The name of this new shop in Arnotts is Impulse and it is to have an identity independent of the main store. Among the main features of this independence are separate advertising and promotional campaigns, markedly different interior design, and special music and merchandising material.
There is nothing impulsive about either Impulse or any other part of the ongoing Arnotts reinvention. Now more than 150 years old, the store's overhaul began in 1995 and has seen retail space grow from 140,000 square feet to 300,000. Thanks to expenditure in the region of £35 million, Arnotts is now Ireland's biggest department store with frontages and entrances on three major streets. Up to 350 new jobs have been created and many more Irish manufacturers have the opportunity to have their products stocked. There are four restaurants, a chiropodist, a creche, a store card, an interior design service and a concession space offering mortgages and advice. The new-look Arnotts is a much lighter, brighter place. The original Victorian elements of the building comfortably blend with more contemporary extensions behind the main Henry Street structure. The central atrium, with its glazed roof, ensures there is plenty of light even in the oldest parts of the store, while the introduction of Portland stone, chrome fittings and plenty of light-hued timber floors has also helped to both modernise and cheer up the interior of Arnotts. Revamping a shop always carries risks - in particular the danger that existing customers will be alienated without being replaced by new ones. The reverse of this, of course, is the ideal; that both traditional and recently-acquired clientele will feel equally well served. Fortunately, the latter scenario appears to be the case at Arnotts where the development programme is still not complete. In areas where the builders have finally departed, long-carried lines of merchandise mix easily with labels putting in their first appearance this season. No one familiar with the old premises and now reentering Arnotts for the first time since its overhaul needs to fear the loss of old names. Unless, that is, the customer enters Impulse, in which case a very different impression will be deliberately conveyed. The intention behind Impulse is not to cater for faithful shoppers who have been coming to Arnotts for the past 30 years. Instead, this store within a store is setting out to win its own devoted followers.
Department stores everywhere have trouble attracting young shoppers who tend to regard such retail outlets as serving the middle-aged and middle-class. Eventually, this impression can become an unhappy reality. So Impulse, by adopting an image separate from that of the main store, deliberately sets out not to be over-associated with Arnotts. Primarily aimed at women aged 18 to 35 - although both younger and older will find many pieces they would like to buy - the 12,000 square foot shop is sited on the ground floor at Henry Street and carries a wide range of sporty and style-conscious labels. Among the more familiar names are Red or Dead, John Rocha Jeans, Elle Active, Morgan, French Connection, In Wear and Giant, with more due to be added over the months ahead.
Fashionable without being too dependent on high fashion, Impulse lines rarely cost more than £50 per item and many sell for much less. This should broaden the shop's youthful appeal even more. Both in concept and execution, Impulse is reminiscent of Way In, the shop for young customers which Harrods first introduced some 30 years ago and continues to be a success. Arnotts must be hoping its own new youthoriented store has similar staying power. Watch this page in the year 2028 for an update on what labels are now being carried by Impulse.