Vitamin and supplement maker, Blackmores, has made its first foray into bricks and mortar in Australia, opening a flagship store at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney.
The flagships offers “a complete well being experience”, according to Blackmores, with rooms for private consultations with qualified naturopaths, a ‘Mindful Ocean’ system to assess mindfulness, and a Wellbeing Bar for food and drink tasting, as well as offering the Blackmores product range.
“As the most trusted name in vitamin and supplements, Blackmores aims to provide evidence-based information about natural health care to our consumers,” said David Fenlon, MD of Blackmores Australia and New Zealand.
“Our new flagship store will provide a personalised experience for our customers to take control of and further invest in their health. We know there is a lot of confusing information out there which is why we want to personally help Australians on their journey to wellbeing through advice and education.
“Featuring human, digital and tactile experiences the new flagship store is a unique prototype that takes retail into a new health space, offering the next-gen of interactive retailing whereby consumers are treated to an integrated offering of service and product.”
One of the main features of the flagship store is the ‘Mindful Ocean’, designed in consultation with scientists at Swinburne University of Technology. Using sensors that detect brain activity, the ‘Mindful Ocean’ provides a four-minute personalised session showcasing how the mind interacts between levels of relaxation and calm verses active thinking. The store layout is also changeable allowing it be used for health seminars, workshops and small yoga classes.
The Blackmores Flagship Store also feature zones for personalised conversations and advice, including an interactive B Bottle activation with weekly wellbeing questions for customers to physically answer, and Wellbeing Bar for customers to sample food products, starting with the newly launched Blackmores Superfoods range.
Read our interview with Blackmores Australia and New Zealand MD Dave Fenlon on the new flagship store and Blackmores’ plans for the Australian convenience market in the upcoming Feburary/March edition of Convenience & Impulse (C&I) Retailing Magazine.