Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Marks and Sparks ... with groovy copper

I'd been inside the newly refurbished Marks and Spencer store in the centre of Belfast last week at lunchtime. The coincidence that they'd moved Menswear down to the first floor next to Women's Lingerie wasn't lost on me. Someone had their thinking cap on.


But it was only today that I saw the front of the building, with the hoarding removed. A flush front wall of glass, bit like a massive Apple iPhone/iTouch!

And the wall of copper to the side ... that will either be stolen in a daring raid some night, or will be allowed to slowly turn a shade of M&S green. If it lasts, the glass and copper will sit well with the City Hall and the buildings around. And the huge surface of glass (unimaginable ten years ago) reflects the buildings around, rather than imposing its own style on the street. Full marks to the architect. Just a pity that the cash points below the copper look so tatty!

3 comments:

Coke_Shy_Hero said...

Menswear next to Lingerie? That'll be a challenge for priests looking for black socks! Does anyone think that the new M&S internal layout is far too cramped? It feels like a chap is shopping for skirts when all I'm trying to do is get to the escalator to the foodhall for some lunch!

Anonymous said...

I find it ridiculously cramped. Can't wait to see what it's like during Christmas rushes. Also, I've been in several times and heard staff moaning that they are short-staffed. Another company thinking more about profits than customer service (oh, wait, I'm just being naive that it was never thus!)

Anonymous said...

with so many people wanting jobs it surprises me that companies are always so understaffed - from my experiences working in retail recently and as a consumer.

Hopefully it wont be raining when I leave work this afternoon as I have my camera with me to get some snaps of it.