From decoration to product ranges, everything must stand out in the festive season for the right reasons. Rebecca Thomson and Simon James take a walk along Oxford Street to find out which retailers are providing the best customer experience.

Selfridges’ decorations were a standout Christmas winner on Oxford Street

It’s that time of year again – the lights are on, the tinsel is up, and retailers are doing their best to draw in shoppers. But which of the big flagships is doing the best job this Christmas?

Simon James, stores director at consultancy Athito, says this is the time to pull out all the stops – especially in the big London stores. “Retailers should be doing something special in the big stores at Christmas,” he says. “It shapes people’s view of that business.”

The economic environment remains tough this Christmas. Consumers are less than confident, spending is tight and every bit of cash must be coaxed out of their wallets. Retailers must do more than ever to persuade shoppers to part with money at a time when budgets are constrained. Providing a great customer experience during the peak period is a challenging, but achievable, goal. So many elements are crucial – everything from an excellent product range to great decorations and aisles wide enough for the crowds to navigate.

We take a look at which stores have got it right and those that cou

Selfridges, Oxford Street

Selfridges, Oxford Street

Selfridges, Oxford Street

Simon James’ verdict: “True, Selfridges has got the budget to do it, but I don’t think you can beat it as a shopping experience. It’s an amazingly stimulating environment where things are done with conviction and style.

And it’s always evolving. There’s usually a part of the shop closed off for rebuilding, although you don’t notice much. The store is quirky, creative, energising and exciting and the Christmas decoration was a class apart from everything else we saw. The decoration started outside with holly hedge cladding around the windows and was carried throughout the store.”

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ld do better.

Hamleys, Regent Street

Hamleys, Regent Street

Hamleys, Regent Street

Simon James’ verdict: “Hamleys’ windows are always presented with conviction and there’s always a lot of movement – this year, manufacturer Aurora has paid for its YooHoo toy animals to be displayed in all the windows. Hamleys had done a nice job and created depth. The Christmas theme was not overt but it was there – just enough to feel Christmassy. It was a good customer experience but there was not all that much about Christmas in store. The merchandising was very strong, there was plenty of product and lots of staff demonstrating toys around the store. There was a bit of buzz and atmosphere, and standards were very high when we visited early in the day.”

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Apple, Regent Street

Apple, Regent Street

Apple, Regent Street

Simon James’ verdict: “Apple is so successful that it doesn’t need to work as hard at Christmas as other retailers. The store didn’t create a Christmas mood, the window decoration was a token nod towards the season, and the theme was not taken through the store. But it was still a great place to shop. The customer experience was very interactive, and the service, as always, was truly excellent. The staff were enthusiastic and engaged and they were on the door to tell shoppers about an offer on that day. Plus, it’s a great place to buy gifts for just about the whole family. Apple has changed staff uniforms from blue to red, which was a nice touch.”

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BHS, Oxford Street

BHS, Oxford Street

BHS, Oxford Street

Simon James’ verdict: “The Christmas theme was quite straightforward, and for its target market BHS has done a good job. The windows were very seasonal, although the red was a little overdone, and the Christmas shop was immediately on the right as customers enter. It was quite substantial, and the retailer made it very easy to go in and find some gifts on a budget. The rest of the ground floor wasn’t as good as the Christmas shop, and the clothing side lacked both staff and excitement. But in a nice old-fashioned way BHS is doing Christmas and it’s in keeping with what the customer expects – value and price.”

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Urban Outfitters, Oxford Street

Urban Outfitters, Oxford Street

Urban Outfitters, Oxford Street

Simon James’ verdict: “The snowy windows were attractive and dragged shoppers into the store, but after that there was not a lot going on. It was an interesting store to shop – it personified the word eclectic – and there was a sense of discovery, but it was a little unstructured. There was not a lot of Christmas decoration. There were some tables with gift merchandise that looked good, but overall there was nothing special going on in store.”

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Topshop, Oxford Street

Topshop, Oxford Street

Topshop, Oxford Street

Simon James’ verdict: “The Batman-style graphics in the window grabbed the eye but the overall attitude seemed to be: “We’re a fashion retailer, so why would we need to be uncool and get out the tinsel?”.

