On location: Harding+ launches ‘inside-outside’ retail experiences on board Cunard’s Queen Anne cruise ship
The new ship features over 30 exclusive brands, many offering curated experiences and customer insight-led levels of detail across the core retail categories
Leading global cruise retailer Harding+ has revealed its ‘inside-outside’ interactive retail concept on board the Queen Anne, the latest ship to launch from Cunard. The Carnival-owned cruise line has three other ships with Harding+ operating the luxury-led retail offer on board all of them.
With its theme of ‘high-end indulgence’ and a firm focus on guest discovery, the 3,000 passenger capacity Queen Anne is Cunard’s largest ship in its fleet of four. The new ship, which launched in Southampton on May 2, features over 30 exclusive brands, many offering curated experiences and customer insight-led levels of detail across the core retail categories of jewelry and watches, fashion and accessories, fragrance and wellness plus premium spirits.
Cabinet of Curiosities exhibition
A center piece is the ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, a close collaboration between retailer and cruise line that lands an immersive and multi-sensory display, nestled in the heart of the retail space, to tell the Cunard story though an eclectic and rare set of brands and ‘curiosities.’ These include replica archive jewelry pieces worn by the British Royal Family, the late Queen’s favorite luxury handbag brand, Launer London and sea creature-inspired porcelain pieces by Lladro. Just next door is a first-at-sea Garrard jewelry store with exclusive collections designed for the Cunard Queen Anne ship.
The ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ interactive exhibition area includes videos and rare archive jewelry pieces and leads guests into the jewelry hall
A combination of state-of-the-art transparent screens and stylishly illuminated cabinets weave together elements of both the Cunard heritage and future ambitions with iconic pieces from Garrard, Chanel, Theo Fabergé, By Alona, and Mikimoto. Many items have never been available at sea before.
Garrard has launched its first boutique at sea on board the Cunard Queen Anne
Garrard has worked with Harding+ to launch several exclusive collections at a range of price points
Experience Lounge hosts workshops
The wider retail space also includes an ‘Experience Lounge’ where guests will be able to taste, try on and learn the provenance, heritage and stories behind key brand partners. These include Garrard, with a dedicated boutique on board the ship, featuring an exquisite assortment of fine jewelry; Bremont showcasing its unique British watch collections within both the watch store and the Cabinet of Curiosities; and Harding+’s own dedicated Reloved brand for preloved luxury goods, that will include vintage leather accessories and a range of globally renowned luxury vintage jewelry by Susan Caplan.
Harding+ has launched a dedicated Reloved luxury accessories store featuring brands including Louis Vuitton and Chanel
The Cunard merchandise store includes the brand new Queen Anne collection and also a completely new Cunard heritage range of gifts and mementos that draw their inspiration from the Cunard archives, but with a contemporary feel
The retail mix on board has a big focus on jewelry and watches, fragrances, novelties and luxury items. Harding+ has designed discovery-focused workshops with brand ambassadors on hand for guests to learn about key brand partners, blending social and retail interactions for a truly retailtainment experience dotted around the grand lobby shopping zone.
Sense of occasion
“The retail offer on board the Queen Anne ship is unique for its blend of heritage and curated social elements. There’s a real sense of occasion in the design, which is fully about the Cunard story,” Harding+ COO Mark Birnie told Global Travel Retail Magazine’s Alison Farrington at the launch event.
“We have designed the entire retail offer to reflect the rich Cunard heritage. The inside-outside retail units allow our brand partners to be very flexible with their discovery workshops, it’s a blended offer created to make to most of the extended dwell time guests enjoy on board the Queen Anne,” he said.
Unlike other cruise retail designs, Harding+ has created flexible trellis-design wall bays that can be opened up alongside key social interaction areas such as the lounges and grand lobby for special occasions. The interlinked watches store has bright open windows that look out to sea and can be opened up next to the large jewelry store that features a personalization ribbon and gifting station.
The retail storytelling is integrated into the Cunard ship experience, Birnie said. “Working with brand partners such as Tom Ford, Chanel and Miller Harris to Garrard and Remy Martin Louis XIII we have curated some truly experience-led enrichment spaces. When guests come on board this ship they expect the Cunard luxury experience and we have the brands that mirror that luxury expectation."
There are a number of fragrance workshops within the beauty area from brand partners including Miller Harris and Tom Ford, both are first-at-sea brand experiences
Discovery retail
“Cruise retail is in an incredibly fortunate position that our customers are time rich; our guests are in holiday mode and they want to try something new, discover new brands. Our brand ambassadors are along with them on their trip and they have the opportunity to engage with them in a socially interactive and discovery-led way. Our retail approach is to create the right spaces for people to enjoy the cruise experience, learn something and pamper themselves in a very organic way,” he explained.
“We are hugely excited to see Queen Anne setting sail,” Harding+ COO Peter Newbould added at the launch. “The ship is truly beautiful – a spectacular addition to the Cunard fleet – and we have worked closely with the Cunard team to create a truly premium retail experience. We have used our combined guest and customer insight to deliver a unique retail proposition, with a number of first-at-sea or exclusive partnerships with Garrard, Chapel Down, By Alona, Launer, Raishma and Atkinsons to attract guests to the retail area and new reasons to shop.
"The palatial surroundings, hands-on customer service and world-class brand roster really exemplify the Cunard experience. We’re hugely grateful to Cunard, our brand partners and, of course, all of our office and shipboard team for helping us to make this a reality. We can’t wait for the ship to sail and for customers to experience it,” he said.
