Our take on what is new and noteworthy in the retail and hospitality project management world
What’s the Difference?
As a construction project management and cost consultancy specialising in retail, leisure and restaurant fit-outs we want to show why our way of working is different. Clients don’t tend ask us this question outright. Neither do candidates. If they did, this is what we’d say….
“The answer is always yes, until we can unequivocally prove that it might be a no”.
This is the DECON mindset. It is a philosophy born from putting the client’s vision and needs at the forefront of all our decision-making processes. We work with our clients, not for them. We are pro-active and focus our energy on solutions, not problems. We take full, end-to-end responsibility for the projects we deliver. The proof is in the pudding: a technical design, project management and cost consultancy that retains its client base year on year and has doubled in size three years running.
What does this mindset mean for the way we work?
First and foremost, pace. We are known for gathering the information required to resolve the complex technical questions that enable clients to make decisions quickly. We don't over-engineer sites; our in-house knowledge is sufficiently strong to ensure we always take the most cost-effective approach for our client without exposing a project to risk.
What about the team - how do we apply the presumption in favour of “yes” internally?
It’s received wisdom that the only way to secure a meaningful pay rise is to change jobs. But from DECON’s point of view as an employer investing considerable time into recruitment, team wellbeing and company culture it would be very poor practice to accept this as an immutable fact of life that is beyond our power to influence.
As we have grown we have identified the need for individual development plans for every member of the team, spearheaded by People & Development Manager Alice Jan-Janin We expect everyone to map out their next steps within the business and will work with them to help them to achieve their ambitions within a clearly defined timeframe.
We also recognise that by saying “yes” to our team, we have the opportunity to attract and retain the future stars by enhancing what we offer in addition to market-leading salaries and career development.
At the end of January, on “Blue Monday”, we launched our Wellbeing & Culture initiative, to find out what would help to improve people’s experience of working at DECON, from better parental leave to more team socials, gym membership and season ticket loans. The votes gave us great insight into what matters most to people and we’re now looking at financial and practical considerations to determine what we can implement straightaway and what will require further planning. We believe that making the team part of the conversation and making every effort to answer their needs means we will be able to equip ourselves with the best talent our industry has to offer.
CEO & Founder Alex Chapman commented:
“I founded DECON in 2018 because I identified a gap in the market for a truly client-sided consultancy. One that treats our clients’ businesses and development pipelines as though they are our own and seeks to find a way to say yes and overcome obstacles. We always put ourselves in our clients’ shoes and look at a scenario from their point of view, rather than the standard industry perspective, driving efficiencies and de-risking investments. This philosophy is helping us to build a reputation for excellence in our industry, attracting clients and candidates alike”.
The DECON Difference
We admire brands that set out to solve problems – it’s what we do every day as retail, hospitality and leisure Project Managers, Cost Consultants and Technical Designers. Everyone on our team has client-side experience; we think this means we work a little differently to some of our competitors as we understand the full spectrum of challenges and pressures that go with getting premises opened on time, within budget and to the highest standards.
If you’d like to discuss how we can help you to put your brand’s point of difference at the heart of your property and retail strategy get in touch with Sarah: sarah@deconpm.com.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s?
April 2025
A recent DECON project for Temperley London included the installation of a Champagne bar within the retail space of the brand’s Sloane Street flagship.
Was this a whimsical one-off, or part of a trend? We decided to investigate.
In this piece we’ll be looking at some of the luxury brands that are blurring the boundaries between retail and hospitality to generate interest, nurture desire and drive exploration.
The Art of Hospitality
Good hospitality is the art of looking after people; it represents an opportunity for a luxury retailer to connect with a broader range of customers – including those who are not currently in the market for its best-known, high ticket, items – while welcoming them as guests and maintaining brand prestige across its premium lines. There’s a natural fit to take advantage of; the attention to detail, creativity and quest for precision and perfection espoused by heritage fashion and jewellery houses translates harmoniously into the rituals, ceremonies and presentation style that characterise memorable dining experiences.
