Retailer Face To Face

TheMorleys

Revolution

Some things are worth waiting for, the unveiling of the reinvigorated Morleys of Brixton department store is testament to that.

‘Established in 1880, reinvented in 2022’ teased the hoarding which covered the store’s impressive windows while the finishing touches were being made behind the scenes, making the dream a reality for the privately-owned independent department store group, which now spans eight stores. While this massive refurbishment project had been planned for several years, the pandemic delayed progress, with work getting underway in earnest a few months ago.

Then, on November 11 came the big reveal, with top beauty and fragrance brands such as Jo Malone, Chanel, Kiehl’s and Nars adding the front of house glitz and glamour on the ground floor, leading down to the newly refixtured card and stationery department which shares the lower ground floor with the popular toys and luggage areas. Meanwhile, an arresting home and housewares area anchors the second floor with ladies fashion on the first floor.

A whole long weekend of instore activities - from DJs, gin, rum and craft beer tasting, beauty masterclasses, fashion illustrator Scott Mason in action - put Morleys back on the map as a modern retailer which is in tune with the changing dynamics of its customer base. “The store was bought by our chairman’s grandfather in 1927, and almost a century on, the customer profile has completely changed, especially in the last ten years,” explained Amanda Bell, who is the retail group’s buying director responsible for the broad ‘Home’ area, which includes greeting cards and stationery.

“Originally Morleys of Brixton was a very traditional store, but now the area is younger, wealthier, trendier and ethnically diverse. It also has a big advantage in that it is on the high street directly opposite the busy tube station,” elaborated Amanda.

Greeting cards are a “really important” product area for the whole Morley group, assured Amanda. Although the reconfiguration has seen the card and wrappings department move from the ground floor down a few steps in order to accommodate the high profile beauty brands, Amanda is confident customers will find it.

“We are seen as something of a destination for cards in the area with customers coming in specifically to buy them,” explained Amanda. In common with the other stores in the group, the greeting card display in the Brixton store is managed by Woodmansterne as part of its W Select programme, with input from the Morleys’ team. As well as a fair showing of Woodmansterne brands, the current department incorporates designs from publishers such as

“As our ceo Nigel Blow summed up recently, this is a revolution, not an evolution,” stated Amanda Bell, Morley Department Stores’ buying director about the recent £multi-million revamp of the Morleys of Brixton department store.

PG hot-footed it to London’s buzzy Brixton to join in the celebrations on the grand reopening day of this historic retailing emporium.

Above: Morleys of Brixton has just had a radical overhaul. Right: Buying director Amanda Bell’s responsibility extends into covering the greeting card department. Below: The new fixtures in Morleys’ card department, echo the industrial feel of the lower ground floor.

The Group’s Growth

The Morley Department Stores group now comprises eight stores, seven in greater London and Camp Hopson in Newbury. Here is the retail group’s acquisition timeline. l 1927: Morley and Lanceley, Brixton was acquired. (Now Morleys). l 1955: Smith Bros, Tooting was acquired. (Now Morleys). l 1959: Bodgers, Ilford was acquired. (This closed in 2018). l 1968: James Selby, Holloway was acquired. (Now Selbys). l 1996: Elys, Wimbledon was acquired. l 2009: Roomes, Upminster was acquired. l 2010: Pearsons, Enfield was acquired. l 2014: Camp Hopson, Newbury was acquired. l 2017: Morleys, Bexleyheath was acquired.

Molly Mae, Paper Salad, Five Dollar Shake, Wendy Jones-Blackett, Rosie Made a Thing, Pigment, Rachel Ellen, Abacus, Paper Rose and Emotional Rescue.

Adding extra interest and generating footfall, adjacent to the greeting cards is a display of products which champion the local area, not least those featuring David Bowie, who was born in Brixton. In fact, a David Bowie mural on the side wall of Morleys is something of a tourist destination, and every day there is a trail of people who make a pilgrimage to pay homage to the musical icon.

“We do really well with our selection of David Bowie, Brixton and local-based products and this is something we will be looking to build on in 2023,” explained Amanda. Another area which is also on the agenda for next year is to expand the greeting cards which reflect diversity, something which Marianne Carter who recently joined the team as card buyer is keen to progress. “You will definitely start to see more diversity reflected in our card selection and we are also hoping to utilise the gallery space adjacent to the department to showcase local artists’ work,” elaborated Amanda. Sustainability is another area high on the agenda at Morleys. “This is not just in the products we stock, be it vegan stationery, unwrapped cards, locally produced candles or environmentally-friendly cookware, but how we approach the whole running of the business,” explained Amanda.

However, for a retailer whose origins go back to 1880, Morleys of Brixton is surely the epitome of sustainability, and its recent ‘Chch-ch-ch-changes’ would definitely have impressed David Bowie.

Top: The W Select display incorporates many different publishers, as well as of course designs from Woodmansterne Publications. Above: The David Bowie mural on the side wall of Morleys is something of a tourist destination. The singer lived in Brixton until he was six years old. Left: The display of Brixton-themed and Bowie-centric products adjacent to the greeting card department is popular with customers. Right: Greeting cards are deemed important for the department store group, as evidenced by this Instagram post to promote thank you teacher cards. Below: The revamp marks a new chapter in Morleys’ retailing journey.

Ringing The Bell

Amanda Bell, began her retail career as a graduate trainee with Fenwick in Newcastle. She joined Morleys in 2019, having previously been the cookware buyer at Bentalls, and subsequently head of home. “We had an extremely strong homewares business here at Morleys, prior to my arriving, with all our stores very diverse, based on their different locations and demographics,” she states. “Elys in Wimbledon, for example, is a high-end premium store, across all categories, whereas our Tooting, Holloway and Enfield stores are more promotionally driven. It’s therefore been about getting a balance across different mechanics.” Amanda sees great merit in focusing on the individual outlets. “For example, there has definitely been a trading up at Elys and Camp Hopson [based in Newbury], while at other stores in the Group we are continuing to be more promotionally aggressive. Important though all the stores have kept their original names, enabling them to retain their heritage and their engagement with local shoppers.”