Sleeping Giant & James Lane forge ahead seeking new markets

Following strong 2020 results as the world shifted their gaze from international travel to focus on home updates, bedroom, furniture and homewares retail siblings Sleeping Giant and James Lane continue a promising trajectory in 2021/22 with a focus on expanding their footprint with new store openings and refreshes on the cards.

James Lane is a relatively new brand and is already showing promising results. Whereas many Australians have grown up with heritage brand Sleeping Giant, which has been around for over 40 years.

“Our team is focused on innovative solutions and are hungry for new opportunities. That’s our focus as we look ahead to 2022,” said John Baguley, Chief of Staff, Bart Group.

Focusing on an immersive customer experience, lifestyle visual merchandising is at the fore of all new store designs. Visually the new store format is focused on richly styled spaces – the living room, dining room and bedroom.

 

   

 

Sleeping Giant and James Lane are both set to introduce an extensive product assortment to new markets and more Australians.

“An immersive bricks and mortar experience together with our strengthened digital presence is allowing customers to discover the full assortment of both brands, while driving store traffic and growing awareness,” added Mr Baguley.

Sleeping Giant is taking a new approach to sleep retail by shifting away from a primary focus on the mattress and adopting a more holistic approach to the bedroom.

The product range boasts a full assortment of beds, bedsides, and homewares. This is a testament that a perfect night’s sleep is much more than just a good mattress.

“Our new concept stores in Bankstown, Kotara, and Mile End all demonstrate this commitment to innovation coupled with experience.

“We’re challenging the way customers shop for the bedroom with significant investment in store fitouts and visual merchandise.

“From a traditional aesthetic to a contemporary style, Sleeping Giant continues to evolve to ensure shopping for the bedroom is easy and enjoyable.”

“Sleeping Giant have nine stores with Aventus and we continue to support their growth as they are willing to evolve to customer needs,” added Jason James, Head of Leasing and Development, Aventus Group.

“They have a continued focus on improving product range, store fitouts, and customer experience highlighted in their most recent store openings.

“In a very competitive market we see them as a key tenant to our tenancy mix.”

James Lane has experienced unprecedented growth, opening over 30 stores in just five years.

The new James Lane stores offer a sprawling format inviting customers to explore, touch and feel the product.

“Our new concept James Lane stores in Moore Park, Macgregor, Mile End, and Caringbah offer a distinctive and unique James Lane experience,” continued Mr Baguley.

“We intrigue customers with a full sensory experience from the moment they step through the front door.

“In addition to our bespoke playlist, we created a signature scent aimed at shifting customers out of a regular retail moment and into a James Lane moment.

“It’s integral they can sit and experience the pieces firsthand, without feeling rushed.”

Danny Berkovits, Group Asset Manager at Terrace Tower Group has told Unwrap that James Lane is one of Supacenta Moore Park’s standout showrooms.

“The in-store experience coupled with an impressive and highly agile social media marketing strategy provided us with confidence that James Lane would be a strong addition to our centre,” said Mr Berkovits.

The strong tailwinds of 2020 have provided James Lane and Sleeping Giant the impetus to continue to evolve based on customer demand, experience, and feedback.

“We’re actively reviewing opportunities to grow and evolve our footprint over the next two years with more store openings top of our list,” concluded Mr Baguley.