Sign of the Times in flagship store revamp

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Feb 12, 2024

Designer resale platform Sign of the Times has revamped its Chelsea Green, London, store with all-new furnishings, a new “infinity mirror” and a ‘selling room’.

The company said the space also includes an “exclusive” bag wall, with “pre-loved designer bags from brands such as Chanel, Prada, Hermès and Dior”. 

And its ready-to-wear features a “newly curated section of product, all merchandised by colour”. 

Downstairs visitors can also find a new shoe wall, as well as a newly-built selection of fitting rooms, “with ‘yes’, ’maybe’ and ’no’ hooks inside for a desirable shopping experience, alongside chairs made out of recycled plastics”. 

As for the dedicated selling room, it’s a space where customers “can make an appointment to bring in their pieces to have priced up by a specialist there and then”.

The company first opened in Chelsea Green as far back as 1976 but has since gone global with its webstore that has daily drops each morning, although its boutique (and its pop-up programme) clearly remains a key part of its business.

The store refurb is only the latest development in busy period for the company. In December it was part of a first in the secondhand fashion sector for department store operator John Lewis. It opened a pop-up in its Peter Jones, Chelsea, branch that ran until the end of January. 

In November it acquired the assets of PapillonKia, which had closed recently. It followed the company acquiring the assets of pre-loved platform Cudoni as recently as August with the two acquisitions together growing the firm’s customer database by 40% and making it “a leader in the UK resale space”. 

In October it had announced a new investment round with off-price e-tailer BrandAlley making up 50% of the funding. Other participants included Sweaty Betty founder Tamara Hill-Norton, and N Brown’s Retail CEO Sarah Welsh, investing in a personal capacity.

That came after September had seen it opening a pop-up store at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Swindon.