Designers Give a Preview of Tomorrow's Shops at MAPIC 2010

PARIS, Nov. 5, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- From friendly, snug boutiques to spacious, futuristic retail outlets, MAPIC 2010 will be lifting the lid on tomorrow's shopping sites, with a net increase in the presence of international designers (17% higher attendance to date than at the same time last year). Designers are increasingly being hired by brands and shopping centres because they are giving as much importance to the setting and atmosphere of their outlets as to the strategic choice of location. As a result, designers are emerging as the main actors for "re-inventing" stores and persuading consumers to come and shop.

The Saguez & Partners agency (France), one of Europe's leaders in global design and currently celebrating its 100th outlet concept, explains this trend: "Due to the phenomenon of 'deconsumption,' driven by the crisis and the explosion of Internet e-commerce, retailers are starting to rethink the purpose of their sales outlets. The era of seeing shops as 'selling machines' is now over. The new generation of stores is introducing a new cultural and commercial mix that gets customers more deeply involved in the store environment and offers new consumer experiences," says Olivier Saguez, President, Founder and Creative Director of Saguez & Partners.

As consumers grow more involved in their purchases, retailers are trying to forge stronger bonds with them and react more directly to their expectations. As Olivier Rasquinet, Managing Partner of the Minale Design Strategy agency says: "Performance is now more about differentiation rather than mass retailing. This means making choices. Today, a retail brand can no longer afford to target any kind of consumer; it has to define the person it is targeting, their optimum footfall time, and most of all which specific needs can be met."

This is why new concepts for sales outlets are flourishing all over the world. Retailers' stores are growing more user-friendly and user-efficient, and focusing on creating special environments in order to stand out:

The Saguez & Partners agency is focussing on the theme of 'naturalness' to update the network of 77 outlets for the 20th anniversary of Nature & Decouvertes (France). Launched in the brand's store in the Parly 2 shopping centre to the west of Paris, this new generation of shops invites guests to explore a more user-friendly environment comprising seven distinct sections: well-being, scents and flavours, gardens, hiking, science and discovery, a bookshop and a children's area. Natural elements are found throughout the store such as the use of noble materials or a plant area, inspired by forest undergrowth with local plants that grow vertically, reinforcing this link with nature.

Minale Design Strategy has been transforming the stores of the Belgium brand Sequoia, specializing in organic products. Starting in the Waterloo outlet, this project is rolling out a dynamic, cheerful and epicurean vision of organic and natural products. The use of special colours and materials (coloured furniture, beige floors, spot lighting, and wood) highlights the warm, contemporary feel of the concept. The shop is divided into several areas, starting with a large fresh food section, followed by a delicatessen island, and then highlights other Sequoia specialties, such as foods, cosmetics, gifts, relaxation, well-being, textiles and bedding.

In a completely different universe, London-based design consultancy JHP Design (UK) has created the inaugural store for dance music label and lifestyle brand Hed Kandi (UK). The brand embarked upon diversifying into the ready-to-wear and accessories line modelled on the star-studded parties they organize around the world. Located just south of London in the Bluewater Shopping Centre, the store targets the kind of cosmopolitan women who aspire to the fabulous Hed Kandi lifestyle illustrated on their album covers. With reflective glitter disco balls hanging from the ceiling, rotating mannequins, neon tube lighting, and reflective surfaces JHP have created 'the place to go in before you go out'.

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