25 years of schuh

Steve: In a nutshell, we’re part of the schuh family. They’re very loyal to their design team who have worked with them over the years.  We’re an established and stable group who work incredibly well together.

Scott: We consider the design team as our trusted partners. Steve is the longest serving of our delivery partners and knows the brand inside out. He’s the link between the technical aspects of store development and the design, which he brings to life safely and promptly because he can interpret it and engineer it to reality. That’s a skill that not all designers have.

Steve: It was the Trafford Centre in Manchester. At that point schuh had been around for 10 years – the same as Oberlanders! and primarily active in Scotland. 

They had grown organically through small, high-street stores with no real common language.

We took the plunge and worked with an existing concept and managed the job through to delivery, bringing the technical, back of house overlay to what was quite a complex job. At that point, the retail element was new to us but the rest was our comfort zone. Retail is a more complex environment than you may think.

Trafford was schuh’s first out of town store under a major corporate landlord. We learned together and went on an upward trajectory from there.

Steve: When schuh became part of the Genesco group of companies, there was a big push to expand their portfolio. I believe we did 12 store openings over 12 weeks, across the UK and Germany. With some tightly run progress meetings, we delivered them all on time and on budget. 

Scott: 2012 was a particularly eventful year with a heavy rollout program. The team came round the table twice yearly to share best practice and insights from each supplier’s perspective, this made a huge difference to the smooth running of a complex program.

We worked on the original HQ when it was an industrial unit which extended to double the size and an office wing was added. That was 20 years ago so it feels like a natural progression and  the evolution of the schuh brand to be back doing this refurbishment. 

We also completed the distribution centre. Our involvement beyond the stores lets us see different aspects which has really improved our understanding of the entire business. That’s a really nice place to be. 

Steve: Time. Everything happens quicker so time is money from the day the lease on a store is signed.

Internal coordination is critical to meet delivery expectations so our established relationship with the full supply chain helps streamline delivery. Everyone knows what’s expected of them. 

Retail is a transient experience so the stores must be people-friendly spaces that grab attention. schuh has a strong brand and they pride themselves on having a high quality fit out. With a high footfall, their stores are designed to be robust in terms of both layout and materials. 

Steve: Retail is having a resurgence. People like interaction and tactile elements. Saying that, consumers now expect more of an experience and it’s also become incredibly competitive. 

There is far more technology and digital content coming into play which opens opportunities to create an edge. But you must balance that with avoiding gimmicks. It must stand the test of time. It will date quickly if you get it wrong.

Scott: To continue to be a key player it’s critical that schuh is clear on who our customer is and ensure that filters across our full organisation. We’re working hard on this. Bringing our staff along with us means we all know what we’re working towards.

Steve: Don’t force it. Do your job well and the relationship and trust will come. 

With schuh, we know how to work with them, what they like and when we need to tell them something they might not like. It’s easier to have those conversations when they trust us.

Scott: Reliability and confidence in your suppliers are incredibly important. When we’re working with Oberlanders I have confidence that I’m being correctly advised. I take Steve’s advice seriously, even on those occasions he knows it might not be well received!

Steve: The new flagship store in Edinburgh's St James Quarter has just opened and is generations ahead, offering a different customer experience. The store is fully accessible and offers greater space for merchandising and customer browsing. Aside from that we're business as usual with new stores in the pipeline.