Late last month Pets at Home CEO Lyssa McGowan revealed plans to open up to 20 smaller format shops within the M25 over the next couple of years.
The pets specialist is one of a raft of big box retailers dipping their toes into smaller inner city stores in a bid to capitalise on urban footfall. Retail Gazette takes a look at which retailers are expanding through smaller stores.
Pets at Home
Pets at Home is looking to diversify its store estate through smaller stores around the London area. So far it has opened stores in Balham, Beckenham, Camden, Ealing, Sutton, Putney and Whetstone.
McGowan told Retail Gazette: “Historically, we’ve underserved London as a pet market because we’ve had a big out-of-town format. As we’ve cracked this new, smaller format, we’ve been able to open up the Pets at Home experience to younger, more Generation Z, consumers who actually love what we’ve got to offer.”
So far, the shops measure roughly 5,000sq ft, making them far smaller than the retailer’s traditional unit size and come without its typical vet and grooming services. However, it is planning to introduce veterinary surgeons into some of the stores to become “integrated healthcare centres”.
Ikea
The furniture giant’s new concept – which is a quarter the size of a typical store – focuses on home accessories, soft furnishings and a new food offer called The Swedish Deli.
Ikea is set to open its second city store in Brighton after acquiring Churchill Square shopping centre last November.
It will convert the former Debenhams outlet into its small format concept.
Screwfix
As part of Screwfix’s target of hitting 1,000 stores across the UK, it is investing in smaller inner city “ultra compact Collect” stores to expand its reach in more urban locations.
Screwfix Collect – 19 Bridge St, Pinner HA5 3HR
Wed 7 am–8 pm
Thursday 7 am–8 pm
Friday 7 am–8 pm
Saturday 7 am–6 pm
Sunday 9 am–4 pm
Monday 7 am–8 pm
Tuesday 7 am–8 pm
@PinnerAssociat @AndrewPearce_10 pic.twitter.com/XaM3c24CmB— Pinner Local (@PinnerLocal) February 28, 2024
The format stocks a curated selection of most popular products in the area for customers to collect instantly, with the rest of the retailer’s catalogue available for quick delivery.
The retailer, which is known for its larger industrial estate locations, currently has five ‘Screwfix Collect’ stores in London and is set to open more this year.
B&Q
Screwfix stablemate B&Q has also opened its own high street compact stores.
The retailer has 10 B&Q Local branches around London, which it said continues to deliver “encoranging learnings and results”.
B&Q initally trialed the format in eight areas of the capital, including Camden, Harrow, Holloway Road, Palmers Green, Streatham, Tooting, Wandsworth and Wood Green.
The retailer said that it will start testing the format outside of London in the current financial year, and opened its first in Staines in Surrey at the start of the year.
Majestic Wine
Majestic Wine opened the doors to its third smaller format store in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, in March as it continues to invest in new stores.
The wine specialist said the performance of its first concept store in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, which opened last April, has given it the confidence to roll out further high street stores alongside its traditional out of town shops.
Majestic’s smaller formats are on average half the size of its usual outlets and stock a curated range of wines, which is based on sales data from nearby stores and online orders in the area.
Dobbies
The garden centre chain opened its first small format Little Dobbies store back in Edinburgh 2020, selling a range of houseplants, pots, gifts, as well as a curated collection of gardening products and selected seasonal products.
The concept has since grown to over six stores in Cheltenham, Clifton in Bristol, Stockbridge in Edinburgh as well as Chiswick, Richmond and Westbourne Grove in London.
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