Smith & Sinclair to launch experiential retail concession at John Lewis flagship Oxford Street s
The Edible Cocktail innovators push the boundaries of retail with an interactive in-store experience plus announce a deal to stock products across an additional 18 John Lewis stores Smith & Sinclair are set to unveil a truly innovative retail experience at John Lewis' flagship Oxford Street store to put the fun back into shopping next month. Playing on the senses, customers will discover the world of Smith & Sinclair through thermal reactive surfaces, scent diffusing walls and animated light features. The concession will sell Smith & Sinclair's renowned alcoholic Edible Cocktails in a completely new way, as shoppers are invited to create their own - with a very adult take on the classic pick 'n' mix. A fully stocked cocktail bar will be on hand to offer a tipple for anyone looking to take a time out from their shop. Launching on 27th October the concession is part of a bigger partnership between Smith & Sinclair and the UK retailer, which will see its full range of selection boxes available at 18 additional John Lewis branches nationwide including Cardiff, Cambridge, Liverpool and Stratford plus online via John Lewis' website.
Never afraid to push the boundaries with its products and retail experiences, Smith & Sinclair's concession at John Lewis marks another big milestone for the London company that has skyrocketed since its launch just three years ago. Its range of Edible Cocktails blurred the lines between alcohol and confectionery, encouraging adults to play again, evolved further in 2015 with the Flavour Rooms concept; an alcoholic take on a candy store on Carnaby Street where Smith & Sinclair first made waves on the high street. Following on from the success of the Flavour Rooms and the recent announcement of the Flavour Gallery, the company is now proud to launch a partnership with leading UK retailer John Lewis, where it will launch its first concession, with the aim of creating an exciting and engaging shopping experience. Smith & Sinclair will look beyond the visual experience and excite all of the senses to take the retail experience to the next level.
The in-store concession at John Lewis Oxford Street will run from October to January 2018 and will create an interactive environment for customers to play with Smith & Sinclair like never before. Made by Fred Godfrey and developed in collaboration with retail design agency Mynt, renowned for their work with Nike and Polar, the space has been designed with the whole customer journey in mind. Everything from the lighting, materials, layout and scent has been considered with a meticulous attention to detail employed across the entire space. Thermal ink has been used in the creation of the intimate bar area, which will reveal colours to touch as shoppers sit and drink a cocktail or wait for their shopping to be gift wrapped. At the Edible Cocktails pick 'n' mix station, customers will be able to sample what they see by pushing pastille buttons that diffuse scents before choosing their desired flavours.
Oxford Street store customers will exclusively be able to buy individually wrapped Edible Cocktails in Berry Daiquiri, Spiced Rum, Elderflower Spritz, Gin & Tonic, Rhuby Mule, Long Island ‘High Tea’, Whisky Sour and Godson. John Lewis' Oxford Street store will also become the only destination where customers will be able to build their own Smith & Sinclair Gift Box, allowing adults to pick 'n' mix with a kick. Across another 18 John Lewis Stores, customers will be able to purchase Edible Cocktails in either 8 or 16 Gift Boxes only.
Speaking about the John Lewis partnership, co-founder Melanie Goldsmith says: "With the launch of our rebrand we wanted to work with a retail partner that truly understood what Experience Retail is and how mission critical it is for brands to bring to life their products through the senses. We couldn't be more excited for our customers to see what we've been working on for the last year in product development, packaging and our live communications in-store. We want everything from point of purchase through to gift receipt to be a moment of pleasure, indulgence and excitement and feel that will 100% be the case with our John Lewis partnership." Rachel Costello, Gift Food Buyer at John Lewis elaborated further: "We're proud to welcome Smith & Sinclair to John Lewis, a company with such commitment to innovation, discovery and one that matches our ethos of experiential retail. We've never seen or tasted anything like this before and we look forward to working together to redefine the product experience with these one of a kind offerings."
The news of Smith & Sinclair partnership with John Lewis follows a recent update of flavours and gift options of the company's full range of alcoholic Edible Cocktails. Each pastille is now individually wrapped in pick 'n mix-inspired single serves, which are available in beautiful new premium gift boxes of eight and sixteen. All packaging features bold new artwork that is influenced by the molecular composition of each alcoholic spirit used in Smith & Sinclair's creations (gin, vodka, whisky and rum) and will be made available at John Lewis.
