One year later than first announced, the Cocor Store is just what it says: a store. The official website is www.cocorstore.ro, but the former URL, www.cocorluxurystore.ro is still active. Negotiations with the "big absentees" from the Romanian luxury market ended before time. There will be no Prada, Gucci, Brioni in the Cocor Store in the foreseeable future. In fact, Gucci's main street flagship store opening is about to take place, about two miles away from Cocor, at the ground floor of Athenee Palace Hilton's landmark neo-classic building. The Cocor project failed to meet no less than three deadlines before the opening. During the past three years, Bucharest inhabitants were constantly announced that this would be the Capital's first and main luxury shopping destination.
In October 2008, Cocor press releases said that 40% of the space is already under contract, that 200 requests for stores within Cocor were denied, that 60% of the brands will be luxury brands, and that Versace, Mac Cosmetics, Armani, Gucci, Ferre, Calvin Klein, Dupont, Fendi, Longchamps, Chanel, Dior, Vertu, Burberry, Givenchy and Loewe are interested in participating in the Cocor Luxury Store project. Out of all these, there are a few Dupont lighters and some Ferre and Calvin Klein outlet items. At the end of September 2010, both classic and new media received the new Cocor with huge disappointment. Luxury was forgotten.
Upon nearing and then entering the building, one thing becomes obvious: the designer had some inspiration. According to the Cocor website, it's an award winning design company that also handled the Hyundai Department Store project. The neighboring benches and the media façade look great. The LED screens, adding up to Eastern Europe's largest media façade continue to advertise absent brands. A minute for Dior, another for Burberry and so on. Still, as you enter you see costs were cut here and there. Some of the design elements are really expensive. Some are not. In fact, some look as if they were bought from one of the hundred near-Bucharest wholesale cheap stores. And another shiver down the spine: half of the stores and counters on the ground floor and in the basement are exactly the same as they were before the long and costly renovation, evaluated by owners at some 18 million dollars, out of which 4 millions just for the façade. Cheap jewelry, mostly silver. Orange and Vodafone stores (normal ones, not concept stores).
The only good things - two semi-organic stuff stores, with gourmet cookies, sugar, coffee, tea and other alike: CTS Corner and Whittard of Chelsea. Lots of light, everywhere, and not for a better sensation. In fact, since there's a lot of fashionable white, the light makes the see store even emptier than it is. Because this is the first sensation when you start strolling around: an empty store. Not just because there were 20-30 customers on all seven floors, but because most stores offer very few articles. Each floor has its own café and lots of empty space, one of the symptoms of a non-existing luxury market: people don't go shopping, they just go someplace to be seen "as if" they were shopping. From this point of view, there's no difference between Cocor and any of the malls in Bucharest. There are a few luxury brands, offered via to "Just 4 you" stores, one for women, one for men. Still, we talk multi-brands here, old collections and, worst of all, outlet articles with new collection prices. The best looking store, with the most attractive clothes and accessories was the medium level, youthful Cocoa brand. The Vinexpert wine bar is also a nice place to be, but the wine selection proves that the owners expect middle class clients.
News source: CPP-Luxury.com link: article
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