IDENTITY CRISIS: Harvey Nichols, the British department store, is undergoing a full facelift to support its September campaign, which is all about celebrating women.
In a bid to become part of the buzzy conversation around female empowerment, the retailer will change its name to Holly Nichols for the month of September and plans to go all out with the re-branding: There is a giant “Holly Nichols” sign at the front of the store and a new web site, hollynichols.com, while all social media channels have been renamed.
Alongside the campaign, called “Let’s Hear It for the Girls,” there will be a series of events taking place in-store such as trunk shows, talks and brand parties.
The windows also feature the new name, while quotes from famous women, from Coco Chanel to Melinda Gates, are spray-painted all over the pavements outside the store.
“This is a month of events celebrating women, those who have inspired us in the past and those that continue to do so today. Our Knightsbridge flagship now has four floors dedicated to women’s wear — and we’ve ramped up our range of beauty services to suit women’s often demanding lifestyles,” said Deb Bee, the retailer’s group marketing and creative director.
The launch comes shortly after the reopening of the store’s designer women’s wear floor earlier this year, which was refurbished into a more open, airy space featuring shops-in-shop by the likes of Loewe, Versace, Stella McCartney and Marni.
The retailer has also been refurbishing its beauty, jewelry and men’s departments and plans to continue revamping its Knightsbridge flagship in a bid to modernize its image and attract a new generation of consumers.