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Teaching Level 5 Fashion Branding & Visual Merchandising Module UWL London

Teaching Level 5 Fashion Branding & Visual Merchandising Module UWL London

This month I am back at The University of West London in Ealing to teach the 8 week Visual Merchandising module to the students enrolled on the Level 5 Fashion Branding & Visual Merchandising Course.
As part of the 8 week module we will be focusing upon an introduction in to the Visual Merchandising industry and looking at current consumer trends & behaviours within the retail industry.
The two part assessment is focused upon the students designing their own pop up shop for the Selfridges Corner Shop space.
Students will be designing the Oxford and Duke Street window spaces. Then focusing upon designing their in store floor space and creating VM planograms to assist with practical installation.
My theory classes are complimented by Photoshop lessons, which will assist the students in gaining further knowledge of using the design program which they will be using to design their assessment drawings.

It was important for us to visit the Corner Shop at Selfridges in person, to assist students with the understanding of the space and how this is used to create an experimental space for the customer.

Teaching at Conde Nast College London

Teaching at Conde Nast College London

For my first blog post of 2024, I am excited to have been asked to teach the Visual Merchandising Module with fellow Lecturer and VM Specialist, Sarah Bailey at Conde Nast College in London.

It was great to meet the students last week at our first lesson together and I look forward to teaching them again in February. My lectures are focusing around the importance of applying the key Visual Merchandising principles both in store and via digital channels. Exploring new technologies which are assisting our customers to have the ultimate multi sensory experience in store and through interactive window displays.

Installing Christmas at Fife Arms Braemar

Installing Christmas at Fife Arms Braemar

As 2023 draws to a close, I wanted to write my final VMC blog post of the year and where best to finish the year in Braemar, Scotland at the beautiful, Fife Arms Hotel. As I write this final post Fife Arms are in the full swing of the New Year’s celebrations with their Hogmanay celebrations !

It has been a fantastic festive period and I have been very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many brilliant retailers and customers this year.

My final job, just before Christmas week was working at the amazing, Fife Arms Hotel with a longtime colleague, Milly Talbot Dunn. Milly asked me to assist her with redressing the hotel’s collection of Christmas trees, to ensure these are ready and looking their very best before the Christmas festivities. Christmas tree’s were located in each of the hotel’s restaurants and decorated with dried fruit and textures from Scotland, taking inspiration from the hotel’s Victorian heritage.

Finally, as we enter 2024, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and custom this year, it is truly appreciated.
Wishing you a very Happy, Peaceful and Abundant New Year 2024

In Partnership with Ankorstore – Visual Merchandising Tips for a Successful Christmas

In Partnership with Ankorstore – Visual Merchandising Tips for a Successful Christmas

Following on from the lead up to the forthcoming Christmas period working with Longleat Safari Park and Tower Bridge, I have been supporting their retail teams with setting up their Christmas shops, window displays and in store experiences. 

I wanted to share my 10 Visual Merchandising Top Tips for a successful Christmas Shop launch, these have been published as a blog article by Ankorstore to help offer support and tips to their Independent Retailers this Christmas.

If you are opening your retail store during the Christmas season, here are some key tips that you should keep in mind to successfully attract customers to your window and inside your store.

You can read the blog article which is available via the Ankorstore website :

Deck the Halls of Retail: 10 tips for a Successful Christmas Store launch | Ankorstore

HTA Visual Merchandising Face to Face Workshop Scotland

HTA Visual Merchandising Face to Face Workshop Scotland

It was great to be back in Edinburgh last week, running a face to face Visual Merchandising Workshop for the Horticultural Trades Association Members based in Scotland.
This was one of the first in person Visual Merchandising Workshops to run for Horticultural Trades Association since early 2020, so a fantastic feeling to be back teaching the members in person ! 

HTA Visual Merchandising Development Program 2023

HTA Visual Merchandising Development Program 2023

I wanted to share some of the fantastic Visual Merchandising successes achieved by the fantastic Horticultural Trades Association Members from Scotsdale Garden Centres, Wendy & Linda Webb.
These examples below were achieved following on from them attending the online Visual Merchandising Development Program which I teach on behalf of Horticultural Trades Association.
These amazing commercial results prove that applying great Visual Merchandising techniques can not only inspire your customers but can also be extremely important in assisting to increase your sales !

Linda quoted that “ Our sales are up £2000 upon last year in outdoor planting. We have started to see these sales increases since I have been creating displays and using VM principles ! “

With Wendy reporting an 80% increase in sales from her creating her fantastic sunflower and citronella hot spot display which she created at the front of her Garden Centre !

Visual Merchandising Course For London School of Trends

Visual Merchandising Course For London School of Trends

This month it was great to be back at the London School of Trends, teaching this term’s student’s an Introduction into Visual Merchandising. The classes were part theory and part practical training, the theory side was taught at the North Acton campus, West London which gave us a good location to visit some inspiring retailers in Central London.

I focused upon the importance of the Pop Up Shop on my classes and how these spaces are now creating the best examples of experimental retail to a consumer audience who wants to be entertained through multiple sensory experiences whilst they are shopping within a physical space.

Visual Merchandising Courses Partnership with Ankorstart

Visual Merchandising Courses Partnership with Ankorstart

I am very pleased to announce I have partnered with Ankorstart, a support program
offered by Ankorstore, Europe’s leading B2B marketplace. This is a free and
non-binding support program designed to assist aspiring retailers in their journey
towards opening and managing a physical or online business.

Ankorstart’s mission is simple: to help passionate entrepreneurs achieve their dream
of launching and managing a physical or online business in the best conditions.
With a team of more than 20 retail experts, Ankorstart provides guidance and
coaching on essential aspects of building a successful retail business, such as
assortment management, business planning and much more.

Visual Merchandising London Workshop For Moodart Fashion School

Visual Merchandising London Workshop For Moodart Fashion School

It is with great pleasure to be working again this year, with Moodart School of Fashion Communication based in Verona, Italy. During their student visit to London this month, I joined the group to run a Visual Merchandising Workshop around our city.

The workshop commenced with a short lecture introducing the student’s to the fundamental principles of Visual Merchandising techniques and how current consumer trends can be incorporated within retail. We also discussed how Visual Merchandising can be effective when creating today’s Pop Up Shops and concepts. We looked at the luxury fashion brands who are creating a visual and sensory experience to drive interest back to physical retail due to their creative Pop Up concepts across the globe.

UAL Visual Merchandising Interiors Course CSM

UAL Visual Merchandising Interiors Course CSM

Great to be back teaching at UAL’s Central Saint Martins this week teaching the five day Visual Merchandising Interiors Short Course.

During this short course the student’s learnt how interior retail spaces can be arranged in ways that attract customers, maximise their engagement with products, and motivate them to buy. Student’s received an overview of visual merchandising techniques for interiors and explored how current consumer trends can be incorporated within retail. I explained how the fundamental principles, inspiration and techniques involved in Visual Merchandising for retailers creates a visual and sensory experience to drive interest back to our high streets.

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