George at Asda trials new look stores

The clothing brand has reworked its shop-in-shops in Bolton and Fosse Park, Leicester to better display products, improve navigation and allow different types of shoppers to use the section easily.

George at Asda has cleared the first 16ft of each store and given over the space to display models and plasma screens to display fashion shows and product designs.

The stores have been designed to allow some shoppers to browse more fashionable clothes while others can quickly locate functional clothing including schoolwear. They also feature improved lighting, new flooring and different rails.

The Bolton trial began six months ago while Fosse Park opened last week, rocketing from 12^th to first in George’s best performing stores.

George hopes to roll out the format to further stores later this year.

George executive managing director Andrew Moore told Retail Week: “We are creating a more spacious, more contemporary and pleasurable place to shop in.

“We are now looking at customer feedback and how we roll these new stores out.”

George is to open its first franchise stores in the Channel Islands in the next two weeks and will open in the Middle East this summer. The brand will also be exported to 47 stores in Chile.

Rivals Tesco this week opened its first store in Saudi Arabia for its own label F&F brand. The franchise store in Haifa Mall in Jeddah is the first of the F&F franchise stores announced by Tesco earlier this year.

Moore said George is looking to “dial up” its credibility in terms of fashion and is benefitting from the acquisition of the sourcing division of Turkish supplier GAAT this month.

George has cut the lead time on a large number of lines, allowing it to react to the forecast poor weather throughout May.