A designer brand renowned for quality and style all over the world, Gucci is a retail destination for those in search of luxury goods, with stores in all the most coveted locations.

But that bricks and mortar presence involves risk. A number of high-end brands have been targeted by thieves and organised crime, with criminals using vehicles to gain access through the store front and steal valuable stock. Gucci decided to be proactive in mitigating this risk and approached Crowdguard for help in protecting two stores; Sloane Street, the established London flagship store, and New Bond Street, a sumptuously refurbished new location, due to open this autumn.

The challenge for each of the stores was to deliver certified and impact-tested HVM protection for the store front, without detracting from the impact of the location or the luxury aesthetic of the brand. In each location, the solution had to align to the aesthetic and operational streetscape requirements of the public realm asset owners – Cadogan Estates in the case of Sloane Street, and Westminster Council and English Heritage for the New Bond Street store. It was also important to consider the technical aspects of each location, including the need for shallow mount foundations to avoid any risk of damage to the basement of each retail property.

The Crowdguard team worked collaboratively with Gucci, Cadogan, Westminster City Council, English heritage and the architects for the New Bond Street refurbishment, Hyphen, to agree the specification. With its shallow mount foundations and ease of deployment and removal, the Unafor Core system was the ideal solution.

For the Sloane Street store, the installation involved six Unafor Core bases, each with two upstands. The 12 upstands have been fabricated to a bespoke design with a high grade 316 stainless steel bollard sleeve, which matches the aesthetic of the streetscape upgrade being planned by Cadogan. The shallow mount foundations have been installed with temporary surfacing, pending the urban landscaping project, and will remain in place when the new pavement finishes are installed. Cadogan has spoken to other luxury brands on their estate about the suitability of the system as ram-raid protection, and the service delivered by Crowdguard.

For the New Bond Street store, the specification involves a dual Unafor Core system with two upstands. Once again, the bollards for the HVM solution have been manufactured to a bespoke design, with an anodized bronze finish that complements the Gucci colour palette and the architect’s design scheme for the store.

The success of these two stores means that Crowdguard is now Gucci’s ram-raid protection partner for Europe, with the next installation due to take place in Amsterdam.

Pawel Pajaczek, North Europe Retail Security Manager at Gucci commented: “It’s been a pleasure working with Crowdguard to provide ram-raid protection to our flagship New Bond Street store, due to open later this year. Crowdguard understood the requirements of a high quality product to meet the aesthetic requirements of the Gucci brand and with the operational specification from a security and store perspective. We are also working in conjunction with Crowdguard at our other flagship stores, and look forward to the further installs in the coming months”.