Client

JoJo Maman Bebe’s Kingston-upon-Thames store opened in 2010 and fast became one of their best performing. The UK’s leading boutique mother and baby brand prides itself on putting the customer first and has an unrivalled insight into the needs of mums-to-be and parents with babies and young children. The company’s property portfolio is self-funded and strategically managed by an in-house team. 

Problem

Despite the store’s fantastic location and bright sunny first floor showroom, footfall to the upper retail floor, home of the maternity department, was disappointing.  The team knew that making this space more accessible to pregnant women and those with buggies and young children could unlock the store’s full potential.  Maximising valuable retail merchandising space, tight budgets and the impact of closing the store for building works were key considerations in finding a solution.

Solution

Following site visits by an Evolifts representative to assess the viability of a platform lift, an EVO500S was specified. It has a sufficiently large footprint to cater for parents with buggies and toddlers in tow but at the same time it would not have a detrimental effect on hanging space.   The EVO500S platform lift was positioned so that it was highly visible to customers and glass panels made it feel welcoming.  Installation took just three days, following which the JoJo team further customised their new lift with a beautiful child-friendly internal mural which reflected the brand perfectly.

Louise Jones, Property & Project Manager at JoJo Maman Bebe commented: “In many ways this was an affordable experiment because this was the first platform lift that we have put into one of our stores. It is early days but we have already benefited from a sales uplift in the region of 25% and, importantly, received great feedback from our customers, so we are confident of a long term positive impact.  For us, the platform lift was a straightforward, flexible and cost-effective solution which was capable of being installed quickly.  From the outset, I was impressed by Evolifts’ dynamic and enthusiastic approach – I knew they would respond fast and work well in partnership with my own team. I am already discussing options for further stores with Evolifts.”