Recently opened, the new east London store offers big brands and niche products with a 20% unlimited discount for members who pay an annual fee
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Canary Wharf has welcomed something new into the portfolio of stores that make up its retail offering.
The Fragrance Shop, located in Canada Place opposite long-time mall resident Charles Tyrwhitt, is the only retailer on the estate to offer a wide selection of products specifically aimed at delighting the nose.
True, there’s the likes of Penhaligon’s in Cabot Place, but the new opening goes beyond a single brand – its shelves lined with mainstream and niche fragrances to satisfy Wharfers’ olfactory desires.
Designer names are everywhere with bottles in an astonishing display of hues and shapes.
Personally, I’m charmed by a little silver robot whose prime directive is simply to exude a fine mist of Phantom Eau De Toilette by Rabanne, but there are plenty of options.
Gucci, Armani, Diesel, Dior and Mugler sit opposite Joop! and Givenchy – all on sleek black shelves with backlit bottles to best show off the vibrant shades of glass.
The testers are out, the air is warm with scent and everywhere there are little lengths of cardboard to try the products out on before committing to skin.
big brands and niche scents at The Fragrance Shop
“What we offer to Canary Wharf is a bit different to everybody else,” said Lisa Blackwell, area manager at The Fragrance Shop.
“We have all of the big brands you would expect but we also sell a range of niche scents.
“There’s nowhere else on the estate that stocks the wide range of fragrances that we do.”
Lisa has spent her career in retail, the last three years with The Fragrance Shop, managing stores in London, Essex and East Anglia.
“Each one is different, with its own layout, although we carry similar products on the shelves,” she said.
“Customers often know exactly the fragrance they want.
“But for those who are choosing something new, we usually start with what they already like and work from there.
“It’s not always the case that customers can identify the kind of notes they enjoy – they’ll say sweet or woody, but actually prefer something different.
“That’s usually why we start with a brand they’re comfortable with as a foundation and use that as a basis to explore.
“Women will generally know what they want and will pay attention to price – if a fragrance is available for slightly less elsewhere they’ll know about it.
“For men, it’s all about ease. They come into the store, make a decision and then buy a scent.
“With customers who don’t know what they want, we are delighted to help and we’ll ask them questions to narrow down the options from the scents that they like to the way a product feels on their skin.
“We’ll talk about memories too and get as much information as we can.
“Then we’ll try three different fragrances to find out what they’re leaning more towards – it might be a fruity scent, a woody scent or a sweet scent.
“We can then go down that path with them and find a perfume that’s perfect.”
While the Canary Wharf store has not long been open, Lisa and her team have already identified some key trends.
“Our niche brands have been the most popular so far in our Canada Place store,” she said.
“This shop gets the same allocation as any other, but here we’ve found that those fragrances have been selling out and we’ve had to replenish them.
“These are brands like Maison Margiela, Atkinsons and Tocca and come at a higher price point.
“Canary Wharf shoppers aren’t scared of a price tag and we’re now in the process of making sure our stock levels are right for the market.
“We can also order anything in our range to the store if we don’t have it in stock.
“As we’re new, we really want people to come in, see us, talk to the team and get to know us.”
get more for less
There’s another reason to check out The Fragrance Shop, namely its membership scheme, which gives members 20% off on all purchases online and in store for a year for £15 alongside other benefits.
“There are no limits on it,” said Lisa.
“Anything you see in front of you on the shop floor, whether its part of our main range or our niche offering, is 20% off with a membership and we list both prices on the shelves. Nothing is excluded.”
Other perks include monthly rewards, enhanced delivery options and free samples as well as member exclusives.
While choosing fragrances is deeply personal, Lisa said she had three favourites on sale in store.
“I’m very much Born In Roma by Valentino,” she said.
“It’s creamy, it has nice notes of Jasmine Sambac, cashmeran and vanilla bourbon and sits beautifully on your skin and it lasts.
“If I want to sit with something different, I tend to go for Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, which is a feminine ambery fragrance.
“I’ve also recently started wearing La Bomba by Carolina Herrera which has notes of pitaya, peony and vanilla for a bit of a change.”
managers picks
Area manager at The Fragrance Shop, Lisa Blackwell, shares her favourites
Eau De Parfum, 50ml
Member – £87.20, Non-member – £109
Eau De Parfum, 50ml
Member – £78.40, Non-member – £98
Extradose Eau De Parfum, 50ml
Member – £86.40, Non-member – £108
Find out more about the store here
key details: The Fragrance Shop
The Fragrance Shop is located in Canada Place and is open from 9am-8pm from Monday to Saturday and from noon-6pm on Sundays.
Read more: Amazing Grace set to open second location in Canary Wharf
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