River Island unveils immersive new store concept at centre:mk

River Island has selected one of the UK’s key regional malls, centre:mk, to debut its newest store concept. Its new 12,800 sq ft store covers two floors.

It features “a customer-centric shopping experience, including an enhanced and attractive exterior, a new denim department, modernised and spacious fitting rooms, and weight-sensing self-checkouts”.

The crucial development though is that it’s home to the brand new ‘River-Runway’ installation. This immersive visual feature will show runway-inspired looks and trends.

There’s also a denim department that showcases an expanded selection of silhouettes and washes.

Additionally, there are modernised, spacious fitting rooms “for a premium experience, whilst a thoughtfully designed layout and debut technology aim to further enhance the customer journey for a quick and convenient trip”. The tech includes weight-sensing self-service checkouts that use RFID, and WW Smart Fitting Rooms, so shoppers can request alternative sizes and products without leaving the cubicle.

It’s a major transformation for the store and is designed to deliver “a more elevated, engaging and customer-centric shopping experience”.  The plan is to roll out the concept across the brand. 

Mel Aucott, retail director at River Island, said: “Debuting our new store concept represents an important step change in [our] bricks-and-mortar presence. [This] top 10 prime regional destination offers a wealth of quality fashion retailers, a highly engaged and loyal customer base and clear ambition to deliver quality experiences, all of which perfectly mirror River Island’s approach and new store concept.”