Point of Use Retail: See it. Buy it. Use it.

Continuing our close working relationship with FITCO, a Pentland Company, who offer branded performance clothing and equipment within luxury health clubs, Briggs Hillier have created the latest retail concept for David Lloyd. Launched at Royal Berkshire in the UK last week, the concept takes retailing at the ‘Point of Use’ to the next level.

David Lloyd is a leading health, sport and leisure provider who have 123 luxury clubs across the UK and Europe. As destinations that appeal to the whole family, the customer base is as broad as the facilities which include racket sports, swimming, spa, gym, fitness classes and dedicated children’s activities and areas. This creates a huge opportunity to provide club users with performance clothing and equipment when they are most in need or feeling inspired; at the Point of Use (PoU).

Creating a successful and commercial retail offer within a health club environment requires a strategic approach informed by a deep understanding of the diverse customer base, the unique customer journeys and the ‘frame of mind’ experienced by club users at different times.

Reasons why club users want to purchase performance clothing and equipment within a David Lloyd environment are diverse. A club user may have forgotten an essential item for an activity, or feel they don’t have the right equipment that’s needed and make a distressed purchase. This is based on an immediate need and could be anything from a pair of goggles or socks through to more substantial items such as a T-Shirt or swimsuit. In a post-coronavirus world, where clubs can no longer loan equipment such as tennis rackets and yoga mats and club users are required to have their own, distressed purchases are even more likely.

It could also be that during an activity, club users feel that their existing clothing or equipment is no longer fit for purpose or has worn out and they make a replace purchase. Alternatively, club users may want to treat themselves and make a reward purchase, after a good workout session or reaching a fitness goal. They may also want to reward family members, such as buying a child new googles or pool toy for doing well in their swimming lesson. Gift purchases for friends and family are also popular, particularly during the festive season.

Or it may be that as club users feel inspired to upgrade their clothing or equipment and make a desire purchase as they get more serious about fitness. Feeling energised and in a positive frame of mind after a work-out or fitness session can often contribute to this desire.

‘Point of Use’ within health clubs ultimately provides convenience – providing the right product, at the right time in the right place. Target consumers are in the right frame of mind to ‘buy’, but as the primary mission is visiting the club, attracting their attention is critical. The product range, the design of the retail area and the location within the club are all key to achieving this and to maximising potential sales.

Working within a relatively small footprint and to address a broad spectrum of performance clothing and equipment needs, the product offer needs to be carefully curated. The David Lloyd PoU space includes niche and capsule ranges built across multiple product categories, that are carefully selected based on the needs of the club users.

With ‘Blaze’ a popular HIIT session in David Lloyd clubs, there is a dedicated area to provide specialist and branded apparel and equipment for this full body workout class that combines cardiovascular training with strength, boxing and martial arts. This is supported by visual merchandising and information graphics to communicate dedicated technology such as the wearable Myzone heart-rate based system that tracks performance and helps users achieve their goals.

With David Lloyd founded by a professional tennis player, and tennis facilities remaining a popular attraction, both branded tennis equipment and apparel are on offer. A dedicated Head midfloor fixture displays adult and junior tennis rackets and balls. Castore apparel is presented on the perimeter wall, with a branded header to flag the range.

Capitalising on FITCO’s exclusive partnership with Speedo, men’s, women’s and kid’s Speedo swimwear is promoted on the perimeter wall, supported by an extensive range of accessories including goggles, children’s armbands and dive sticks. Adult workout and yoga apparel are also displayed on the perimeter wall, supported by men’s, women’s and kid’s basics on midfloor fixtures.

With a spa on site, dressing gowns and spa footwear are on display, supported by skin revival products and aromatherapy candles. A lifestyle graphic creates a change of pace within this section.

As a club for all the family with children’s activities a key attraction, kids scooter helmets and accessories are on display supported by a lifestyle graphic, again to define the area.

Accessories are carefully selected based on specific club user needs from headphones, water bottles and a wide range of socks through to padlocks and face masks. Equipment is again based on specific needs including yoga mats and a range of bags and holdalls.

With such a diverse range displayed tightly together, the design of the retail system is key not only to attract club users into the area, but to present the range as a cohesive collection that is engaging and easy to browse.

The perimeter wall system is formed from a simple framework created from uprights that not only allow for maximum flexibility but define the half and full bays – an important consideration when displaying different categories alongside each other.

In addition to the collection of standard merchandising components of shelves and hanging arms, bespoke components have been created to fulfil specific merchandising needs including a Myzone display case, kids helmet display and water bottle containers. The midfloor apparel fixture also includes bespoke components that include dedicated bag display and an integrated mirror.

Headers and POS graphics play a key role within the overall design. Headers displaying primary category names and brands sit at the highest level on the system, whereas secondary header messages hang from the system framework at a slightly lower level, helping to define a clear message hierarchy that is easy to understand and absorb at a glance.

PoU delivers a level of convenience that is more valuable than ever in a post-pandemic world where at times more traditional forms of retail may not be as assessable or reliable as they were.

Working closely with teams at FITCO and David Lloyd, Briggs Hillier strategised, designed, developed, manufactured and installed the David Lloyd PoU retail area.

If you need support developing innovative retail solutions that get between the lines, we can help. Contact Jenny Hillier at jenny@briggshillier.com

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