Inside the first brand new Frasers store in Wolverhampton

Frasers Group will open the doors of the first brand new Frasers store when non-essential retail is permitted to reopen in England on Monday 12 April.

The 34,000sq ft landmark store is housed in the Mander Centre in Wolverhampton in a unit formerly occupied by Debenhams.

Frasers is a new concept from Frasers Group, which is in effect an elevated version of its House of Fraser chain, and the Wolverhampton site is the first brand new site with other Frasers sites having been converted from House of Fraser stores.

Not only does the new site house a range of beauty, fashion, premium and contemporary accessories and designer childrenswear, but it is also home to an interactive Frasers House area and a new restaurant.

In addition it is the first store to bring all of Frasers Group's "elevated" fascias under one roof with an adjoining branch of luxury fashion chain Flannels and a branch of the new look Sports Direct, which each have separate entrances. Separate Evans, USC and GAME stores are also housed in the development.

Frasers says it has invested millions in the site to convert it to the new concept. “This is a pivotal moment for the group as we open our first multi-fascia destination to feature a Frasers store. We are committed to raising-thebar for retail and delivering aspirational stores with a focus on experience, brands and service; and Frasers Wolverhampton demonstrates our dedication to, and our vision for, the brands future," said Frasers Group head of elevation Michael Murray.

"Not only are we opening brand-new flagship stores in some of the UK’s biggest cities, but we are also investing in elevated propositions in smaller towns like Wolverhampton setting the benchmark for regional retail and demonstrating the ambition and scale of our strategy. This new lifestyle proposition means residents of Wolverhampton no longer need to travel to Birmingham to seek the best luxury, fashion and beauty brands, and we hope they will welcome these much-needed additions to the city with open arms.”

Customers will enter Frasers through a marble façade into "a sleek and modern beauty playground". With over 120 brands – from beauty powerhouses including Christian Dior, Clarins, NARS and MAC to innovative newcomers such as Natasha Denona and Uoma, and latest must-have international brands including Olaplex, Mario Badescu, Vapour, and Roen.

The service-led proposition is designed to align with the way the modern consumer shops – across price-points, brands and product categories. At its heart sits the Trend Marketplace, a dynamic space bringing together an everchanging roster of emerging beauty, tanning, hair, bath & body brands, alongside beauty tools and accessories. A plethora of "clean beauty" options are available across all categories including disruptive new skincare brands Grown Alchemist, Evolve Beauty and Goldfaden MD.

The store’s ready-to-wear collections will include a comprehensive mix of hundreds of brands. In the heart of the store, customers will find accessories from the world’s most sought after brands including COACH, Mario Valentino, DKNY and Michael Kors. In womenswear alongside leading global brands such as Barbour, Polo Ralph Lauren Calvin Klein, an impressive mix of the most current contemporary labels will include Kitri, Faithfull the Brand, Agolde, Sleeper and Cult Gaia.

In response to the ever-growing demand for activewear and leisurewear, the store will carry lines from "game-changing brands" including Les Boys Les Girls, Rotate Sunday and Sporty & Rich, and luxury hi-performance sportswear from PE Nation, Victoria Beckham x Reebok, Adidas by Stella and more.

The store will also feature comprehensive women’s lingerie, footwear, loungewear and denim destinations. Presented on the first floor of the store, Frasers’ menswear will boast fashion, shoes and accessories from some of the world’s leading brands including CP Company, Barbour, The North Face, Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. The menswear space will also have areas dedicated to loungewear, denim and footwear.

Luxury childrenswear features some of the world’s best-known brands including, Barbour, Juicy Couture, Hugo Boss and CP Company with footwear from MICHAEL Michael Kors, UGG, Timberland and Kickers among others.

Frasers House has been curated to offer a full 360 lifestyle shopping experience. Showcasing both current and upcoming trend. The unique space is dressed to make customers feel at home, encouraging them to relax and experience products both visually and physically. Consumers can expect to be met by an Interiors Style Advisor who has been expertly trained to offer product and service knowledge and detailed trend advice to suit every customer brief. Brands will include Sofa.com (also part of the Frasers Group empire), Tom Dixon, Taschen and LSA.

Designed by luxury architects Argent, the store is designed as an agile retail space that can react quickly to the ever-changing retail environment. Design features include raw exposed steelwork contrasted by modern interventions including flooring, fixtures and finishes. Materials such as concrete and natural marble are used to create a modern contrast and a feel of timelessness used together with digital accents including colourful ticker-tapes, and digital displays and screens. The ripple metal textures that are seen throughout the store are inspired by the original Frasers store in Glasgow.

Images: Joas Souza, courtesy of Frasers.