STA revamps flagship store
STA Travel will beam live social media conversations about its brand on a large video screen at its revamped central London store.
The screen will be on the exterior of its flagship Victoria store, which has been relaunched this week.
It will feature the latest deals and destination videos but also means STA Travel will become one of the first retailers in the UK to showcase live social media conversations.
Supplied by Buzz Radar, the screen will display conversations and pictures from customers mentioning STA Travel on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The largest STA Travel store in the world, the Victoria agency has four new Travel Clinics, a foreign exchange bureau and dedicated Eurolines coach desk.
A central "inspiration zone" will allow customers to browse magazines, books, and iPads with inspirational videos and digital content, plus atlases to help them plot their trip.
Towards the back is an amphitheatre area where STA Travel will host talks and travel events.
A planning zone, with large interactive tables, will mean staff can sit side-by-side with customers to give advice using laptops, rather than behind a desk with a screen.
This investment comes after the opening of five new retail outlets in the UK, including the company’s first pop-up shop in Boxpark, Shoreditch
Manager Paul Hodgkinson said: "We’re delighted to be continuing to expand and reinvigorate our physical retail presence on the high streets of the UK. It’s an important part of our distribution strategy and one that is growing, rather than receding, despite the fact we are catering for the most tech-savvy travelling generation ever."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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