Accessible Luxury
Thomas’s café, opened in 2019 at Burberry’s first ‘social retail’ store in Shenzhen, China, is enduringly popular with shoppers hankering for a café experience in a Burberry context. The first Thomas’s was opened in the Regent Street flagship in 2015 to give customers the chance to enjoy the world of Burberry in a more social environment, according to Christopher Bailey, CEO at the time. It’s a chance for a wider spectrum of customers to buy into a luxury brand at an accessible, experiential level, in the same way as shoestring visitors to Venice might choose to treat themselves to the experience of a €12 cappuccino at the celebrated Caffè Florian in St Mark’s Square, with the orchestra playing in the background.
The Flagship Factor
Luxury fashion retailer Browns looked to the future of retail when it opened its Brook Street flagship in the heart of Mayfair in 2015 by giving its customers reasons to visit and offering hospitality once they’re there. The restaurant, now led by Michelin-starred Alexis Gauthier - of Gauthier Soho which became fully vegan in 2015 - champions the best in plant-based culinary innovation. The third floor also houses a bar.
On nearby Bond Street, Ralph’s Coffee at Ralph Lauren spills out invitingly on the pavement. The first shop opened in 2014 on 55th Street, NYC and has since evolved into a brand in its own right, with cafés, trucks, kiosks and trikes around the world and a collection of merch, from caps to ceramics and reusable cups.
Food & Fashion: Firm Friends
In some respects there is nothing new here beyond a recognition that food and drink have an immediacy and a pulling power that both transcend a luxury brand’s core inventory and invite a different audience to dip its toe into the brand experience, without diluting its fundamental raison d’être. Nicole Farhi’s former Bond Street store housed Nicole’s in the basement, a restaurant and bar that was always popular with the fashion pack in the 1990s and 2000s; a glass or two of Champagne at Harvey Nichols’s Fifth Floor represented an opportunity to make like Patsy and Edina, even if we weren’t always leaving with armfuls of the signature white and silver bags full of Lacroix.
Whether it’s to encourage a broader audience to experience a luxury brand or to tempt shoppers to linger for longer within an environment, we’re looking forward to seeing what’s next for the marriage of fashion and food.
Get in touch with Associate Director Sarah McKenna to find out more about our hospitality, restaurant and fashion retail project management and cost consultancy experience.
sarah@deconpm.com
What’s the point of retail tech?
March 2025
You’re ordering a coffee. Do you want a human to take your order and turn it into a product, or would you rather input the information into a screen or an app on your phone yourself?
If the digital route offered an identical product for a lower price, would that make a difference?
What is the price is the same, irrespective of the means of acquisition?
This month we’re diving into the use of tech in hospitality and retail. We’ll explore some of the pros and cons of manned and un-manned set-ups, look at how new-to-market and seasoned operators are responding and get some insight into what customers want.
The Social Element
Serial sector investor Luke Johnson, whose back catalogue includes Pizza Express, The Ivy, Le Caprice, Giraffe, Patisserie Valerie and GAIL’s, gave his view recently, arguing that we benefit in intangible ways from the “loose attachments with the staff” who serve us. If people are going to make the effort to leave the house and go out, “the social element that lies at the heart of the hospitality industry” is more important than ever, Johnson avers. At Starbucks, CEO Brian Niccol seems to be singing from the same hymn sheet, telling shareholders that the company’s future will be reliant on the resurrection of “the coffee house vibe”, with baristas “empowered to take care of customers”.
Seamless efficiency?
As part of its store renewal programme, Marks & Spencer has replaced a canteen-style, self-serve format with ordering via screens or customers’ phones using a QR code at each table, on the basis that “the new operating model allows for a seamless ordering process and improved speed”. Presumably it also enables the business to run the cafés more efficiently, with a lower headcount - an important consideration given the forthcoming changes to employer national insurance. As the rollout of the new café format continues it will be interesting to see how M&S’s core customer base responds, whether there is a value, perceived or otherwise, in being able to look at different options before choosing what you would like and whether sales are impacted by a lower level of impulse purchases.
Also from M&S, an unequivocally brilliant new initiative, at least for the honest shopper: checkouts in the changing room area. The aim is to have this implemented in more than 100 shops by early 2028. This feels like a very easy win – disrupting the customer journey in an entirely positive way - provided shrinkage levels do not rise as a result, of course.
The case for tech in QSR
Tech is arguably very well suited to the QSR sector. We can see that in leading operators such as McDonalds in the UK, where customers tend to know exactly what they want, over 50% of orders are placed digitally, although the brand has taken care not to force this method at the expense of the traditional in-person route.
