Carousel and Vanmoof choose Seven Dials
Shaftesbury has announced that creative hub, Carousel, and VanMoof, the Dutch designer bike brand, have both launched at Seven Dials. It is VanMoof’s first site in the UK and a West End flagship site for Carousel.
Located at 5-11 Shorts Gardens, the 1,600 sq ft VanMoof store features a spacious showroom and a downstairs workshop for VanMoof bike repairs. Test rides of their 3 exclusive models are available, allowing customers to take a VanMoof bike and explore Seven Dials.
Colour, height, ride settings and accessories can be customised in-store and VanMoof joins an expansive range of Seven Dials brands that offer personalisation of their products. Nixon, Duke and Dexter, Le Labo, Laura Lee, Dinny Hall and Tatty Devine allow customers to create products from scratch including watches, footwear, perfume, and jewellery.
Adjacent to VanMoof, Carousel has opened on 9-11 Shorts Gardens, Seven Dials, taking a 2,000 sq ft. The family-run business opened in Marylebone in 2014 as a permanent home for acclaimed creative production company, Shuttlecock Inc. Since launching, the award-winning creative hub has hosted a revolving programme of innovative press events, brand activations, private parties, guest chef collaborations, workshops and art exhibitions, working closely with leading names from a wide range of industries.
Carousel: Seven Dials will continue their innovative brand activations with a number of partners, making the space their own each month. Split over two floors and combining exposed brickwork with plain white walls and raw concrete features, the blank canvas space is flooded with natural light. Design and fit out of each installation is co-ordinated by Carousel’s in-house team alongside the incoming brand or operator. Two large display windows fill the width of the ground floor, while glass tiles in the floor illuminate the white box basement below.
Commenting on the openings, Sam Bain-Mollison, Head of Retail at Shaftesbury, said: “Seven Dials is home to some of the capital’s most exciting shops, restaurants, theatres and hotels, offering products and experiences that either can’t be found elsewhere or are created bespoke. They create a unique shopping experience in the heart of the West End of London that is unlike any other and VanMoof and Carousel both add to this.”
“VanMoof’s design focused approach to the city bike will strongly appeal to Seven Dials residents and visitors alike, many of whom are interested in style, design and innovative or disruptive products being brought to market. The addition of Carousel will bring a vast range of creative activities, shows, events and installations on top of the existing offer.”
Leigh Richards, Store Manager and Brand Development Manager for VanMoof UK, added: “We are delighted to launch this first store in the UK and expand the VanMoof brand. We are reinventing the whole cycling experience, from buying, to repairing, to recovering and this modern showroom in busy Seven Dials is the perfect place to introduce customers to our unique way of doing things.”
Ed Templeton, a Co-Founder at Carousel, commented: “Located right in the heart of the West End and one of London's busiest shopping districts, Seven Dials’ vibrant central London neighbourhood is the perfect location for Carousel’s next site. We are delighted to become part of such an attractive, creative area and look forward to helping the exciting brands that we work with make some serious noise.”
In the last twelve months, Seven Dials has welcomed SONOS’ first UK store located at Earlham Street and recently launched the Ellesse European flagship store in December.
International beauty and skincare umbrella brand, DECIEM, has just opened a flagship and a first UK store for NIOD, one of its specialist skincare brands, at 73-75 Monmouth Street.
JLL and Nash Bond represented Shaftesbury in both deals. Carousel dealt direct. VanMoof were represented by CBRE.
Ends
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Notes to Editors
About Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury PLC is a Real Estate Investment Trust, which invests exclusively in the liveliest parts of London's West End. Our objective is to deliver long-term growth in rental income, capital values and shareholder returns.
Focused on restaurants, leisure and retail, our exceptional portfolio extends to around 15 acres, clustered mainly in Carnaby, Seven Dials and Chinatown, with substantial ownerships in east and west Covent Garden, Soho and Fitzrovia.
Our proven management strategy is to create and foster distinctive, attractive and prosperous locations. It is implemented by an experienced management team with an innovative approach to long-term, sustainable income and value creation, and a focus on shareholder returns. We have a strong balance sheet with conservative leverage.
Seven Dials
Seven Dials is home to 95 shops, including international flagships and concept stores, renowned beauty and grooming salons as well as over 90 vibrant cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs. The area comprises of Monmouth Street, Earlham Street, Neal Street, Shorts Gardens, Neal’s Yard, Endell Street, Shelton Street, Mercer Street and the Seven Dials monument. Combined with two luxury hotels, five theatres, two private members clubs, a large number of apartments and offices, Seven Dials is a unique retail and leisure destination in the heart of London.
Sevendials.co.uk @7DialsLondon