Feature
Retail’s last good idea might be the repair counter
Department stores are turning shop floors into repair workshops. Customers are coming back, and staying longer.
Culture editor
6 min read
A repair counter on the ground floor of a department store, where shoe polish used to be.
Where the perfume counter used to be, there is now a cobbler, a tailor and someone fixing a toaster.
The repair counter is one of the few parts of the store where footfall is rising, and the only one where customers regularly say thank you.
Why it works
Repair brings people into stores for a reason other than buying, and brings them back a second time to collect. Retailers say those visits turn into sales more often than expected.
“People trust a shop that will fix what it sold them,” said a store manager.
Finding the people
The hardest part is staff. Skilled repairers are in short supply, and several chains now run their own apprenticeships.
Topics
Sofia Brandt
Culture editor
Sofia edits the culture pages and writes about music, work and the crafts we are losing.
