Retail Birmingham

Style in the City

07/04/08

Despite freezing temperatures and inches of snow, fashionistas turned out in their thousands to be part of Style in the City, hosted by Retail Birmingham.

The UK’s newest style extravaganza took over the whole of Birmingham city centre for three days, with a packed programme of activities across the city centre attracting a staggering 9,200 visitors from as far a field as London, Brighton, Manchester, Wales and Ireland. 

A 2,000m² theatre was erected in Centenary Square and was home to five sell-out catwalk shows a day hosted by international star Kelly Osbourne, while TV favourites Trinny and Susannah presented their first ever Style Academy in St. Martin’s Square with four shows each day and not a spare seat to be found.

The influx of visitors resulted in an increase in footfall to the city centre of 120% on Friday, 90% on Saturday and 178% on Sunday, spelling excellent news for businesses.

Retailers including Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, House of Fraser, Disorder, Puma, Limeys, Adidas, Joy, The Mailbox, Bullring and many others all held their own events.  Many retailers reported increases by as much as 100% in sales on the first day, compared to an average Friday and House of Fraser also reported a 90% increase in sales in its restaurant over the weekend.  

The Birmingham Post Oasis at Pavilions was transformed into a haven for those who love to be pampered.  10,000 fingernails were manicured, 1,000 women had their hair styled by Toni & Guy, and the same number received makeovers from MAC and consultations from sk:n. 

In the Centenary Square exhibition area tens of thousands of Chambord champagne cocktails were given out and low fat ice-cream producer Skinny Cow gave away more than 8,000 free frozen treats to visitors over the three days, while more than 1,000 people entered the Littlewoodsdirect.com model search as part of the Trinny and Susannah Style Academy.

The presence of top designers Betty Jackson and Osman Yousefzada as well as Vogue editor Emily Zak at Selfridges, along with entertainment from a Cirgue du Soleil style aerial trapeze act helped to tot up 3,000 canapes, 2,000 cocktails, 500 free makeovers, 100 free blow drys and 150 style lunches just in one store!

Complimentary executive coaches transported visitors around the city to ensure everyone got the most out of their style experience, and Jaguar ran a chauffer service for Platinum Pass holders.

Nigel Godfrey, Retail Birmingham Business Manager said:  “We’re thrilled that so many people came to experience Style in the City, to meet some of their favourite celebrities, see top designers showcasing their collections on the catwalk and to receive style tips from experts in every field.

“Retail Birmingham and Marketing Birmingham worked closely with Brand Events to stage the show and the city really did itself proud.  Visitors came from all around the UK, many on their first visit to Birmingham and commenting that they will extend their stay next year as there is so much to see and do here.   

“Our aim is to keep Birmingham firmly on the style map and with 1,000 shops to choose from, shopping centres, designer stores, high street brands, elegant Victorian shopping arcades and 100 individual shops, there’s plenty to shout about, and after this weekend almost 10,000 more people know that too.

“In fact the event even attracted international visitors, with a competition winner travelling all the way from Australia with 24 hours notice to meet her idols Trinny and Susannah.  Ange Stevens has been following the style gurus for years and couldn’t miss the opportunity to meet them in the flesh, even though she had to give up her job and pay for her own flights to be here!”

Style in the City will become an annual event and following the success of the weekend looks set to grow year on year.

Kevin Breese, Retail Birmingham Board Member said:  “Retail Birmingham was set up in April last year to improve the trading environment for 1,000 shops in the city centre, providing business support, street operations and marketing activities.  Retailers in the city have shared the vision to stage an event to celebrate style and fashion in Birmingham for several years and the establishment of Retail Birmingham meant that this could become a reality.  We invested much time and effort into identifying appropriate partners and planning exactly how our big idea could become a reality. 

“We are delighted that Style in the City has now been born and it’s thanks to the hard work and dedication of Birmingham’s retailers that it happened.  I’d like to congratulate everyone who took part and thank everyone who came along to help make it such a huge success.  Birmingham is a serious style capital and Style in the City has enabled us to share that with people the length and breadth of the country.  We look forward to an even bigger and better event next year.”