The mannequins looked great and the clothes were excellent, but this is the biggest standalone fashion store in Europe and it didn’t feel like the windows hung together as a theme. It’s as though Topshop had given them to three different designers. In store, it was all about partywear for seasonal events, but there was very little evidence of Christmas itself. There were so many products that made buying presents on a budget easy, but it wasn’t a Christmassy set up at all. Operationally, Topshop was in control – it was very slick and there were lots of staff on hand, but there was no Christmas spirit.”

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Next, 201 Oxford Street

Next, 201 Oxford Street

Next, 201 Oxford Street

Simon James’ verdict: “This was a bit bland and unexciting. The mannequins in the window were well dressed but nothing really caught the eye. There were small Christmas trees, antlers and sledges but it lacked conviction. It’s a shame, as Next had some nice imagery in store, and if it had used it all over the shop it might have given more of a winter wonderland feel. This store was also a little difficult to shop. The danger was too much merchandise – the customer needs to be able to see the product clearly – it was claustrophobic. However, there was nothing wrong with the product merchandising and the way items were put together. Retailers want to increase density at this time of year so fixtures were taller, but this felt like a bit of a jungle.”

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John Lewis, Oxford Street

John Lewis, Oxford Street

John Lewis, Oxford Street

Simon James’ verdict: “The windows were good – they were seasonal, in keeping with the John Lewis brand and well executed. But in store, the decoration was a bit token. Standing by the door shoppers don’t see much that’s seasonal and the first impressions in store were a bit weak. John Lewis’ current success is a culmination of years of hard work. It is trusted and it has got a reputation for great service, but I don’t think it gave an exciting shopping experience on this occasion. The ground floor of the Oxford Street store doesn’t quite reflect why this business is flying – outside of the cosmetics department, it was not very exciting.

There was also not enough use of the Christmas advert throughout the store.”

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House of Fraser, Oxford Street

House of Fraser, Oxford Street

House of Fraser, Oxford Street

Simon James’ verdict: “House of Fraser had taken its decorations through the store very nicely. It was traditional but it told shoppers it’s Christmas and it was carried all the way down the walkways. It didn’t look naff or out of date and it was more convincing than its rivals. But Christmas is more than just the decorations, and the gift products weren’t coming through as strongly for me – there was nothing that interesting. On the first floor there was fashion, but again the retailer was not really pushing Christmas gifts. It is premium in its execution, but House of Fraser has lost its point of difference a bit since John Lewis and Debenhams started to increase their portfolio of brands.”

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Debenhams, Oxford Street

Debenhams, Oxford Street

Debenhams, Oxford Street

Simon James’ verdict: “The windows were poor, although they are unfortunately positioned with a low overhang. There’s not a lot of space in the windows and it’s hard to create something inspiring. The main point of interest was the aggressive discounting. In store, there was only a little bit of decoration and I don’t think the rainbow ribbon in the central atrium worked. The customer experience was not brilliant, but the retailer’s shoppers do like a deal and Debenhams is all about discounting, and that message was very clear.

However, the standards were lower than competitors.”

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Marks & Spencer, Oxford Street

Marks and Spencer, Oxford Street

Marks and Spencer, Oxford Street

Simon James’ verdict: “The windows weren’t that interesting considering this is the most famous M&S on the best shopping street in the UK. There was a very clear Christmas message, but it was not inspiring. The windows were similar to Next’s in that there was a lack of conviction, and you’d expect more of the flagship M&S. In store, it was hard to decipher what each brand was about, and it was hard to tell where brands such as Autograph started and Limited Collection finished. It is a difficult building, which is a mitigating factor – shoppers enter the store on an angle, which makes it difficult to create a good first impression.”

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Primark, Oxford Street/Marble Arch

Primark, Oxford Street/Marble Arch

Primark, Oxford Street/Marble Arch

Simon James’ verdict: “Primark provided exactly what the strapline says – ‘amazing fashion at amazing prices’. Beyond that, the experience was for the committed, of which there were plenty. There were long queues at the fitting rooms and tables with stock in a mess, complete with members of staff fighting a losing battle to keep them tidy.

The retailer had done next to nothing for Christmas in this store. In a similar way to Topshop, Primark could make much more of the great gift products. But people dolove shopping here.”

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