Heartless drives VIP shopping experience

The interior of Heartless - see more pictures below

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Designer independent Heartless has launched a VIP car service to pick up customers and bring them to the store in Buckhurst Hill in Essex in a bid to drive sales.

Heartless began trading two months ago in Queens Road under its owners, professional footballer James Brown, who has just returned from Italy where he played for Perugia, and Darren Rudland, who started his career at Reiss and most recently ran designer boutique Zap, also in Buckhurst Hill.

The duo set up the Heartless store to target a pool of local customers who are defying the economic downturn and are still willing to flash their cash despite the credit crunch. "Our key clients and regulars are in well-paid jobs that are above the credit crunch but we do appeal to others as well," said Rudland.

The VIP car service is open to shoppers willing to spend a minimum of £750 in the store and the vehicles include a matt black Lamborghini, a 1960s Porsche, or a classic VW Camper or Beetle.

On arrival, shoppers are offered refreshments and a personal shopping session in the store, which features chrome chairs, skeleton-themed wallpaper and exposed brickwork. Afterwards they are driven back to their destination in one of the plush vehicles."We are a village store and we launched the service as a way of attracting people from outside of the area," added Rudland.

The store sells designer labels including Yves Saint Laurent, Yohji Yamamoto and Balenciaga, as well as directional labels such as cashmere brand Elder Statesmen and Japanese brand Drestrip, alongside a mix of grooming products, art, motorcycle helmets and classic Louis Vuitton luggage trunks.

Heartless is set to launch a transactional website in October, which will allow the business to sell overseas and offer limited edition pieces.