FOLLOWING our report back in June regarding the expansion of the town’s H&M, the Standard’s Beth Wright took her credit card and purse for a wander round the revamped store.
The shop, based in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre, has more than doubled its floor space from 11,350sq ft to 23,000sq ft and has extended its upstairs menswear section into what was previously part of the former Woolworths unit.
On entering the new-look store, I was giddy with excitement and as shopper’s adrenalin kicked in I was unsure of where to start – the gorgeously fluffy faux fur gilets, autumnal print maxi dresses or the aisles upon aisles of bargain basics?
Although the store has not expanded width-wise it seems much more spacious with the clothing, accessories and jewellery positioned in much more shopper-friendly fashion.
Gone are the days of squeezing down an aisle and flicking coat-hangers back and forth to catch a glimpse of fabric behind a pile of similar looking garments.
Shoppers can now enjoy browsing clothes that are proudly displayed on elevated levels with complementary items handily positioned nearby whilst having enough space to stop, consider an item and even hold it up against yourself to get an idea of the length.
The revamp, which comes as part of multi-million pound plans by centre owners Capital & Regional to revitalise the shopping centre, allows the shoppers to clearly differentiate between the retailer’s different sections.
The ‘Divided’ line is helpfully positioned at the opposite end of the shop to Ladieswear with jewellery and accessories handily breaking up the two very different styles on offer.
After an extremely enjoyable time browsing H&M’s latest offers, I left with a mental checklist of items to snap up next week when payday arrives.