In February, Itsu rowed back on tech, announcing its intention to add more staffed tills back into stores, after rolling out 600 kiosks in six months. The brand has always been at the forefront of tech innovation among its fast-food stablemates, introducing robots in the kitchens to create its sushi dishes with meticulous precision. Automation has its merits – as Founder Julian Metcalfe put it, robots “don’t go on holiday and they don’t work from home”, but at £100,000 apiece they are an investment that might make sense for a Japanese-inspired restaurant group but will not be universally suitable.
What about restaurants?
In a recent visit to growing Modern Indian restaurant brand Kricket, the business of paying the bill was managed via a QR code on the table that enabled us to split the amount as required. It felt like an intelligent and elegant deployment of technology – quick, efficient and freeing up staff to interact with diners in more important ways, as our excellent waitress did when advising which dishes were nut-free and which could be adapted to suit our needs. In the US, where some of our team were earlier in the month with a new client, we noted that a rather more old-fashioned process is common when it comes to settling the bill and adding the all-important tip amount manually, with pen and paper.
In summary
Were it not for the challenging operating conditions and the forthcoming increase in employers’ national insurance, we would suggest with a reasonable degree of confidence that customer demand means that a blend of tech and in-person ordering is the most likely direction of travel for the majority of retailers and hospitality operators. As it stands, we will have to wait and see.
If you’d like to find out more about DECON’s project management, design and cost consultancy work with restaurateurs and hospitality brands, get in touch with Sarah McKenna: sarah@deconpm.com
An interview with Alice Temperley
Jan 2025
In November 2024 DECON, working with Nick Leith-Smith Architecture & Design, opened the new Sloane Street flagship of Temperley London for our client Alice Temperley, Creative Director of her eponymous label. Alice was kind enough to give us an insight into the role of the store, her vision for her brand, the importance of location and her experience of working with our Founder Alex Chapman and Senior Project Co-ordinator William Seabrook.
What is the role of the store for Temperley?
The store is where our vision for the brand comes to life - where our customers can immerse themselves in the world of Temperley. It gives us the space to show our collections to best advantage and offer a warm welcome in person and it’s vital for occasions such as bridal fittings, providing tailoring and alternations services, personal shopping and events. We chose our architectural designer and project management team carefully as we know how important this flagship is and are delighted with the result.
What was your vision for the store?
To act as a stage set, conveying the brand’s signature ethos and bohemian romanticism and blending our Somerset heritage with London flair. In the simplest terms, my vision for the store is for it to be the place where our customers can see and touch the product. It might sound obvious but given the omni-channel landscape we now inhabit, it feels like a point worth making. We have two rooms of equal size across two floors, with ready-to-wear on the ground floor and bridal, evening, bespoke and VIP downstairs. Our bar serves Champagne and our family cider and brandy. There is a focus on the details that contribute to the theatrical mood, with full length curtains, Turkish carpets, leopard-print furniture and oversized chandeliers.
How important was the Sloane Street location specifically?
At Temperley London we champion slow fashion, skilled hand-work and artisanal craft. Our timeless styles can take years to create and we encourage re-wearing and repairing, cherishing and treasuring these pieces. Our production runs are small, giving our team time, space and creative freedom. This commitment to creating garments responsibly and respectfully means that our collections sit at a certain price point, so it was important that the location was a suitable match for our customer base.
In terms of Sloane Street specifically, its rich history and heritage as a fashionable shopping destination and home to flagships of many of the world’s most famous fashion brands means it would always be a highly desirable location for us. The Cadogan Estate has invested in enhancements including wider pavements, planting, elegant street furniture and improved lighting, with artisan craftsmanship, quality materials and heritage detailing to lean into its unique character. Ultimately it feels like a very well-cared for space and a must-visit for lovers of luxury brands. We’re in good company.
Looking beyond Sloane Street, which markets are most important for the brand in terms of sales?
We are very fortunate to have loyal and devoted customers all around the world. Our store network is testament to this - sites in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are important beacons in the Middle East as twenty per cent of our sales comes from the region. We sell in the US, Italy, Japan, Central and South America, the Middle East, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey and Cyprus via stockists. A flagship for the US is next on the agenda, along with Milan.
Temperley is known first and foremost for its incredibly intricate, ornate, decorative dresses. Is there any opportunity to grow the brand in other categories?
