This is the kind of store that I would love to spend an entire weekend in.

The Canal Walk Cape Union Mart Adventure Centre has something of everything for everyone. Ok, I must first admit that finding this invigorating store was a bit of a hit and miss affair, as the large retail spaces on the outskirts of the Canal Walk Mall parking are not as well promoted as they could be. Unfortunately this retail space looks like an office block from the outside as the windows are so tinted that the traditional method of using window displays to attract customers is not ideal. The signage is very clear but it is so high up that it is easily missed.

However this imperfect first impression changed completely once I had stepped inside the store. On entering, I am met with the exciting adventure zone, a fun space to go shopping, where I can interact with the products in ways that enhance my senses and my overall experience. This very large double volume space reminds me of the huge lifestyle stores I visited in South America. As I walked around the shop floor I noticed several cleverly placed design details helping to fill this huge space in just the right places. The size of this in-store space requires strong use of focal points to give direction and shopper confidence in what could otherwise be an overwhelmingly large floor area. The well placed, highly visible focal points ease in-store navigation and are no doubt appreciated, in particular, by those male shoppers who prefer to shop for specific products rather than browsing. My eyes gazed over the wood-inside-glass-cube plinths that the male mannequins stand on, the rotating merchandise rail, the shoes placed in front of different material backdrops, the climbing wall, the cold room, the rain room, the scary-hairy spiders and my all-time favourite the different ground surfaces available to test your trail boots on. This is definitely a destination store where you can go to get that specific item, or where you can just browse and browse for hours and stock up on absolutely everything that you might need for a camping trip, a 4×4 trail, a safari holiday, a hiking trip, an overseas trek, a ski resort or an epic expedition, the office, the rugby, a tea party, gardening and so so so SO much more. There is something for everyone at just about any time.

The store is laid out perfectly with men’s clothing range, Old Khaki, CU & Co on the right as you enter the store and ladies clothing range, Poetry, on the first floor to the right . The outdoor technical clothing zone has items like jackets designed to protect you from snow, wind, rain. You can test the jackets in the cold room or rain room. The technical equipment like tents, sleeping bags, etc. on the left upstairs next to the hairy-scary spiders. There is an abundant array of boots, shoes and sandals at the back next to the different ground-surface track pads and the climbing wall. There is even a children’s department with it’s very own toddler climbing wall. I think that my husband, brother, father and brother-in-law would spend most of their time in the gadget zone that greets you as you walk in. This zone has a multitude of gadgets and tools to help you through just about every tricky moment you might encounter on your next adventure. There is a dedicated sales staff team in this area, full of knowledge about the products on offer.
Walking through this store makes me long to go on an adventure and it motivates me into gearing up. This is a lifestyle store in the true sense and I know that I will be back with the entire family for a fun-filled shopping experience.

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Kingsley Heath is a modern day supply store that captures the spirit of adventure and the joy of growing up in Africa. This is a brand that has made my eyes open wide as to how we, as Africans, can handle African style retailing successfully. They are proud to state, and rightly so, that the majority of their merchandise is produced here in South Africa and I am proud to wear merchandise that is so very real and relevant to me, as a South African.

I have been a fan of the Kingsley Heath concept for a while now and in great anticipation, camera in hand, I attend  the opening of Kingsley Heath, Canal Walk on Thursday, 20th May 2010. I have to mention that no camera will ever be able to do this store any justice. You have to smell this store. Scent is the strongest trigger of memory and I remember that smell and the memories the store evoked fondly. It is raw, like earth, leather … something more, summer rain..no..it smells like the bush at sunset? I could go on forever about the smell of this store continuously trying to capture just what fond memory my nose scented … ? “What is it” ?

This is a complete sensory store, all the senses are catered for. Visually, everything you see has been touched by a designers eye and hand. The concrete floor, the shell-chandelier lighting, the wall bays in dark textured wood and the leather cladding inside the magnificent high-door changing rooms. The personal visual details of trophies with African succulents, the frames with the most seductively desirable images, the camp bed holding the merchandise.  The merchandise….oh…that beautiful leather jacket my friend Taryn swiped her credit card for *sigh* (I stroke it lovingly every time I see her in that gorgeous jacket). There is also a male and female fragrance, beautifully packaged. The box unfolds like a flower and…..smells like….mmmm

The music at the launch is energetic, colourful and mixed.. The vibe is alive and the staff are bright-eyed and helpful. A store launch done right!

The mood and feeling that I experience in-store is steeped in the African heritage of Kingsley-Heath the great African adventurer, Nguni cattle, a hardy, colourfull Southern African breed, African basketry and so many other beautiful indigenous elements. If I had to predict the future of this brand I say that it will grow fast and stores will start to open up all over the world; doing especially well in UK, Europe and America. It has a strong sense of universal appeal, we all long for that African adventure. The African safari. We all want to escape the urban concrete jungle and feel the baking raw red sand under our feet and hear the cry of the wild. This store evokes the spirit of Africa! viva Afrik du Sud! viva Kingsley Heath!

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