Volkswagen has opened the doors to a new concept retail store at Birmingham‘s Bullring shopping centre, complete with digital and interactive features.
The car brand is the latest from the motoring industry to join the growing trend of opening up a shopping centre or high street store, and it chose Bullring in order to take advantage of its annual footfall of 36 million.
At the store, customers can undergo anything they need with Volkswagen, from initial enquiries to the purchase of a new or pre-owned car and official merchandise or accessories.
The store entrance features a 10-screen video wall to attract the attention of shoppers, and there is a digital wall spanning the left-hand side of the store.
Light boxes next to each vehicle also explain the specs and benefits of each model, along with a button that prompts illuminations and facts about the factory and manufacturing processes.
READ MORE: Porsche drives into Liverpool One with new pop-up store
On the digital screens, vignettes of people enjoying their Volkswagen vehicle come alive, as well as quotes from car owners, adverts, branded video and aggregated social media feeds all feature in the multi-sensory display.
Customers also have the option to configure their own car on iPads around a central table, before moving onto a big screen “reveal” of their vehicle.
There is also the chance to test drive a car from the drive pod in the recently refurbished Bullring centre car park.
“It‘s great to see top car brands recognising the value in opening modern day showrooms in prime retail destinations,” Bullring general manager Michaela Moore said.
“The opening marks the latest in a number of high-end regional debuts including; Ben Sherman, T2, New Look Men and Smashbox, as well as both Coach and Russell & Bromley which are set to open in August.”
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
