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At Superdry\u2019s immersive and multifaeceted flagship at 360-366 Oxford Street, founder and CEO Julian Dunkerton is proving a broader point about physical retail.<\/p>\n
The store, positioned as \u201ca new chapter on Oxford Street\u201d and \u201ca reimagined space, crafted with intention and built for the next era of Superdry&Co\u201d, isn\u2019t simply a refreshed flagship, but a practical expression of how the creative force behind Superdry believes stores now need to work.<\/p>\n
Dunkerton is immersing shoppers in the spirit of Superdry through strategic brand environments, discovery spaces and destinations with a clear point of difference. For him, too many retailers have stripped out the very things that once made stores compelling.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of stores forget the experience,\u201d he tells\u00a0Retail Gazette<\/em>. \u201cEverything got pared back for a decade. They\u2019ve made it very utilitarian, as if it\u2019s just a practical reason you\u2019re coming shopping.\u201d<\/p>\n His argument is that if consumers can buy functional basics anywhere, stores have to offer something else. A stronger sense of identity, more visual impact and a more distinctive mix of product and concepts.<\/p>\n That thinking runs through the Oxford Street space, where unmistakably Superdry-centric product sits alongside additional retail propositions including a newly-launched Bench collaboration designed by Dunkerton himself and a crack team, and vintage product displays from brands such as Ralph Lauren and Carhartt. The intention is to give the store more breadth, more relevance and, crucially, more reasons for people to make the trip.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very conscious of cookie-cutter towns, cookie-cutter experiences,\u201d says Dunkerton. \u201cI think this generation is going to repel and rebel against the chain stores that are in every town, in every place, everywhere. So, my job is to make it a different experience.\u201d<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean making the store different for the sake of it. Dunkerton\u2019s approach is rooted in a clear commercial logic. If the modern high street is full of interchangeable spaces, retailers need a sharper offer to stand out.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I want to do is make sure that the consumer has a wonderful experience and makes the effort to come to Oxford Street,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Part of that strategy is to use the flagship as more than a standalone Superdry shop. Dunkerton wants it to function as a broader marketplace, bringing in adjacent brands and concepts that can widen its appeal and attract different customer groups.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping this area becomes a marketplace for up-and-coming young brands,\u201d he says. \u201cSo there\u2019s a real reason, if you\u2019re in Surbiton, to go, \u2018Why would I go to Oxford Street?\u2019 Because I see all the same stores. No, let\u2019s make this one different enough so consumers say, \u2018I\u2019m going to make a pilgrimage to Oxford Street to come here\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n He is equally clear on the commercial role these additional concepts can play.<\/p>\n \u201cEach area is its own sphere of influence. Our incredible new collaboration with Bench, or the vintage Ralph Lauren rooms, or the vintage Carhartt available; they\u2019re all independently bringing their own consumer groups,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Throughout the conversation, he returns repeatedly to the same point. His value lies in being able to combine creative instinct with commercial judgement (and an awful lot of good will within the industry).<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been doing this my whole life. I\u2019m long enough in the tooth to know what the public want,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes me slightly different.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a line that sums up how Dunkerton sees himself, and perhaps why he still has such a hands-on role in the business. In his view, too many retail businesses split creativity from commerce, weakening both in the process.<\/p>\n \u201cMost brands or retailers will have a head of creative or a creative director who might not have any commercial skills at all,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, the combining of the two is quite unique. It allows us to be agile, and also ensure that products aren\u2019t diluted through people who don\u2019t feel the passion for design and quality that I do.\u201d<\/p>\n That mindset is visible throughout the Oxford Street flagship. The store isn\u2019t designed as a neutral backdrop for product, but as a branded environment with distinct zones, clear visual identity and enough variation to keep customers moving through the space. It\u2019s a maximalist space, where Superdry product jumps out from every possible angle. Dunkerton is trying to create a store people talk about, not simply a store people pass through.<\/p>\n For him, that\u2019s especially important on Oxford Street, where retailers have to work harder than ever to justify the trip. \u201cThe next generations of shoppers with influence are going to rebel against chain stores. They\u2019re sick of inauthentic experiences,\u201d he says. \u201cMy job is to make coming to Superdry a different experience, and ensure that we\u2019re the brand who captures your imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n The flagship is also a reflection of how Dunkerton believes the Superdry brand should now be presented. Rather than relying on a single, uniform retail format, he is using Oxford Street to build something more layered and flexible. A flagship that can showcase the breadth of the business, accommodate new concepts and act as a platform for future partnerships.<\/p>\n He\u2019s clear that this requires specialist talent and close collaboration, not just founder instinct.<\/p>\n \u201cI work with incredible people,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m not stupid. I can\u2019t do it all myself. I hunt out the best people to work with. I\u2019ve been crafting these relationships for decades and I\u2019m very picky about who we trust with the Superdry name.\u201d<\/p>\n That same logic extends beyond visual merchandising and store design. Dunkerton talks about long-standing factory relationships, trusted internal teams and experienced colleagues who understand what good looks like. It\u2019s an operating model based on speed, conviction and familiarity, rather than endless layers of approval.<\/p>\n \u201cI no longer have to ask the board whether I\u2019m able to do things. I get on and do it,\u201d he says. \u201cNot having a board to turn to and just being able to get on with things has allowed this process to be quick.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to note, however, that Oxford Street is not being treated as a one-off showcase. Dunkerton sees it as part of a broader reset for the business, and as an example of how Superdry can use stores to gain momentum.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m one of those people that only looks forward,\u201d he says. \u201cI never really look backwards because I\u2019m always working out what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n What comes next, he suggests, is expansion. Dunkerton says Superdry plans to open 21 stores this year, while continuing to develop the kind of store environments now being tested at Oxford Street. The ambition isn\u2019t simply to add more space, but to create more reasons for people to engage with the brand physically.<\/p>\n That means more destination-led thinking, more differentiation between stores and, potentially, more room for complementary concepts and partnerships that can broaden appeal without diluting the core brand.<\/p>\n For Dunkerton, Oxford Street is therefore more than a flagship relaunch. It\u2019s a signal of how he wants Superdry to operate. Faster, more distinct, more confident in-store and more willing to give physical retail a stronger point of view.<\/p>\n Whilst the passion and care for Superdry is unmistakable when talking to Dunkerton, there\u2019s a wider commercial ambition behind that thinking, too. \u201cThe next thing for me is to take us back to about three quarters of a billion turnover,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a bold target, but it helps explain why so much weight is being placed on the role of stores. For Dunkerton, physical retail isn\u2019t a legacy channel to be managed conservatively. It\u2019s still a core strategic asset, provided it gives shoppers something they cannot get elsewhere.<\/p>\n And that, ultimately, is what the brand\u2019s Oxford Street flagship is designed to demonstrate.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.retailgazette.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BENCHxSDCo_EVENT_AC_155-300x200.jpg\")
\nThat belief in creating destination retail comes from experience. Dunkerton is not speaking as a distant chief executive or a founder wheeled out for a flagship relaunch. He\u2019s speaking as someone who has spent decades building brands, shaping product and obsessing over how retail environments work.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.retailgazette.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BENCHxSDCo_EVENT_AC_184-300x200.jpg\")
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