Men’s Wearhouse Gets a High-Tech Upgrade in 3 Next-Gen Stores

To complement more than 30 new digital capabilities introduced during the pandemic, Men's Wearhouse recently opened the doors of what it calls its first next-gen stores, which reimagine the physical space at the heart of its transformation. There are currently two locations—one in Buford, Ga. and another in Shenandoah, Texas. A third store is slated for Walnut Creek, Calif. "Men are changing the way they dress, they are changing the way they shop and they are changing also how they engage with brands," Carrie Ask, chief customer officer of Men's Wearhouse parent Tailored Brands, said. "This store design is a critical component of that strategy." No more 'Sea of Sleeves' The new format allows Men's Wearhouse to showcase its casual offerings, which make up one-half of its business, while intermixing them with more suiting options, Ask said. One of the most important aspects of the new space are dedicated zones, rather than what Ask described as a "sea of sleeves," which is what visitors were once confronted with upon entering a store. For instance, there is a visible back stock area the retailer coined "The Vault," It retains Men's Wearhouse's extensive styles and sizes, but in a way that opens up the store interior by reducing the amount of inventory on the sales floor. There are also more brand elements within the store with casual offerings from the likes of Calvin Klein and Van Heusen, plus formalwear from Black by Vera Wang. There's even a zone for its tuxedo rental business that makes it more convenient for fittings, picking up and dropping off, according to Ask. "Customers are engaging both digitally and physically, often simultaneously," she said. "So we wanted to thoughtfully incorporate purposeful technology solutions along the consumer journey to help both our customers and our store teams in the shopping experience." Digital shirt finder As for some of the other bells and whistles, the new spaces are tricked out with a digital floor-to-ceiling wall at the back that features the retailer's latest videos and set the tone for creating a modern experience. One of the store's front windows is actually a transparent digital screen that shoppers can see through from inside the store. To boot, the marketing content displayed on the screen can be changed remotely at the flip of a switch from corporate headquarters, Ask said. There's also a new tool Men's Wearhouse created in partnership with interior architectural design firm Nelson Worldwide called a Digital Shirt Wall, or digital shirt finder, which is part of the retailer's Shirt Shop. "We think this is a leading-edge technology reinventing an important category for us and for our customers," Ask said. After consumers input their style and fit preferences, the tool scours all the company's in-store and online offerings to provide the shopper with personalized recommendations. "We know that our customers are looking for modern solutions to help them find the perfect look that matches their style preferences," Ask said. She also noted the tools help sales associates focus on customer style preferences and pull together the right look. More than 15 teams inside Men's Wearhouse were involved in the design process. They collaborated with interior design and space-planning firm Nelson Worldwide, which was formerly known as FRCH. Stores as marketing tools—and fulfillment centers According to a company description, the interior upgrades are complemented by clean sight lines, streamlined perimeter walls, glass panels and a color and material palette that includes warm oaks tones, cool grays, blues and steel finishes. "Much of this work allowed us to elevate our visual experience in the stores, elevate head-to-toe merchandising, showcase products [and] really showcase our casual offerings," Ask said. "Much of what we’re doing in this work is very visual, very experiential." Ask emphasized the stores are much more than places to buy something, as they not only market the brand to passersby and introduce additional offerings, but also serve as a place where Men's Wearhouse fulfills online orders. "We think the convenience we provide with our store fleet and our ecommerce capabilities makes it a lot easier for the customer to be ready for what they are preparing for," Ask said. Significantly outperforming so far Initially, Men's Wearhouse will focus on results from the three pilot stores, gathering customer and store team feedback to make refinements, Ask said. From there, the retailer will design a refresh and remodel program, tailoring the level of investment to each individual store. There are also improvements that can be made without a full remodel, such as incorporating the digital shirt finder. "The big question will be, 'Will the customers respond to the changes and will the changes we’re making resonate with them?' And if that happens, then the financial results will open up the opportunities to expand this," Ask said. So far, the results are promising, she said, noting the redesigned stores are significantly outperforming the fleet. Not only that, but Men's Wearhouse is seeing a strong response from younger demographics, namely millennials.