It’s been a while since I’ve pounded the streets on one of my impromptu store tours to check out what retailers are doing from a greener retailing perspective.
Past examples have involved me exploring the retail sustainability scene in Bath, Bluewater, Milan, and London’s Battersea Power Station shopping centre and wider West End district.
With the recent raft of new flagship store openings in London’s Covent Garden and Seven Dials area, I wanted to get a quick gauge of how much focus is being placed on sustainability and the circular economy in this specific part of the city.
I was actually impressed with what was on offer. Below, I’ve highlighted a few of my findings, with several of the retailers that have opened there in the last 20 months going big on repair options – and others ticking boxes for recycling, too, as the push for a more circular and less wasteful industry continues in earnest.
Arc’teryx, King Street
My tour was spontaneous not scientific, so there will be retail stores not mentioned in this blog that probably deserve to be. But the standout example of circularity I saw on my visit to the district on a bracing January afternoon was – perhaps appropriately for the weather – at outdoor retailer Arc’teryx’s King Street flagship.
The Canada-headquartered company, which first arrived in London in 2015 in Piccadilly, expanded around the corner from its Long Acre site to King Street in February 2024. And downstairs at the two-storey, 8,000 sq ft space is an area dedicated to its ReBird circularity programme.
A counter is in place for the brand’s customers to take items that require alteration or repair, while there is a service room containing industrial washing machines the retailer uses to clean consumers’ gear in a way that protects the garment from damage.
A member of staff told me the facility continues to grow in popularity, with circa 7,500 uses of ReBird services at the store in 2025 versus approximately 3,000 uses one year before. He suggested Londoners are more inclined to use the cleaning service than customers in other territories – with around 40% of the usage at the store for the washing machines, which can be accessed for free.
The range of alteration and repair services on offer include zipper replacement, Gore-Tex patching, and leak testing.
Having such a facility not only helps customers extend the longevity of their items, which has a clear environmental benefit, but it also gives them multiple reasons to return to the store and re-engage with the brand at regular intervals, which has potential commercial benefits too.
Veja, Monmouth Street
In September 2025 Green Retail World published 5 Things You Might Not Know About B Corp Veja, which highlighted the brand’s efforts in promoting good product provenance, use of responsible materials, and its strong focus on repairing items.
The brand’s mantra is “the most ecological sneakers are the ones you already wear”, and that message is evident in its Seven Dials stores, which opened in Monmouth Street in April 2024 and remains the French brand’s only UK flagship.
The retailer builds the circular economy into its visual merchandising offering, with a transparent container of used white Veja trainers depicting where the repair station is located.
It is effectively a traditional cobbler’s station in the store, and this service area is replicated in its shops across the world.
Neal’s Yard Remedies, Neal’s Yard
Modern apothecary and health and beauty retailer Neal’s Yard first opened in Covent Garden in December 1981, a year before I was born. It took the name of the street it set up in.
Last year, the space closed to undertake a modernisation – and it reopened in November with a fresh look and feel, and something the brand itself described as “a renewed sense of calm and warmth”.
I certainly felt calm and warm when entering the store, and not just because it was so cold and busy outside. The warmth came from the clever lighting as much as anything, while the calmness was perhaps enhanced by the aroma emanating from the remedies.
But, more importantly from my perspective, I was particularly pleased to see the space still takes back plastic or mixed packaging of any brand from consumers – and recycles it through its long-term TerraCycle partnership.
Staff there told me they are always keen to inform customers about the sustainability story that sits behind the brand, which includes its “eco-manufacturing” facility in Peacemarsh, Dorset. The site is powered by 100% renewable energy, and circa 15% of the site’s electricity is generated by the 700 sq m of solar panels installed there.
Neal’s Yard Remedies also says it runs on 100% renewable electricity and gas to power its stores and offices.
Finisterre, Neal Street
In May 2024, Finisterre opened its largest store yet, in London’s Covent Garden – at 2,702 sq ft, it was an 80% upsize on its previous Earlham Street space.
The site functions as part store, part repair service workshop – and customers can book to attend practical circular economy-themed events, as marketed.
Consumers looking to repair their garments can drop into the Neal Street store every Wednesday to Friday to chat to the ‘Lived and Loved’ crew, who promise to advise and help repair their products. The retailer offers paid-for services to fix items, while there is a range of equipment available to purchase in store to enable at-home repairs.
I’ve covered a few stories on Finisterre in recent months, showing the brand is committed to trying new materials in its products that have less of a negative impact on the environment. The Covent Garden flagship is a physical manifestation of the wider mission.
Nespresso, Henrietta Street
In May 2025, coffee brand Nespresso opened a 1,345 sq ft flagship in Henrietta Street, overlooking Covent Garden’s West Piazza. It came after the closure of its Regent Street space at the end of 2024.
When I arrived at the new site, which launched last year aided by promotional campaigns involving brand ambassador and ex-England football captain David Beckham, I was instantly approached by the knowledgeable staff, who were willing to talk me through all the special features of the store.
Those features include a ‘Taste and Discover’ bar area so you can understand your preferences, a personalisation area where customers can create bespoke gift wrap, and a recycling area – where you can hear about what is done with the empty pods brought in for recycling.
You often hear new shops described as ‘experience-led’ stores and it can be hard to explain exactly what that means. For me, this must be one of those spaces – with the tasting bar and consultative approach from staff helping inform me about everything from how new coffee machines work to what the recycled aluminium can be remade into – for the record, an example is bicycle frames.
What came before
I was hoping to check out Nudie Jeans’ Monmouth Street store, but unbeknown to me it closed on 17 January, three days before I swung by. The Nudie Soho and Shoreditch stores will be serving Londoners’ denim needs from now on.
The reason I was keen to visit Nudie is because it describes its stores as repair shops, and has done as much as any fashion retailer of late to beat the drum for circular economy by talking just as much about repairing fashion as it does about selling it in the first place. I visited its Manchester store in November 2025 (see my LinkedIn post at the time) and saw for myself how the brand views this as a way of keeping customers for longer.
Also, I had read about Sungod, which opened its first ever retail store in April 2025 – just down the road from Nespresso on Henrietta Street. Turns out it was just a temporary residency, though – and the unit is now frequented by fashion retailer Byan, with Sungod having vacated in September.
Sungod says it sells “carbon neutral” performance eyewear. It also offers customers a lifetime guarantee, which talks to the confidence the brand has around the longevity of its products.
A certified B Corp, Sungod donates over 1% of revenue to sustainability-focused charities, and in May 2023 – ten years after its inception – it was awarded the King’s Award for Sustainable Development.
I hope it opens up another store soon, so I can check out those sustainability credentials in person.
Positive conclusions
I wasn’t expecting to see so much attention directed to the circular economy in such a busy part of England’s capital. Many of the stores I visited are flagships, so they throw the kitchen sink at it, so to speak, and populate these sites with everything the brand has to offer.
But, to be fair, the services I mention above are found widely across these retailers’ estates so it is fairly representative of their overall propositions.
They shout quite loudly about the repairs and recycling, too – we now just need more customers to listen and actually use the facilities, and for this to become the norm across the wider retail industry. Then we can start feeling more confident about a future of retail that is much more circular in shape rather than the linear model it is today.
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Ben Sillitoe, editor, Green Retail World (@bsillitoe)
[image credits: Green Retail World]
