Three Lifestyle Store Launch

5 August, 2021: Three Ireland has today announced a €27 million investment to transform its customer offering and retail stores across the country. The investment comes as Three moves to redefine the telecommunications sector and create a new category of retail stores for Ireland’s towns and cities.
This investment will create a new experience for consumers, bringing a wholistic approach to connected lifestyles. For the first time Three will not only provide connectivity through its network and devices, but consumers will also be able to turn to Three for expert advice and access to over 100 products curated to suit Irish shoppers and their hobbies.
Products available at launch will include a music table, robot hoover and smart garden, showing the variety that consumers will have access to online at three.ie and through Three’s 60 stores. This change is enabled by the Three network, Ireland’s Speedtest Award™ Winner for Fastest Mobile Network by Ookla®.
Despite the impact of Covid-19 on retail with more people shopping online, research conducted from 2019 through to 2021 has shown that consumers want an in-person experience, supplemented with an online offering.
A recent online survey of 834 respondents in March 2021 by Foresight Factory found that 3 in 5 people (60.6%), agree they prefer shopping in person to shopping online.**
Elaine Carey, Chief Commercial Officer with Three Ireland & Three UK, said: “Today is an exciting day for us in Three Ireland as we fundamentally shift and become Ireland’s first connected lifestyle brand supported by an investment of €27 million. For consumers this will dramatically change perceptions of retail, providing for the first time an offering that is curated to consumers personal tastes with expert advice at its core. To ensure the customer experience is seamless across online and in-store, Three’s retail experts will undertake extensive training to allow them to provide in-depth guidance to consumers.”

“Despite the incredible challenges Covid-19 has presented to the high street, retail as a physical space is incredibly vibrant. It became clear to us, based on our own research and customer feedback, that Irish consumers want a different experience. Online shopping means consumers have access to so much choice they are looking for help to find what best suits their needs; over 50% of consumers surveyed said they want recommendations from brands that are better tailored to them. In making this investment we are meeting this need, and simultaneously powering the change through Ireland’s fastest mobile network.”

Three’s 60 stores will become centres of excellence as employees undertake an intensive four-week training programme to enable them to help customers discover and choose the best products to suit their passion. The product range is curated to meet Irish consumer’s personal interests across key themes, with four available at launch; home, work, music and play, adapting to include new releases and broader themes throughout the year such as travel, fitness and family. These curated products will sit alongside the network’s existing mobile and broadband services, on the country’s fastest mobile network*.

The investment across Three’s 60 stores the length of breadth of the country will start in August at sites in Henry Street, Dublin, Patrick Street, Cork and Parkway Shopping Centre, Limerick. With 13 stores due to launch in 2021, the programme will continue to roll out until 2023. Over 100 additional lifestyle and connected products will be available at launch online and in selected stores as rollout continues.

Visit three.ie to discover this new range of lifestyle products and find details on when and where you can visit our new retail stores.

Ends.

• Three has been named as Ireland’s Speedtest Award™ Winner for Fastest Mobile Network by Ookla, the global leader in fixed broadband and mobile network testing applications, data and analysis. Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data for Q1–Q2 2021. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission.
  **Three conducted extensive research prior to this launch and rollout starting in 2019 and into 2021. Quantitative research was conducted by Behaviours & Attitudes and Foresight Factory between January 2020 and March 2021. Qualitative research was conducted by Bricolage between 2019 and 2021 (not detailed below)

Insights include:

• 54.2% of consumers and over two thirds of millennials (63.5%) say they would be interested in a service that provided surprise recommendations based on their lifestyle habits. (Foresight Factory)
• 53% of respondents say they want recommendations from brands that are better tailored to them, this is highest for 16 – 24-year-olds at 59.4%. (Foresight Factory)
• 60.6% of consumers prefer shopping in person to shopping online, strong across all age categories. (Foresight Factory)
• 59.4% of all consumers attended an experience created by a brand, e.g. a pop up, workshop, or talk, this is even higher in younger demographics at 72% of 16 – 24-year-olds and 69% of 25 – 34-year-olds showing the demand for in person experiences. (Foresight Factory)
• 70% of all consumers prefer in store purchasing (B&A, Jan 2020)