French Connection opens first pop-up store

Fashion retailer French Connection has opened its first “convenience store” in Old Street Station, which will allow shoppers to collect online orders. The 1,000 square foot pop-up, situated inside the station, will be known as the F Store and marks the retailer’s first click-and-collect unit. It will be

open for four months in the run up to Christmas to allow commuters to collect orders for shopping and gifting needs.

Commuters will also be able to pick up orders the same-day for free, for instance if they order products online before 1pm they will be able to collect them after 5pm that same day.

In addition to being a click-and-collect hub, the F Store will also stock a selection of gifts and key pieces from French Connection’s Autumn/Winter 14 capsule collection, to entice commuters passing through Old Street’s subway tunnel.

The pop-up is a trial and French Connection has said that it would “continue to consider opening small outlets at other transport hubs”.

French Connection opens click-and-collect pop-up

The retailer has partnered with Appear Hear, a marketplace for pop-up space, and Transport for London to launch the Old Street store, and it is hoping that the store attracts “creative thinkers and tech trendsetters” in the “trendy Shoreditch set”. To make the pop-up more attractive, French Connection is inviting local artist talent to curate its windows.

French Connection is the latest retailer to target transport hubs for customer collections, Asos and New Look both signed up to Doddle, a new delivery service that will place click-and-collect shops in railway stations and other high-footfall destinations.

Commenting on French Connection’s opening, Graeme Craig, TfL’s head of commercial development, told The Standard: “A year ago French Connection wouldn’t want to be seen dead in Old Street, now it’s opening a store.” Which he states is down to TfL spending 600,000 pounds on improving the retail offering at the station.

The F Store is open for four months and joins a host of other pop-up stores in Old Street’s subway tunnel including Surf Dome and Moleskin.

Image: The F Store, Old Street