News
18 : 07 : 18

London – The Restory has made its retail debut at luxury department store Harvey Nichols, expanding its high-end repairs service to reach a wider consumer base.

Catering to time-pressed customers, the company will now accept repairs through a new drop-off station at the high-end department store. Guests can deliver their items – such as worn leather handbags, scuffed shoes or broken straps – to any member of staff in the accessories or shoes department, to be collected by The Restory within 48 hours. Once received, the items will be assessed and the customer will receive a quote detailing the repairs needed, the approach The Restory will take, the cost and turnaround time. Standard work, such as paint touch-ups, polishing, and stain removal, will take between five to seven working days. The items are then wrapped and shipped to the customer’s chosen destination, be it their home or back to the store.

As luxury consumers seek to develop more sustainable relationships with their clothing, brands are exploring how to prolong the life of garments through services that re-create their original state.

US – ZEDA aerospace is launching Aura, a new airline that offers the luxury and convenience of private air travel at an affordable price.

Billed as ‘America’s first five-star flight experience’, Aura will provide guests with an inflight service that includes extended legroom, gourmet meals, Wi-Fi and reclining seats, at a lower cost compared to a commercial first class flight ticket. Individual fares start at £212 ($280, €239) or alternatively passengers can opt for a membership service, costing £76 ($100, €85) a month for unlimited flights at fixed fares.

Accommodating just 29 passengers, Aura’s plane will operate in a similar way to private jets. Passengers can arrive 20 minutes before take-off and will be guided to a private hangar to board. Targeting businesspeople who frequently travel for work, the service will initially operate between larger metropolitan cities, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, and Los Angeles.

Aura joins an expanding list of flight providers working to broaden the appeal of private aviation. For more, read our dedicated listicle.

London – In a move that recognises the evolving structure of modern families, Volvo and Grey London have launched a series of new parking icons at the Westfield London shopping centre.

The floor signage depicting same-sex couples with children or older people with pushchairs was installed to mark the launch of the new Volvo V60, the latest model in the brand’s recognisable family car series. ‘The introduction of the new V60 gives us the ideal opportunity to celebrate the modern family in all its guises. As the contemporary iteration of our mid-size family estate, the V60 perfectly reflects our human-centric approach to car design, which aims to make its owners’ lives easier and safer’, explains Mike Johnstone, marketing strategy director at Volvo Cars UK.

Following positive public response, Grey tells LS:N Global that it could expand the initiative, with the potential for the icons to become a permanent feature of car parks across the UK. For more on how brands can embrace a modern family mindset, read our Post-Family Marketing microtrend.

In an oversaturated world of health advice, consumers are seeking ways to conveniently access professional expertise. New research from pharmaceutical firm Sanofi found that two-thirds of individuals would rather visit a pharmacist than a GP for advice on minor ailments.

The findings were most prominent among middle age respondents, with 70% of those aged 45-54 years saying they would visit a pharmacy for advice, compared to 50% of 16-24-years-old.

For more on how access to healthcare is evolving, download our new Health and Wellness report, launched on July 12.