Reimagining Retail… and Reinventing the High Street

Nicola Frampton, Non-Executive Director of Frasers Group, is a strategic leader who is helping to drive the future of retail. She champions the company’s innovative approach to revitalising the high street, enhancing employee engagement, and blending digital and physical retail experiences.

By Nicola Frampton

As a Non-Executive Director at Frasers Group, I’m fortunate to be involved in a business that’s redefining retail and the high street. Our vision is bold: to build the world’s most admired and compelling retail ecosystem by partnering with the world’s best brands. We are committed to creating experiences that resonate with consumers, empower employees, and invigorate local economies.

The Power of the Shop Floor

I recently had the opportunity to spend a day working on the shop floor at our Cardiff store, an experience that has profoundly influenced my perspective as a leader. It was a valuable reminder that the success of any store is truly a team effort. Every individual, from the colleague managing stock deliveries to those dressing the mannequins (which, I’ll admit, requires more muscle than I expected) plays a vital role in creating a fantastic customer experience.

What stood out most, however, was just how much technology is transforming the way our teams work. Armed with handheld terminals, our store colleagues have instant access to stock management, enabling them to provide real-time information and offer digital tools like custom-sizing for items such as sports footwear. It’s a perfect blend of the human touch and technology working together to offer a personalised, efficient shopping experience.

Listening to Colleagues: A Path to Better Engagement

At Frasers Group, we recognise the importance of giving a voice to our store teams at leadership level. Through our “Your Company, Your Voice” initiatives, our people can provide direct feedback on everything from ideas to concerns. This feedback is reviewed by Cally Price, our Workforce Director and Workers’ Representative, who brings relevant issues to the board. For example, after listening to concerns about how retail sales bonuses were structured, we identified ways to improve accessibility and increase the quantum of bonuses, resulting in a significant improvement in engagement across our stores.

Having a representative of the workforce on the board is invaluable. Many of us at the executive level have come from diverse backgrounds, but not all of us have experienced the realities of working on the shop floor or in a warehouse. Cally Price brings an authentic voice from the ground up. Having originally joined the company as a casual sales assistant, she has worked her way up through the business to now sit on the board. Her perspective adds tremendous value to the strategic decisions we make, ensuring that we stay connected to our colleagues and the customers we serve.

Supporting Employees Beyond Pay

Whilst wages are, of course, important, we believe it’s equally vital to create an environment in which our employees can thrive. Frasers Group offers a variety of support structures, from wellbeing programs through the Retail Trust to physical fitness initiatives via our Frasers Fit program. We’re also committed to the development of our people, offering graduate programs and resources to help employees grow their careers.

That said, we are mindful of the broader economic context. The recent changes in National Living Wage and National Insurance Contributions present significant challenges for volume employers like Frasers. The speed and scale of these changes have made it harder for businesses to adapt without careful planning. In such times, it is more important than ever that we remain agile and continue to focus on the well-being of our employees while keeping a close eye on business sustainability.

Reimagining the High Street: The Vision

The high street has faced significant disruption in recent years, especially with the rise of e-commerce. But I firmly believe in the enduring power of physical retail, particularly when we can create an exciting, immersive experience. At Frasers Group, our vision is to elevate the high street and redefine what shopping can be. We are already doing this through Flannels – our luxury department stores that curate the best brands under one roof.

Historically, luxury retail has been London-centric, but we are transforming this by bringing these experiences to key provincial cities. The new Flannels flagship store in Leeds is an impressive addition to our portfolio, located on Briggate in the city centre. Stretching across 70,000 sq ft over six floors, it offers a wide range of luxury experiences. The store features contemporary designer fashion, a beauty retail concept, a luxury resale concept with our partner Sellier, a homeware section, a gym, and a café partner. It aims to redefine the luxury shopping experience in the region, creating 150 jobs while relocating 35 existing staff from our previous location in Leeds.

Our Flannels store in Liverpool is also a prime example of how we’re disrupting the traditional retail landscape. By offering a space that blends luxury with accessibility, we are making high-end retail experiences available to customers who may have never had access to them before. This approach aligns with our strategy to make premium brands available to consumers outside the capital.

The launch of these flagship stores, which also include Meadowhall flagship in Sheffield, signifies a bold evolution for Frasers Group, representing our strategy to reshape the luxury retail experience across the UK.

Flannels Liverpool extends to an impressive 120,000 square feet, sets a new standard by blending high-end fashion, beauty, wellness, and dining into one extraordinary space. It’s more than just a store — it’s an immersive destination that represents Flannels’ vision for the future of luxury retail.

The addition of a rooftop terrace with panoramic views of Liverpool further exemplifies the brand’s focus on delivering experiences that transcend traditional shopping. Dining options like Bacino and an upcoming rooftop brasserie are part of our broader vision to integrate lifestyle offerings into the heart of our stores.

Our next generation flagship in Sheffield merges the best of Frasers and Sports Direct under one roof, integrating high-end fashion with experiences that elevate the shopping journey. One of the store’s standout features is Sports Direct’s latest Outdoor concept which offers interactive elements like terrain testing for hiking footwear and a try-on area simulating trekking conditions. This hands-on approach allows customers to engage with products in a unique and immersive way solidifying Meadowhall as a hub for fresh, exciting shopping experiences.

Blending Technology with In-Store Experience

In an era when many physical retailers are struggling to compete with e-commerce, Frasers Group is taking a different approach by fusing the best of physical retail with the power of digital. Our vision for the high street is a space that feels dynamic and interactive—whether that’s through personalised shopping experiences powered by AI, the integration of digital tools to help customers find the right size and fit, or the use of social media to engage with shoppers in-store.

By focusing on more impactful store openings, we are investing in high-quality, large-scale destinations that provide customers with elevated shopping experiences. The upcoming Sports Direct flagship in Dublin, set to open later this year, will continue this strategy.