Boux Avenue Leeds #2 – Store Review

May 12, 2013

Boux Avenue opened their 18th store last month in the White Rose shopping centre in Leeds and I was lucky enough to be there for the first day the doors opened for business. I attended the press event shortly before the official store opening which gave me the opportunity to really check out what the store has to offer. If you were wondering how Boux Avenue’s stores are laid out and how to shop there, consider this is my helping hand and personal tour.

Boux Avenue, Leeds

The Store

Walking into Boux Avenue is akin to stepping into a fine boutique hotel (if you disregard the lingerie); the chic monochrome colour scheme, venetian style cabinets with half glass drawers and the spacious shop floor as polished as the light fittings above them. The decor of framed product imagery, complete with image alternating picture frames, lends to the personable boudoir feel. This store is as much about the experience as it is about the actual products it sells: glamour with a touch of sparkle.

Display of gorgeous boudoir goodies

The Layout

Finding a specific type of lingerie is simply laid out too. Everyday lingerie is sited at both sizes of the store front, with swimwear on the right in the next section opposite the till followed by underwear solutions in the bottom corner.

Everyday lingerie

Swimwear stand & Solutions corner

Sexy lingerie

Swimwear section

Next to the till on the right you’ll find the more glamorous, sexy sets then there’s the bridal section in the corner.
Free standing displays bear selections of nightwear, playful items such as tutus and camisole sets. It was so easy to find where you wanted to be.

The Detail

While an array of lingerie lines the walls of the store, the secret’s in the cabinets. Drawers are organised vertically exclusively housing specific band sizes. Open a drawer and you’ll find neat rows of bras filed in order of cup size. It’s a world away from scavenging through racks in the hope of finding your size at the back and more disabled friendly because of this too. The drawers glided open and I found my size without fuss, efficiently locating the top ’30’ drawer and the ‘G’ cup at the back of the drawer.

The back size sorted drawers

The Fitting Rooms

Trying on underwear is an intimate experience and the set up of the fitting rooms here very much recognises this. The line of rooms with their individually named doors looks more like a hotel corridor.

Upon entering my allocated room I found it to be quite spacious with plenty room to move around in. There were three hooks for hanging garments and belongings and a huge mirror.

The concierge intercom is an especially helpful function which allows you reliable contact with assistants and your fitter, and I preferred this to the typical buzz button in some other shops, or lack of assistance in many! Beneath the intercom are three switches to tailor lighting to your requirement which ranges from bright light to a dimmer glow, but the bottom night light switch unfortunately didn’t work for me. Also, the door, as reassuringly chunky as it was, didn’t properly lock, so if I was shopping in there on a normal day I would be dubious of it’s fallible closure.

My Conclusion

As a boudoir girl I covet feminine detail and girly interiors so Boux Avenue’s aesthetics have me giddy at the door. The store is impressive and smart and represents what is true retail therapy to me.

I love how orderly the bra sizing system is and how it means you don’t need to be six foot tall and on tip toes to reach your size which is ideal for petite ladies and those with mobility issues. I was disappointed that my door didn’t lock properly and then to find one of the light switches didn’t work didn’t bode well with it being opening day so I’m hoping these were just teething issues and rectified promptly.

The assistants were insanely friendly and happy to help without being irritating which is a huge positive. I never like being bugged while I’m shopping so it was lovely to be acknowledged in the store and allowed to peruse at my own pace.

I love Boux Avenue’s ranges but I’m still crossing my fingers with the hope they’ll eventually produce some 28 backs right up to the larger cups. That would make me one happy Boux Belle. 🙂

Becky x