Automobile brands including Mercedes-Benz, Renault and Tesla are showcasing their latest models on the £20m Future Stores venue on Oxford Street.
The 2-storey, 435 sq m space is designed as a high-footfall alternative to out-of-town dealerships and online listings, combining ‘retail theatre’ with data-driven customer insight where every visitor journey is tracked, recording age, gender, income, engagement and buy intent.
“Conventional automobile showrooms haven’t evolved much for the reason that Fifties,” said Engin Celikbas, managing partner at Future Stores. “Future Stores offers a radically different approach – turning Oxford Street right into a showroom and the showroom right into a showstopper.
“We create immersive, inclusive, insight-led brand experiences that bring the brand to the shopper, reaching over 100,000 people a day, including women often underserved by traditional retail.”
Since its October 2024 opening, the venue has turn out to be a showcase hub for automotive disruptors, attracting hundreds of holiday makers day by day. Female attendance is well above the industry average of 25%, with one EV activation recording 43% female visitation.
Shopper behaviour expert Kate Hardcastle MBE said this shift is overdue. “Women influence as much as 85% of consumer buying decisions, including big-ticket purchases like cars.
“Yet for many years, the automotive retail experience has been overwhelmingly male-oriented. Nearly half of girls say they find traditional showrooms off-putting or uncomfortable, and that’s a missed opportunity.
“What Future Stores has achieved is a masterclass in modern retail evolution. It places the product in a fascinating, inclusive, and high-traffic setting, wrapped in data-led insight and retail theatre.
“The result? Elevated engagement, improved sentiment, and real momentum. For automobile brands to thrive, they need to stop selling the old way and begin listening to the trendy consumer.”
With 70 million people passing annually along Oxford Street, Future Stores has recorded average dwell times of eight minutes – far higher than traditional retail benchmarks.
This Article First Appeared At www.am-online.com
