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05
Jun
Sneak Peek: a look around Søstrene Grene in Harrogate
Cult Danish homeware brand Søstrene Grene is to open its new store in Harrogate town centre tomorrow (Friday).
Sixteen new jobs have been created at the Cambridge Street shop, will be the firm’s 49th branch in the UK. The fast-growing chain now has more than 300 stores across northern Europe.
Jonathan Cooper, the company's UK joint venture partner, said:
Harrogate is an iconic town in the heart of Yorkshire, rich in history, with the ideal demographics for a craft-focused brand like Søstrene Grene. It felt like a natural step for the brand.
Søstrene Grene sells a wide range of items, including home goods, craft materials, stationery and gifts, and has built an enthusiastic following among customers drawn to Scandinavian design and natural materials.
In common with some other Scandinavian chains such as Ikea and Flying Tiger, its stores are laid out with a one-way “maze” configuration, so that customers are led past every stock item in the shop.
Lighting is low and classical music plays to encourage customers to take their time.
The Stray Ferret was granted a sneak peek of the new store before its grand opening ceremony tomorrow, which will feature a violinist and ballet dancers.
Here’s what you can expect in the new store when it opens at 9.59am tomorrow.
The lighting is low and directional.
There's a wide selection of kitchenware.
Customers go through the store along a one-way route.
Items for sale include stationery, sweets, skateboards and art supplies.
The store is known for its selection of craft supplies.
The price labels are handwritten using Danish-style numerals.
The journey through the store ends just after the sweets, at the wrapping station and tills.
Søstrene Grene’s headquarters are in Aarhus – Denmark’s second-largest city – but its global flagship store, which was opened in March, is on Argyll Street, just off Oxford Street in London.
Søstrene Grene is Danish for “the Grene sisters”. The company is owned by the Grene family, but the sisters, Anna and Clara, are fictional characters used in the company’s marketing narratives.
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