We are looking at category expansion, from accessories, bags to footwear, lingerie and sleepwear. We’ll be collaborating with leading companies in each category, with items made from the finest quality textiles and fabrics.
How did DECON help your team to bring your vision to life?
There are a lot of moving parts in creating a new luxury retail destination. DECON was the glue holding the project together. Alex fixed problems quickly when they inevitably arose and Will ran the project on the ground - they were an excellent double act. They quickly established good working relationships with our architect, the contractor and consultants so we had the comfort of knowing the design concept was being executed faithfully and in a timely manner.
Would you recommend DECON to other design houses?
Yes. There is no way we would have got the store designed and built in time and on budget to the standard required had it not been for the DECON team who acted as a galvanising, driving force. The wider team recognised Alex’s expertise and authority and listened to him while Will was brilliant on the detail. They were a pleasure to deal with at all times and I feel I can rely on them absolutely.
If you’d like to find out more about DECON’s project management, retail design and cost consultancy work in fashion, get in touch with Sarah McKenna: sarah@deconpm.com
Once Upon A Time in Y2K...
Dec 2024
Juicy Couture's first international standalone store in eight years opened at Westfield Stratford City on 25th November. DECON was invited to partner with Batra Group, Juicy's UK & Europe licence holder, on concept and technical design, project management and cost consultancy.
We kicked the project off by casting our minds back to the late 90s and the status of the humble tracksuit...
They were for sporty types, right? PE teachers. School caretakers. Practical, warm, comfortable. Unobtrusive. Cut primarily for men, at the baggy end of loose. Relatively weatherproof gear for outdoor work. The end.
Then along came Juicy Couture, and changed everything.
Retaining the comfort factor, the design team threw out the rest. Starting with the very fabric of the garments - is anything more tactile than velour? - the brand took a line of apparel that is almost by definition shapeless and moulded it to fit the feminine physique, emphasising curves and teasing out an emphatically sexy silhouette. If Wonderbra were a tracksuit - hello, boys! - this is what it would look like. If Barbie wanted loungewear, she need look no further. Juicy built on this signature shape with adornments and embellishments that brought a lick of luxury and a soupçon of sophistication - it was the Noughties after all - to loungewear. Comfort and allure were no longer mutually exclusive - a fashion first and one that has been borrowed by numerous brands that have followed in Juicy’s wake, benefiting from its category-defining work.
At DECON we’ve been following the resurgence of Y2K brands closely - some of us are of a vintage that means we remember when they first burst onto the scene - so we jumped at the chance to collaborate with the team at Juicy on their first international standalone store in eight years at Westfield Stratford City, the beating heart of Gen Z retail.
The brand has a positivity and lust for life that feels particularly relevant to the confidence embodied by performers including Selena Gomez, Hailee Steinfeld, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter and Celeste; we sought to reflect this in the store environment, to create an essential destination for its fun-loving, take-no-prisoners customer. Femininity has certainly moved on since the Noughties; it’s tougher, more self-aware, empowered and uncompromising and the store environment captures this in abundance:
Sharp, architectural lines and linear slabs running throughout are a nod to the solidity of the established brand, its strength and dependability. This is overlaid with punk-influenced graphics and statements that are loud, proud and uncompromising
The centrepiece of the store is the huge Runway Table replete with futuristic mannequins who march with unwavering confidence, owning the space entirely and bringing all the poise of the catwalk to the 1,200 sq ft retail space
A pair of luxurious, powder-pink velvet curtains hang to the rear of the store, immediately giving the feel of a members-only or VIP area
A heady mix of baroque mirrors, curved shelving, a bellboy trolley to lend a hotel vibe and inviting, upholstered seating function as a blend of Juicy’s heritage and its triumphant return as a lifestyle brand with an irreverent attitude, a nostalgic, sophisticated style and a maximalist aesthetic
Natalie Cohen, Batra Group Commercial & Retail Manager, commented:
“Our brief to DECON was to embrace Juicy Couture’s NYC and LA heritage and reinvigorate it for a new generation: Y2K meets Brat Summer. This is the brand’s only standalone retail store in the UK, so it’s a destination for our audience and we’re delighted with the results: bold, dreamy, hero-ing our signature colours of pink, black and silver and embracing the ‘more is more’ mantra from the moment the store catches your eye from across the mall.”
