Men’s Wearhouse renovated its store near The Woodlands into the first “Next Gen” concept store, with a streamlined design incorporating digital elements to suit tech-savvy customers.
The store, which aims to make shopping as safe and seamless as possible amid COVID-19, incorporates the omnichannel experience, meaning customers can buy online and pick up in store, utilize curbside pick-up and experience hands-free fitting. A pared-down selection of merchandise gives the store a modern look.
The conversion comes as its Houston-based parent, Tailored Brands, is closing up to 500 stores — or roughly a third of its locations — to deal with financial difficulties as customers stayed home because of the coronavirus pandemic and have been spending less on formalwear and clothing. Its other brands include Jos. A. Bank, Moores Clothing for Men and K&G.
Tailored Brands, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early August, is set to emerge by the end of November, according to the company.
“We know that menswear retail is changing rapidly, driven by customers that are digitally connected, in control and expecting zero friction as they seamlessly engage in digital and physical environments, often simultaneously,” said Carrie Ask, chief customer officer for Tailored Brands. “In addition to broader retail industry shifts to online, as well as personalization and customization, menswear customers are changing the way they dress, how they engage and shop and what they expect from a brand.”
Whether the pivot will be enough to boost the company’s fortunes at this stage is a question.
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“This experiment that they’re doing is the right one, but a little bit too little too late,” said Venky Shankar, research director of Texas A&M University’s Center for Retailing Studies. “They will have to transition quickly if they want to keep their brand still alive.”
Keeping Generation Z and millennial consumers — the largest group of customers for retailers — in mind is a smart move as they will be key to the future of the clothing industry, he said.
“In order to attract them and keep them happy, you have to be technologically savvy yourself,” he said. “If you’re not, they tune you out.”
Men’s Wearhouse worked with Nelson Worldwide, an architecture, interior design and brand strategies services firm, on the redesign in collaboration with teams from across the company. The 6,425-square-foot store features distinct areas for custom, rental and retail sections and a glassed-in vault for stocking products off the main sales floor.
The store, at 19075 Interstate 45 in the Portofino Shopping Center in Shenandoah, serves as a testing ground for new concepts, which could be rolled out to other locations, according to Men’s Wearhouse.
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Customers can find shirts and virtually pair them with ties at the interactive shirt wall, sorted by color. The “co-create” area with a table and technology provides a place where customers can visualize merchandise together. The store features enhanced digital and interactive technology such as hands-free fitting and measurement.
It also will implement “touch free tailoring” where customers’ measurements are taken by computer-generated selfies. Back house operations include shipping from store and online pick up in-store.
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