BHS Southend-On-Sea

This store opened in 1969 in a purpose built store on Southend high street, and after 45 years it is still going strong.

I worked in for the company and was based at this branch for 5 years. After being out of there for 4 years I thought it was time to look at it as a visual merchandiser rather then a customer.

It is finally nice to see the windows with mannequins and props, It beats the oversized photos of products that half the time we did not have in stock, looking sometimes lost in the large windows. They now have shelfs, beds, and mannequins in them, sat on wooden pallets, either left raw or painted white.

The only thing is if you are walking along the street you don’t really get to see the displays as they are obscured by graphics, attached to the window. Meaning you only really get to see the display if you are standing directly in front of it.

Window 3. Runs parallel with Heygate Avenue.

Window 2,  Runs parallel with the High Street, But can be seen in to by three sides.

In the centre as you walk in they currently have a display of mannequins  on display grey painted steps, enabling the display of shows bags and accessories.
Running down the right hand side of the store is the Christmas gift shop and on the left Dorothy Perkins concession.

The store as a whole is is immaculate presented and bright. They were currently at the end of the day and were about to start a move but they were doing this without causing to many disruptions, High level visual bright and eye catching.

Being Christmas you might expect a bright festive in store theme, instead the store was dressed some what pathetically with single holly and berries hug from the ceiling. 

I know that the visual merchandiser dose not get a say in the stores theme, or even on the windows, but this was a sorry sight. I just hope the model stores and flag ship stores have a better theme going on.

Visited on the 25th November 2014. 

Photos taken by Gary Patel at Finger press studios.