Philip Marshall, Creative Director, DECON commented:
“Joining forces with Juicy Couture to create this store has been a joy. The team immediately understood the need for a close and collaborative relationship given the challenging budget and eight-week timeframe from briefing to opening day. DECON’s ability to offer concept and technical design and project management under one roof made for a smooth and seamless process. We’ve all benefitted from this experience and look forward to helping to create future retail spaces together.”
Still synonymous with its signature velour tracksuit, the brand is now delighting a new generation of young women with everything from accessories to lingerie, hoodies and pet wear. Long live Juicy Couture!
If you’d like to find out more about DECON’s project management, retail design and cost consultancy work in fashion, get in touch with Sarah McKenna: sarah@deconpm.com
What’s the point of retail estate?
Nov 2025
In the aftermath of Black Friday and in the light of the increased costs to operators resulting from last week's Budget we’re asking: what’s the point of physical retail?
In a world where we can order what we like, have it delivered and often returned if necessary free of charge using a convenient local facility, why do shops matter?
And more specifically, why are digital native brands choosing to open bricks and mortar, with all the stress, expense and staffing travails that such a move necessarily involves?
What happened pre-internet?
Looking back in time, brands such as Hotel Chocolat and The White Company used stores to reach a wider audience, acquire new customers and offer an experience that extended beyond the pages of their glossy, mail-order catalogues. Hotel Chocolat opened in Watford in 2004 while The White Company chose Sloane Square in 2001. Both worked with brand and interior design teams to bring their brand narrative to life in physical spaces. For The White Company, this meant creating a calm, orderly environment that evoked the feeling of a neat and well-stocked linen cupboard – it might not be customers’ daily reality, but it’s something many of us might aspire to. At Hotel Chocolat, the opportunity to prise the product off the page and put it into shoppers’ hands both maximised the enduring, universal appeal of the core product and highlighted how the iconic packaging works to make choosing and unboxing an integral part of the experience.
Back to today: Warby Parker
Fast forward 20 years and it’s digital native challenger brands across a variety of sectors who are taking on premises. In New York, eyewear seller Warby Parker is currently at 278 stores, with more to open by the end of 2024. We might assume that its bricks and mortar success is tied to customers’ desire to try frames in person but in fact it’s the eye examination service, only available in store, that drives sales most noticeably; 75% of prescription glasses are bought at the same location as the test. This successful store strategy is underpinned by market-leading website tools that mean customers can test frames virtually, if that’s their preference, with free delivery and returns.
... and On Running
In sportswear, Swiss fitness brand On Running is outclassing its performance brand competitors by tapping into the athleisure trend and taking the fight to established players in footwear. Its style credentials – minimalist and understated – keep the focus on the patented cushioning technology that delivers on what runners crave: more cushioning, more propulsion and added energy return. In a nod to their demographic’s sustainability expectations, materials are itemised as part of each shoe’s listing. And by way of acknowledgement to the power and value of brand, so is “Bold and distinctive design DNA”. On built on this ethos in its first physical store, an NYC flagship that opened in 2020 boasting gait analysis that transcended what was on offer elsewhere, claiming to offer the most accurate shoe measurement possible and helping its “community” to choose the perfect pair of runners. The business is now at 30+ sites globally and like Warby Parker, continues to offer free delivery and returns to customers choosing to purchase online.
Conclusions and takeaways
These four brands are all operating in different retail sectors. What do they all share, apart from the important competitive customer data and engagement advantages? What problems are they solving?
Hotel Chocolat made the core product exciting again. Chocolate was sold, by and large, as a commodity, not a mainstream luxury product. The market was ripe for disruption.
In a similar vein, The White Company’s take on affordable, everyday luxury means everyone can enjoy the dream of fresh bed linen, the illusion of order and perfection.
Warby Parker’s founders’ experience of buying glasses wasn’t easy, enjoyable or affordable so they responded with a brand that aims to leave customers “happy and good-looking with money in your pocket”.
On’s founders, all runners, doubled down on innovation, creating a new kind of fitness brand that bridges the gap between sportwear and everyday apparel while putting environmental considerations at the heart of their operations.
If you’d like to find out more about DECON’s project management, retail design and cost consultancy experience, get in touch with Sarah McKenna: sarah@deconpm.com