Page 58 - RLI February 2019

Dallas-based boutique Forty Five Ten is the “new hot Gucci has also given its stores a makeover, although interest-
iteration of the department store, offering curated luxury ingly, this has been achieved without expensive re-fits. Instead,
products in an artful setting”, says Lucie Greene, world- it has harnessed the ‘soft power’ of VM, implementing new
wide director of innovation at JWT. Kristen Cole, president schemes and finishes on top of existing architecture to deliver
and chief creative officer of Forty Five Ten and sister-store a fresh and presumably cost-effective retail transformation. The
Tenoversix, says retail is no longer just about the func- recently opened Gucci flagship store situated in New York’s
tion of offering clothes. “It’s about providing an immersive, SoHo district, is highly individualised a bold and edgy state-
sensory engagement: cool, friendly, smart staff; good music; ment that’s about so much more than simply selling products.
nice smells; compelling Forty Five Ten merchandising; sig- According to Karl McKeever, “For a long time now, retailers
nificant art; a spot for coffee, drinks, café and, of course, have relied on neutral, minimalist spaces with limited product
a strong presentation of great design,” she explains. The colours and when they have struggled to re-evaluate their ap-
company operates a number of stores across the United proach to visual merchandising, they often resort to simplifying
States, with each location tailored to its specific market. It the range. The result is that VM becomes almost mechanical and
plans to open Forty Five Ten in New York’s Hudson Yards easy to implement with little expertise and knowledge within
in 2019, which will be “very directional, very forward, from the store teams. This is the opposite of Gucci’s design narrative,
Snarkitecture’s design of the space, to the edit of brands which thrives on being brave and playful in its use of colour
and pieces”, says Ms Cole. “We want to offer boutique and pattern. However, rolling out similar concepts on the high
experience and concepts, slightly different in each city, not street could be risky and you have to question whether some
monotony,” she adds. VM teams out there would be ready for such a challenge.”
Cult beauty brand Glossier launched a week-long pop- When it first launched back in 2014, Casper upended the
up Studio in central London during November, which industry with its pioneering mattress-in-a-box online delivery
saw thousands of people coming through its doors daily. concept. In 2018, it joined a growing list of online retailers
Taking over an 18th-century home in Marylebone, it cre- to launch a permanent physical retail store. Situated in the
ated a “totally instagrammable shop” selling its full range heart of downtown Manhattan, the store is intent on making
of skincare, make-up and body products. With the aim of mattress shopping an enjoyable experience. The store will be
engaging the local community and creating a buzz, having used as a testing ground ahead of a planned 200-store rollout
recently started selling to the UK, it inspired hundreds across the US. Its cosy layout is in stark contrast to the dreary
of user-generated content items across social media and experience of traditional mattress stores where products are
Glossier’s own Instagram account, which saw one of the lined up in seemingly endless rows. Balancing product educa-
most liked images in its history. Despite being an online tion with a sense of playfulness, Casper also features six semi-
player, Glossier sees offline brand activities as a key part private bedrooms, allowing customers to ‘go upstairs to bed’
of engaging its customer base in the form of pop-up retail to test the mattresses before buying. Each room has a different
stores and community dinners. design and sound effects that activate when you walk in.

WARTSKI
London, UK
Shopfitter: pORTVIEW

5 56 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL DECEMBER 2018 / JANUARY 20194 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL FEBRUARY 2019