Oliver Sweeney has an amazing reputation for high end shoes and has more recently expanded its range in to an equally amazing range of clothing and accessories. It really is a great place for the city gent to shop. I happened to be passing the Covent Garden store earlier this week and couldn’t resist venturing in. The place was oozing style and it didn’t take me long to spot a whole load of items to put on my birthday list.

Not only was their Manager, Ridian, exceedingly charming but I was invited to be the first to sit in their new shoeshine chair and indulge in a chilled beer whilst Jock Kennedy of London Shoeshine attended to my shoes.

Jock was a really entertaining guy as well as seriously knowing his polishes and cloths. He runs a franchise business putting his London Shoeshine brand in to stores and has more recently had a significant demand from corporate events, making company stands more ‘sticky’. He says it’s a growing area for him and it looks like a great business opportunity worldwide. So, with shoes expertly polished and the effects of a Peroni hitting the brain receptors I was in the perfect mood to spend some money!

Had ‘retailtainment’ made a difference to my shopping experience at Sweeney’s? I’d say so. And I can't wait to go back. Thanks Sweeney's for making my day!