DDi - October 2013 - (Page 20)

20 | Design Snapshot Foodie heaven Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver extends his brand into retail By Robert Hocking | October 2013 Photos: Courtesy of Jamie Oliver Holdings Ltd. F ifteen years after being discovered as a sous chef in a documentary on somebody else, few people exposed to Jamie Oliver’s odd blend of boy-next-door charm can help but buy what he’s selling. And he’s selling a lot. A recent assessment of his net worth puts it at the $250 million mark. With 17 best-selling books to his name and more than 25 television programs, including several immensely popular series, Jamie Oliver has created what retailers dream of—an army of people who believe the voice of the brand and are ready to line up to purchase the next offer. So what better initiative than launching a retail concept, in this case Recipease, as a fulfillment channel for all that good will. Recipease debuted with a single location several years ago in a U.K. “B” market, but after taking time to trial and error, the concept is being launched in multiple locations, including upscale locales in London—most recently Notting Hill. Designed with whimsy, the store offers a bakery, deli, food to go, and housewares that surround a central experiential feature—a cooking school. Oliver’s inspiration for the store came from a belief that while there’s growing interest in food, people are still nervous about how to cook and need inspiration. In a statement, Oliver said Recipease is about “serving a neighborhood through a store where the heart is about teaching and empowering the public around how to cook better.” He simplifies the concept by describing it as “a cooking school with lovely things bolted onto it.” Neither pure retail nor pure cooking school, the stores offer a place to chill, a place to eat, a place to buy more Jamie Oliver-branded products, and a place to live the Oliver dream of making better food for you. The concept is interesting because it encourages people to step-in by getting them to buy-in to a healthier way of eating. If Oliver really wanted to flex his brand muscles, he could easily be the curator for an expanded range of both fresh and packaged products—perhaps it’s already in the works? www.ddionline.com http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - October 2013

DDi - October 2013
Contents
From the Editor
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Editor’s Choice
Design Snapshot
Restoration Hardware (RH)
Converse
American Express
State of the Retail Design Industry 2013
Right Light
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds

DDi - October 2013