Harding+ has revealed details of its 900 square meters of retail space onboard the new P&O Cruises ship Arvia, which will feature more than 200 brands. A new store concept called "The Avenue" will include fine jewelry, fine watches, duty-free, beauty, fashion, technology, and curated souvenirs. The brands will include 34 that are new to the cruise line and 18 that are first to retail at sea.
Alongside new offshore names such as Scotch & Soda, Floral Street Beauty and Tidal Rum, there will be an increased range and focus on more than 25 eco-friendly and sustainable premium brands, all of which, according to the retailer, have been curated and selected to suit the growing P&O Cruises guest wish lists. Part of this will see a selection of pre-loved and owned luxury bags and accessories from brands such as Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton.
The stand-alone Swarovski Boutique will be the first of the brand's latest 'Wonderlab' outlets designed to launch at sea and has been designed to reflect both the identity of the brand's octagon-shaped packaging and its new Swarovski brand color pink.
The Harding+ model "to make every cruise better" will feature a series of brand pop-ups and guest experiences, including a "Floral Street Scent School" in the beauty bar and a Foreo pop-up experience bar in the Marketplace where "connected beauty" brand will raise guest experience and demonstrate their technological devices.
Further highlights will include the 'Fine Watches' range which will feature Tudor, Breitling and Rado for the first time.
Harding+ CEO James Prescott said: “Wellness, technology, sustainable products and luxury items will play a key role in our partnership with P&O Cruises on the Excel class ships. And based on a deep dive and ongoing understanding of our proprietary data about what cruise guests want to buy. This combines the real insights we bring with P&O Cruises' vision for Arvia to create a unique experience, ensuring that the cruise guest's mindset is exceptionally well-tailored.
“Our in-house design team worked with P&O Cruises' architects and design teams and demonstrated that cruise retail models, design designs, ranges and experiences now match or exceed the best of high street retail globally. And understanding the unique length of stay and guest attitude that doesn't exist elsewhere, in mainstream or other travel retail channels, allows us to push the boundaries and change expectations for guests every time they join a cruise. One size does not fit all when it comes to finding the right access for every ship, and with Arvia, Avenue Access will be a prominent retail destination on board."
"We're really proud of the work our design, sales and purchasing teams have done for this project, and we know it will be superbly supported by the backbone of our logistics teams and the 45-strong Harding+ team lucky enough to be at Arvia- and. to experience a new launch. This team will include a luxury trade manager, watch and fine jewelery specialists as well as individual brand specialists, with each team member trained to the high category-specific standards delivered by our brand partners such as Tag Heuer and Foreo. "
