focus as a megacity for expansion in the UK, which has been the case since the company opened its first retail store on Carnaby Street in 2003. The UK’s importance is such that it is now the number one market for VF across the EU, accounting for approximately 20% (GBP500m) of all EU revenue, with an announced five years plan target to 2021 of 23%. Specifically, London represents 20% of total revenue in UK for VF with Vans leading the business.
VF’s presence spans 57 VF-owned and operated stores in UK, 20 of which are in London. The company has 1,820 associates in the UK, approximately 1,000 of which are employed in retail, with 240 operating out of the capital.
