ARKET King's Road Chelsea

Scope of Works

Deliver a refined ARKET store across 670 sqm (including back-of-house) over two floors at The Gaumont, 196–222 King’s Road - a site named in honour of its cinematic and theatrical heritage as the original 1930s Gaumont Palace Theatre building.
Ground floor: Women’s & Home; First floor: Men’s & Childrens.
Feature staircase: steel structure with stone treads/risers; continuous black handrail; encased steelwork.
Terrazo flooring throughout; exposed steel crossbeams; curved-edge glass block wall/screen.
MF ceilings with minimal access hatches; exposed soffit at first floor with closed service containment.
Lighting: adjustable track and linear LEDs for a calm, gallery-like ambience.
Full-height timber fitting rooms; mechanically fixed, full-length mirrors.
Accessibility: installation of lift and an accessible fitting room.
Biophilia: supply/coordination of living trees with specialist maintenance.
Powells Joinery: 5m window display podium.
Receipt and seamless integration of brand-supplied fixtures; coordinated stakeholder and landlord interface.

Client

ARKET (H&M Group)

Scope of work

Retail

Timeline

9.2 weeks

Scope of Works

Deliver a refined ARKET store across 670 sqm (including back-of-house) over two floors at The Gaumont, 196–222 King’s Road - a site named in honour of its cinematic and theatrical heritage as the original 1930s Gaumont Palace Theatre building.
Ground floor: Women’s & Home; First floor: Men’s & Childrens.
Feature staircase: steel structure with stone treads/risers; continuous black handrail; encased steelwork.
Terrazo flooring throughout; exposed steel crossbeams; curved-edge glass block wall/screen.
MF ceilings with minimal access hatches; exposed soffit at first floor with closed service containment.
Lighting: adjustable track and linear LEDs for a calm, gallery-like ambience.
Full-height timber fitting rooms; mechanically fixed, full-length mirrors.
Accessibility: installation of lift and an accessible fitting room.
Biophilia: supply/coordination of living trees with specialist maintenance.
Powells Joinery: 5m window display podium.
Receipt and seamless integration of brand-supplied fixtures; coordinated stakeholder and landlord interface.

Client

ARKET (H&M Group)

Scope of work

Retail

Timeline

9.2 weeks

Challenges

Busy King’s Road logistics with strict delivery booking/sequencing.
Services integration from first floor to landlord riser up to fifth floor / roof while maintaining access to landlords communal areas.
Issues with sub floor resulting in delays to stone floor installation.
Precision geometry for the continuous handrail and stair detailing; in-situ refinements with fabricators.
Maintaining programme certainty amid multi-party coordination (client, design team, sub-contractors and landlord).

Key Results

Delivered on time and on budget.
Aesthetics and detailing in keeping with the Heritage-style Art Deco frontage.
Immaculate finishes: seamless stair handrail, robust stone flooring, gallery-clean ceilings.
Discreet building services: exposed soffit with closed containment; minimal access hatches elsewhere.
Safety and longevity: mechanically fixed mirrors; durable detailing throughout.
Positive client feedback and a compelling customer experience evidenced by opening-day demand.
Captured lessons (stair jointing/sequencing) to streamline future ARKET concept rollouts.

Quote

“Big thank you to Powells Limited and especially Sean Snelgar and Justine Dickson – it was a privilege to learn from you, couldn’t have done any of it without your support.”
Maria Budnikova
Construction Project Manager
H&M Group