European Beat: Yamaha Launches New-look Flagship Store

One of the UK’s best-known and well-established music retailers has undergone a transformation as part of Yamaha’s overhaul of its dealer network.

The Yamaha-owned Chappell of Bond Street in London (which is, rather confusingly, actually in Wardour Street) has now completed its rebrand to Yamaha Music London and undergone a refit to incorporate the new branding and new dedicated areas within the shop such as a Pro Sound area.

It is part of Yamaha’s overhaul of its European dealer network which saw it introduce its first set of new dealer T&Cs in nearly two decades.

European dealers now have to adhere to a strict set of standards in-store to achieve their 25 per cent Yamaha margin. The conditions are set out in a document, which has become known as Yamaha’s purple book.

As part of that, the London store has become the benchmark and flagship for Yamaha’s UK retail network.

Store manager Nigel Hill told MMR: “We've had a very positive reaction from our customers since the relaunch – without a doubt the new Pro Sound area focusing on Stage, Studio and Stadium product has a real ‘Wow’ factor. Added to that the lighting in this area along with the stage looks very effective and professional. All of our customers are really buying into the idea of getting hands on with the guitars and drums and trying before buying.”

In fact, the store now boasts the largest collection of Yamaha guitars in Europe and a stock of 35,000 sheet music books.
“Regular and new customers have been curious to explore the new look store for themselves,” added Hill. “The feedback we have had so far has been very positive. The feeling is that it is a vastly improved shopping experience – they can connect and engage with the brand in a way they couldn’t before.”
The refit has seen what was already one of the UK’s best music retailers, seriously up its game and become a real showcase for the breadth of Yamaha’s range.

“The Ground Floor has been reconfigured – it is now more spacious which has given us a better opportunity to showcase our lifestyle range of digital pianos. The new orchestral display walls highlight Brass, Woodwind and Strings and the sheet music area is light, airy and clearly defined. Working with a listed building there are obviously many restrictions but we feel the refurbishment has been cleverly managed to create a contemporary new look and feel to the store without detriment in any way to the character and fabric of the original building.

“The Basement Floor has gone from dark and uninspiring to a bright, lively and new space filled with the latest must have Guitar, Music Production, Drum and Pro sound gear – the stage is the focal point of this floor creating theatre and a buzz with live demos and events, beginning in March.”

As well as increased range, the new-look store will play host to a number of live events and product demos, all closely linked in with its online presence.
“YML is a multichannel retail experience where we reach our customers through not only the bricks and mortar Wardour Street store but also digitally and through hosting many exciting live events,” said Hill. “I'm working closely with Yamaha to stage a programme of live in-store events throughout the year. In addition to creating customer involvement this will also bring to life the Yamaha goal of sharing our passion for sound, technology and performance.”

Details of forthcoming events will be promoted through www.yamahamusiclondon.com