Abercrombie & Kent has opened its first standalone travel store yesterday on Cheapside in the City Of London.
The store has been designed to be a brand experience allowing clients to “test drive” the A&K experience, according to founder Geoffrey Kent.
“When I started in Nairobi 50 years ago I always knew it was about connecting with the client.
“I also knew I was the best, but nobody else did. I remember thinking I wished A&K was like a car you could test drive because I knew that if someone could test drive me they wouldn’t go with the competitor.
“This shop is all about test driving us.”
The store mixes old and new techniques including bespoke canvas maps stored in vintage chests alongside skype video calls with local A&K experts in 25 countries.
It is staffed by ‘travel curators’ all of whom have spent the last three months travelling to many of the company’s destinations.
Kent added: “This is not a travel agency at all. This is more like an Apple shop showing off the brand. Obviously sales matter but that’s only half of it.”
The store has a bar called Sundowner on the ground level and downstairs A&K have partnered with Nomad to offer outfitting for trips and medical advice including onsite same day vaccinations.
Kent revealed he is keen to open more stores including two more in the UK and one each in Sao Paulo, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Australia and the USA.
The opening of the A&K store comes as Kuoni unveiled its latest new concession this week in the flagship John Lewis Oxford Street.
It is one of four opening in the branches of the department store this autumn, SOuthampton having started trading on October 15, with Reading still to come on October 29 and Cardiff on November 5.
The concessions are fitted out with John Lewis furniture as well as latest gadget like iPads and plasma screens and offer the full range of holidays available from Kuoni shops. At total of 19 new full time jobs have been created.
Kuoni will also introduce John Lewis Travel Insurance to its customers, and become the travel partner for John Lewis Gift List which allows customers to ask their wedding guests to contribute to their Kuoni honeymoon.
Sean Allam, director commercial operations at John Lewis, said: “We already have a strong customer base in our travel insurance services, so opening travel concessions in our shops feels like a natural step for John Lewis.
“People will be able to take time out from speaking to a personal travel expert to shop or have a coffee, and choose their holiday in a relaxed and inspiring environment.
“Kuoni’s commitment to customer service and expert advice was a perfect fit for John Lewis, and we believe this will be a long-term and successful partnership.
“Our customers want the personal knowledge and expertise of speaking to someone who can help them get exactly what they want from their holiday.“
Derek Jones, managing director at Kuoni said: “We are really excited about this partnership.
“Kuoni and John Lewis have a lot in common; we have a very similar customer base and share the same approach to business, putting customer service at the heart of everything we do.
“We know that our customers really value the expert personal knowledge we provide and the success of our High Street stores has shown that the best way to truly understand their needs is to spend time with them, face to face in the right surroundings.
“These concessions will allow us to bring our unique approach to travel retailing into John Lewis shops.”