Love Your High Street: Harvey Nichols started city's retail revolution

In the last five years two major new shopping centres have opened up bringing brands galore to the city.

But long before these were even on the agenda, Harvey Nichols in Leeds was paving the way for what was to come as it brought the biggest brands and designers to the north of England for the first time.

When Harvey Nichols opened in Leeds back in 1996 it was the first of the chain’s department stores to open outside of London’s Knightsbridge and the current store director says it “paved the way for luxury retail in Leeds”.

Iain Mackenzie said: “It was shrewd for the city to identify a luxury brand like Harvey Nichols to cement the strong and diverse retail offer that Leeds enjoys today.

“Our CEO at the time, Mr Joseph Wan, was very forward-thinking and seized the opportunity to secure a foothold in the north and a new retail location outside of London.

“Ultimately, the success of the Leeds store led to the legacy of a further six Harvey Nichols stores being established across Britain and Ireland, along with seven internationally. I believe Harvey Nichols paved the way for luxury retail in Leeds and continues to enjoy its position as the ultimate retail and dining destination in the city.”

Mr Mackenzie believes the confidence Harvey Nichols had in Leeds, proved that even 20 years ago there was a demand for designer products and a different kind of shopping experience.

He added: “Historically, I believe there has been a view that all roads led to London and that the capital was the only destination in the UK for luxury fashion and beauty retail. “More recently, we have seen a shift and a recognition that our regional customer has a desire to experience the very best retail and dining experiences. People literally queued around the block when Harvey Nichols Leeds first opened its doors, which underlines that there was such desire for luxury brands and retail in the city.”

Another change he recognises is the customer demand for shopping 24 hours a day with the brand having to tap into mainstream trends like Black Friday and Boxing Day sales.

He added: “I have seen a great deal of change in consumer shopping habits and our customer’s desire for enhanced experiences and covetable brands is the most evident.

“More tangibly, customers now expect retail to be accessible 24 hours a day, so we have seen a shift in extended shopping hours, additional trading days like Boxing Day and, more recently, the significance of Black Friday and Cyber Weekend as new peak moments in the retail calendar.”

* Love Your High Street is our campaign in association with Card Factory.