Barker and Stonehouse: Unveiling the new £5m store in Gateshead

Barker and Stonehouse is a family-owned furniture retailer founded in the North East, specialising in high-quality furniture and home accessories for living, dining and bedroom spaces.

Established in 1946, the company combines contemporary and traditional design collections with a strong focus on craftsmanship, sustainability and customer service.

Barker and Stonehouse opened its 12th store as part of its continued expansion, with a design approach centred on sustainability. The store incorporates timber structural elements and asolar-panelled roof.

Located next to the popular Metrocentre shopping mall, the store took two years to build and is stocked with an extensive range of furniture from leading brands and designers.

It also features a specially designed oak and glass hot-desk bar and lounge area, where customers can relax, meet friends, or work.

barkerandstonehouse.co.uk

The Brief

The Gateshead store opening marked the beginning of a new chapter in Barker and Stonehouse’s 77-year history. The company already had a strong following in the area, but we were tasked with driving even more foot traffic to the store during the bank holiday opening weekend.

BS-Gateshead-Store-Launch_WebCS_Montage6

Our Approach

We achieved this by hosting a series of VIP customer events for existing customers in north and south Tyneside. We also ran a variety of marketing campaigns in the run-up to the opening, including coverage in local lifestyle magazines, a press and influencer lunch in the Chadwick & Co. café, and engagement with interiors-focused regional influencers.

The day started with a private viewing of the store for Joanna Lumley and James Barker, Managing Director of Barker and Stonehouse. The Barker family was proud to share their many years of furniture knowledge with Joanna, who is a well-known fan of ercol and Ligne Roset.

After the private viewing, Joanna Lumley met and greeted customers in the store. She also cut the ribbon to officially open the store, which was a great moment for the Barker family and for the thriving furniture retailer.

The event was rounded off with a Q&A with Joanna Lumley, led by ITV Tyne Tees news and TV presenter Pam Royle. Joanna was happy to answer questions about her career and her love of furniture, as well as sign copies of her book for fans.

It was a wonderful day for all involved, and a great way to celebrate the opening of Barker and Stonehouse’s Gateshead location.

BS-Gateshead-Store-Launch_WebCS_Montage7

No event is complete without a series of wonderfully designed materials and assets to help promote the event itself.

We created a teaser article in our spring brochure, a coffee table-worthy publication, to entice customers to learn more about the new store and to sign up online for the free in-store event.

Our promotional materials featured a fresh and modern look that was designed to replicate the store’s environment.

We developed a series of materials, including easel board signs, leaflets, a golden ticket for a raffle prize giveaway, customer packs, and literature that was mailed to VIP customers prior to the opening.

These materials were a fantastic way to celebrate the opening and generate excitement among potential customers.