Continuing our Holiday 2019 series, our Global Holiday Cities reports feature exciting and innovative stores, events and marketing campaigns by retailers in three cities: New York, London and Shanghai. In this report, we feature highlights from London.

Top Holiday Retail Stores, Events and Campaigns in London

[caption id="attachment_101538" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The new Vans flagship store on Oxford Street
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]  

Vans’ Nightmare Before Christmas

The new Vans flagship store on Oxford Street features a Disney’s Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas-themed Instagrammable entrance, in which visitors can take and share photos on social media such as Instagram and tag their upload using the @vans_europe handle. The new store was opened in late November and features a “lab” to customize products. [caption id="attachment_101540" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The new Vans flagship store on Oxford Street
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   St Pancras and King's Cross Offer Brands to Festive Travelers Led by the adjacent St Pancras and King's Cross stations, railway station retail has been revolutionized in London over the past decade. St Pancras, in particular, can lay claim to becoming a local shopping destination in its own right, with an array of stores from lifestyle brands, from Nespresso to Kate Spade; downsized department stores John Lewis and Fortnum & Mason; and, apparel and beauty stores including Ted Baker, Joules, Chanel, MAC and L’Occitane. These stores tap into consumers travelling for the holidays and looking for gifts—including people headed to continental Europe on the Eurostar. These two central London stations are also home to numerous popup stores. For the holiday season, St Pancras is hosting popups from Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle fragrance, railway model brand Hornby and apparel brand White Stuff. The station concourse features a striking La View Est Belle Eiffel Tower model which includes 1,500 bottles of the La Vie Est Belle fragrance. King's Cross hosts a popup for the Rituals beauty brand. [caption id="attachment_101541" align="aligncenter" width="700"] La Vie Est Belle popup at St Pancras
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_101542" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Rituals popup at Kings Cross
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_101543" align="aligncenter" width="700"] White Stuff popup at St Pancras
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   Selfridges’ Future Fantasy Future Fantasy: A Christmas For Modern Times is this years’ Selfridges Christmas theme, which spans its iconic shop windows, its Santa events and events at its still-new FAO Schwarz. The 4^th floor boasts an FAO Schwarz toy shop, opened in late October which features attractions including a large piano mat that visitors can play by walking on it. The 4^th floor also features inspiration for gift ideas, such as personalized jewelry made to order in store in 15 minutes, or customized socks the shopper can personalize using their own photos. On the ground floor, visitors find art installation The House that recreates a domestic space designed by US artist Daniel Arsham—and which also displays shoppable products. [caption id="attachment_101545" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Selfridges shop window
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_101546" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Jewelry personalization at Selfridges
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_101547" align="aligncenter" width="480"] FAO Schwarz at Selfridges
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   Harrods’ Christmas Trail Iconic London department store Harrods features The Kingdom of Christmas Trail, an augmented reality function available in store through the Harrods Christmas app, which enables shoppers to visualize Christmas creatures including owls and bears floating and moving around the shop floor carrying presents. In addition, select customers only can visit The Secret Forest, a by appointment-only Santa’s grotto developed in collaboration with jewelry maker Swarovski. [caption id="attachment_101548" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The Kingdom of Christmas Trail at Harrods
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   John Lewis’s Winter Carnival On Oxford Street, department store John Lewis transformed its roof garden into a winter carnival, with a curling lane and a claw machine (both sponsored by Google), a pop-up restaurant called The Carnival Diner, and “carnival houses”—themed cabins available for booking for drinks, meals or events. Elsewhere in the Oxford Street store:

• On December 11, the store hosted an evening of shopping, special offers and live music—exclusively for those who responded to the retailer’s invitation.
• Product personalization was offered by Nestlé chocolate brand Quality Street, which again hosted a space for shoppers to pick and mix a chocolate selection and personalize the tins.

The holiday season offering cements John Lewis’s position as an experience-rich retailer. [caption id="attachment_101549" align="aligncenter" width="700"] John Lewis’s Winter Carnival
Source: John Lewis[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_101550" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Quality Street personalization point in John Lewis, Oxford Street
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]