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After Kuoni opened a new retail store in Bromley this summer, Katherine Lawrey popped in for a chat to see how they were settling in on her home turf.
It’s never been the trendiest of London’s boroughs, but Bromley, the largest of them all, is going through something of a renaissance, with a £90 million cinema, hotel and restaurant development set to breathe new life into the area.
Three years ago the town’s main shopping centre The Glades was renamed intu Bromley, following a nationwide rebrand by owners Capital Shopping Centres.
That sparked an influx of well-known quality brands into the 135-store shopping centre. Jo Malone, Joules and The White Company are just three that are proving to be ideal neighbours for a brand new Kuoni store, which opened in May.
Store manager Helen Fensom is a Bromley resident, who worked for years in nearby Beckenham. She spent 22 years in the same store, which went through various incarnations from an independent to a Thomson.
Three years ago she joined Kuoni, first in Kingston and then Kensington. But with both sites involving lengthy commutes, she says it was a “no-brainer” when she heard about Kuoni coming to Bromley.
It was her first experience of launching a store: “I’d seen the progression of a new shop but I’d never had the challenge of opening one from scratch,” she says.
“My biggest fear was not the store itself… I knew I had Kuoni’s support with that. It was the team. It takes time for staff to get to know each other and each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
“Kemi Bowley, our assistant manager, has done lots of travelling and she has management experience; Jane Crowther came from Kuoni Bluewater and she’s exceptionally well travelled; Steph Morgan worked for Sovereign and Citalia so she’s our Italy expert; and Latif Oztosun came from our City store. He really knows how to put holidays together from an IT and systems point of view.
“We have a good mix, which is why I’m taking my time recruiting for a sixth person,” she adds.
The staff have their regional specialisms and they all share knowledge and help each other, she says. “We never stop learning. Every day is like a school day,” she adds.
“But we socialise together too, and that’s important.”
Bromley’s customer base is a mixture of Kuoni regulars and new clientele.
“We’re attracting new customers from a wide catchment area – Bromley, Beckenham, Orpington, Surrey and Croydon. People will drive an hour or more to see us,” explains Fensom. “But we also see plenty of Kuoni regulars – more than I thought we would – who live in this area and are used to going elsewhere to book. They’re delighted we’re here now.”
She adds: “Regular customers who are familiar with our retail stores love coming in for a chat and a drink with us. They love the service we offer. You just can’t book the same tailor-made bespoke packages on the internet.”
Bromley already had a Thomas Cook and a Thomson, but they are both located outside intu on the high street. There’s also a Virgin Holidays, but it’s tucked away inside Debenhams. “We don’t really have any competition when it comes to luxury and that personal service,”
Fensom says. “Jane, Latif and I have 70 years combined in travel. “Of course we do get those customers who are just shopping around for the best price, but they could have the royal family selling to them and it wouldn’t make any difference. We focus on keeping standards high and the service personal; intu’s management were excited to have us, because of the type of customer we can bring into the centre for them.”
As an intu resident, Kuoni has access to other benefits and joint marketing opportunities. There are chances to advertise inside the centre and Kuoni is giving away a holiday to Mauritius with intu as a publicity exercise. Intu’s Twitter and Facebook accounts serve as an extra marketing channel on top of Kuoni Bromley’s own Twitter feed. Intu also spreads awareness to other stores that staff are entitled to a small discount on their Kuoni holiday.
Those stores in turn offer discounts that Kuoni staff can access. And intu Bromley holds its own retail awards; this year Kuoni was nominated in the best newcomer category.
The store has a prime spot, jutting out into a corner at the end of a long walkway so it’s well positioned to catch shoppers’ eyes. With wall-to ceiling glass windows across the front, it’s easy to see in.
Blessed with the magic touch of Julie Day, Kuoni’s property manager, the shop is a visual delight. As you walk in, the left wall has a strikingly big giraffe print. At 12.5 metres wide by 4.5 metres high, it’s the biggest mural in the Kuoni retail estate. The opposite wall is a treasure trove of travel-related books and ornaments. The artefacts come from antique stores and junk shops, while bespoke driftwood door handles come from Woodenzone. A wooden fish comes from the same Sunbury-on-Thames studio.
“We’ve had people come in wanting to buy books before. One lady came in, cash in hand, wanting to buy the artificial plant by the window,” recalls Fensom. “Another wanted the giraffe cushion. I said she could have it if she booked a holiday!”
The sofa area looks comfortable, and I can see the appeal of sitting there with a glossy travel brochure, glass of prosecco or cup of coffee in hand.
“We don’t offer customers a drink the minute they walk in, but if it seems like they genuinely want to spend time in the store, chat to us and read our brochures, then we use our discretion,” explains Fensom.
The team clearly feel at home in intu and with sales off to a strong start, the Kuoni store should become a firm institution in Bromley.
“We have the right environment around us in terms of shops,” says Fensom. “It’s much better to be here than out on the high street, it’s more inviting. On a wet day, the high street is like a ghost town.”
However, once December comes, she may well change her tune: “I’m a bit bah humbug when it comes to Christmas,” she laughs. “You can’t escape the Christmas music in a shopping centre like this. Our doors are always open but if Father Christmas is singing outside, I may have to close them!”
