Cole Haan’s new tech-enabled concept store caters to Silicon Valley consumers.
The footwear-focused firm opened its first Grandshop retail location in the United States, debuting a 940-square-foot concept store at the Westfield Valley Fair shopping mall in Santa Clara, Calif.
The store is designed to be “modular and mobile,” immersing customers in an experience Cole Haan describes as similar to shopping in a live/work loft.
“Cole Haan continues to build a revolutionary collection of lifestyle products for a culture on the move,” Cole Haan’s chief marketing officer and general manager of business development David Maddocks said in a statement. “This first Grandshop was designed for the young, extraordinary pioneers of Silicon Valley whose lives reflect their personal and professional passions and who work to disrupt the status quo.”
The footwear firm equipped the new store with near-field communication (NFC) technology to enable a seamless and frictionless shopping experience, a nod to the metro area’s tech-literate population.
Interior of the Grandshop in Silicon Valley.Shoppers simply tap into the NFC signal projected for each product and receive near-instant access to information like size availability, product details and customer reviews. From there, they can also choose to purchase the product or have it shipped to an address of their choosing.
“The Grandshop is where technology and style intersect, proven clear with its offering of the latest and most innovative technologies from Cole Haan’s Spring collections,” the company said.
The store will also be stocked with Cole Haan’s popular Zerogrand silhouettes, as well as the OriginalGrand Ultra men’s dress footwear collection and the Women’s Grand Ambition footwear and handbags.
News of the store opening comes on the heels of Cole Haan filing for a $100 million IPO, which the company postponed recently amid market volatility stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak.