Barbour opens new concept store in Covent Garden

British luxury lifestyle brand Barbour has opened at 37 Neal Street in Covent Garden’s Seven Dials neighbourhood. The historic retailer’s store is centred around its design concept of New Heritage, which celebrates its dual identity as both “historic in legacy and contemporary in design”. In a nod to Barbour’s 130-year history, the new Covent Garden store is designed to deliver the “practicality” of its roots, re-engineering them for today to create designs with a “contemporary” aesthetic. The store houses the brand’s ranges, including Heritage +, Heritage Select, and Re-Engineered. Committed to circularity, Barbour’s Re-Loved jackets are also on offer, alongside Re-wax lockers to allow customers to bring well-worn items and have them restored by in-house experts to extend the life of the garment. The store has been designed to create a space to immerse customers in Barbour’s heritage and storytelling. The décor takes inspiration from the brand’s first market stall founded in 1894 in South Shields, featuring a colour palette, enamelled signage, covered entrances and exposed ironwork. Green tin lights mimic those found in the brand’s North Eastern England factory, and oak furniture, bronze and brass detailing, and aged mirrors pay homage to Barbour’s history. Barbour Covent Garden joins its sister store on Shaftesbury Capital’s Carnaby Street, which opened in the Soho neighbourhood earlier this summer. Michelle McGrath, executive director, Shaftesbury Capital, said: “Barbour is an iconic British brand, steeped in history and committed to high-quality craftsmanship. It is therefore fitting that the brand will open on Covent Garden’s Neal Street with the introduction of its New Heritage concept, which marries archive inspiration with modernity. “As stewards of Covent Garden, it is important to Shaftesbury Capital that we continue to evolve the offer, adding concepts that both complement and enhance the neighbourhood’s distinct character, and the new Barbour store does exactly this.” Paul Wilkinson, group commercial director at Barbour, added: “Our New Heritage stores are here to tell the authentic story of our brand to consumers and connect with our unique heritage as well as offering one-off, limited edition Re-Loved jackets and re-waxing services under our wax for life program, showcasing the business’s commitment to extending the life of our garments. “Neal Street provided the perfect location for this type of store with a large international consumer, nestled with global brands and independent concept stores.”