Heathrow, the UK’s hub airport, has announced the opening of the world’s first Personal Shopping Lounge in an airport.
On the occasion, Heathrow also revealed the findings of fresh research on the nation’s shopping bugbears – and maps the evolution of the new social media shopper.
The survey confirmed that the number of visitors to city high-streets has been declining in recent years. The most hated high-street grievances include crowded stores (70 per cent), items being out of stock (51 per cent), constant queuing (42 per cent) and messy piles of clothes (37 per cent).
Heathrow’s new study found that clothing shoppers today value social media as one of their most frequently used sources of fashion inspiration – turning to Facebook (54 per cent) and Twitter (24 per cent) for style tips rather than Pinterest (22 per cent), Instagram (20 per cent) or YouTube (19 per cent). Passengers spent £1.8bn per year on perfumes, clothing, scarves, sunglasses, jewellery, watches, bags and small leather goods from over 140 brands, it found.
Following the research findings and investigating both on- and offline trends, Heathrow introduced the world’s first personal shopping lounge in an airport, which is available for all passengers flying through Heathrow, irrespective of their class of travel.
Max Vialou-Clark, Retail Director at Heathrow said, ‘Our shopping habits are evolving, we’re now looking for that quick fashion fix more often, more socially connected and with a more bespoke or personal feel. As a result of these trends, we’ve launched our Personal Shopping Lounge for the 73 million passengers a year that pass through our doors. Now everyone can enjoy VIP treatment, whether you’re a business traveller on the go or are just hunting for that perfect gift.’
With a team on hand speaking a combined 38 languages, Heathrow’s international personal shopping team presents a selection of products from over 400 outlets. Customers booking an appointment in advance can enjoy personal appointments with an accredited stylist in Heathrow’s dedicated suite, free of charge.
