The UK’s best independent department store has been named – with its six restaurants, beauty treatment suite and own cheese room propelling it to the title for the second year in a row. While a raft of independent traders have come and gone over the years, Jarrolds has remained at the same Norwich premises for an incredible 210 years.
It had already been running for 45 years when it moved into its iconic London Street store – the same year as Napoleon’s final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. In that year, John Nash had only just started designing another iconic shopping destination, London’s Regent Street, and Jarrolds had to contend with the first of many economic shockwaves – the introduction of the Corn Laws. Its 255-year survival owes much to its ability to “reimagine what we do”, says Jarrolds’ managing director for retail, John Adams.
“What we’ve been doing over the last five or six years is just trying to reimagine what a department store is,” says Mr Adams, after winning best independent department store at the Drapers Independents Awards for the second year in a row.
While the shop still sells an array of iconic brands, such as Charlotte Tilbury and Trinny London beauty products, its response to the explosion of online shopping is to offer experiences that Amazon cannot match.
Alongside wine bars in its own food hall, a seafood restaurant and an eatery offering woodfired pizza and fresh pasta, it has converted old offices into beauty treatment rooms.
It has made the most of Norfolk’s renowned produce by stocking its deli with the very best homegrown food, has provided pop-up space for local entrepreneurs, and offers a loyalty scheme with more than 200 members.
The changes mean it arguably offers vastly more experiences than a John Lewis, with some even nicknaming Jarrolds’ five-floor premises the “Harrods of Norwich”.
One of its big successes has been its “build your own gift hamper” service, while its £165 Spoil Yourself package includes a one-hour massage, 30-minute facial, and a manicure and pedicure.
Mr Adams says the dramatic changes have driven footfall to the store at a time when many businesses have struggled to attract customers in the modern internet age.
“I think where some department stores have struggled is actually just keeping their levels of footfall up,” he says.
“We’re trying to sort of blend shopping and experiences together. Things like hospitality and food and delis have driven a lot more footfall into the business, and it’s because of that footfall that we’ve been able to attract really good partners to work with.”
Judges for the Drapers awards praised Jarrolds’ commitment to innovation, describing the store as “a gem of the town with its dynamic and experience-led destination that blends heritage with forward-thinking retail”.
Mr Adams adds: “One of the challenges you have running a department store is the constant need for refreshing and investing.
“I think why some businesses in the past have perhaps struggled and failed is because they haven’t kept investing in them.
“We’re lucky enough to have a very supportive family shareholding, supporting the business, and they’ve invested in it really strongly over the last five to 10 years.
“It’s significant investments to do these things, but, actually, if you don’t do it, you won’t survive.
“We’re always out there looking for the new next thing to do. We call ourselves a 250-year-old start-up – we’ve got a very entrepreneurial spirit and are always looking for something different and new to do.”
