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The winners of two awards celebrating the achievements of department stores were announced last Thursday (June 1) at the World Department Store Forum (WDSF) in Toronto.
UK department store group Selfridges scooped the World’s Best Department Store Campaign prize for its ‘EveryBODY’ campaign, which marked the opening of the retailer’s Body Studio at its flagship branch on London’s Oxford Street.
This award recognises the role of in-store campaigns to create footfall and increase conversion rates and sales, as well as to connect with existing and new customers.
The Body Studio, opened in April 2016, is the largest retail space ever opened by Selfridges. At 37,000sq ft, it presents over 150 brands and more than 30,000 different styles, edited ‘to revolutionise the way that women shop for bodywear’.
‘A healthy mind in a healthy body’ approach underpinned the agenda at the core of the EveryBODY campaign and included the transformation of Selfridges’ dedicated 3,500sq ft special events space, the Ultralounge, into a work-out studio.
The campaign was represented online on Selfridges.com and across the UK with an integrated out-of-home, print and digital ad campaign.
This was co-created by award-winning Royal Ballet choreographer Wayne McGregor and shot by acclaimed international fashion photographer Norbert Schoerner.
To support the campaign, Selfridges also created an award-winning short film directed by Kathryn Ferguson. Entitled ‘Incredible Machines’, it explores the unseen relationships that five women have with their bodies and undergarments.
Selfridges’ social channels continued the conversation with #bodytalk and provided extended reach for in-store experiences with live video.
EveryBODY also aimed to highlight Selfridges’ customer ethos that ‘everybody is welcome’, through the presentation of diversity, inclusivity and the concept of togetherness via a community or a group.
This message is based on founder Harry Selfridge’s business objective to make every customer, whatever their background, feel welcome in his store.
Selfridges managing director Anne Pitcher commented: “We’re very proud of our EveryBODY campaign and how well it was received, both in the UK and internationally.
“Winning this award is extra special, as it has been given by our peers within the industry and recognises a pivotal component of Selfridges DNA – that everybody is welcome.”
The finalists for this award were ‘Enjoy The Front Row’ by La Rinascente in Italy and ‘Give Registry’ by Myer in Australia.
Meanwhile, the title of ‘World’s Best Sales Associate at a Department Store’ was bestowed on Sergio Diaz, a personal shopper from Al Tayer/Harvey Nichols in Dubai.
This award honours exceptional performance by a sales associate in fulfilling customers’ expectations, commitment beyond duty, product knowledge, teamwork and commercial results.
The other finalists were Angela Diaz from Brown Thomas in Ireland and Shannon Luloff from Neiman Marcus in the US.
WDSF 2017 was organised by the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores (IGDS) in collaboration with Canadian retailer Holt Renfrew.
IGDS is the largest association of department stores worldwide with 41 members from 38 countries on five continents.
On a biennial basis, WDSF gathers department stores from all over the world and their global brands, suppliers and partners. The Forum addresses issues of department store retailing from both a visionary and strategic point of view.
Selfridges award-winning ‘EveryBODY’ campaign, shot by Norbert Schoerner and choreographed by Wayne McGregor
