Burberry Regent Street pilots interactive technology

Burberry Regent Street in London blurs the physical and digital world to create 'Burberry World Live', which claims to offer customers the physical expression of the brand's most innovative digital launches in recent times.

The launch of the landmark store today (13 September) comes in the same month that the luxury retailer issued a profits warning, saying sales had stalled.

The store's features include a 22ft-high screen, 500 hidden speakers and a hydraulic stage.

It also showcases RFID microchips – radio-frequency identification – in some of its clothes.

This means that when a customer wears the microchipped clothing, they can look into a mirror that transforms into a screen, which shows how the garment would look on a catwalk. There will also be a digitally enabled gallery and events space.

The store covers four floors and is the largest Burberry branch in the world.

According to Burberry, 1% of the value of all purchases made in Burberry Regent Street will go to support the work of the Burberry Foundation, its charitable arm.

Angela Ahrendts, Burberry chief executive officer, said: "Burberry Regent Street brings our digital world to life in a physical space for the first time, where customers can experience every facet of the brand through immersive multimedia content, exactly as they do online. Walking through the doors is just like walking into our website. It is Burberry World Live.

Christopher Bailey, Burberry chief creative officer, said: "Burberry Regent Street is one of the most architecturally and culturally significant projects we have undertaken. In renovating this iconic London building, we have worked with some of the UK's finest craftsmen to restore a wealth of historic features, at the same time as pushing the boundaries of digital technology".   

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This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk