We worked with a national enterprise campaign and industry-sponsored plan to help revitalise the declining high street, providing new British small online businesses their first taste of the high street, with a chance to meet and co-work with other entrepreneurs and get feedback on their offerings.
Twelve promising start-up businesses you would not find on the high street were invited to populate the shop by ‘PopUp Britain’ who gave them two weeks to sell and promote their products. This process was repeated every fortnight with twelve new entrepreneurs until the shop had to be given back. This opportunity ran from September through to December during peak Christmas trading.
How:
We designed and planned the empty space in close consultation with each of the twelve entrepreneurs together with the PopUp Britain team, from the initial shell of the shop and then with the further twelve new entrepreneurs each fortnight - re-inventing each space across cutting-edge fashion, homeware, jewellery and beauty products.
It was important that each of the entrepreneurs individual product spaces had an overall cohesion across the entire retail space, adding vibrancy and fun. We achieved this by sourcing fixtures, props, lighting, decoration and POS for each, giving the space a cohesive look and feel. We refreshed the internal VM and installed new window schemes every fortnight. The project was so successful it went on to launch in a number of other locations, both within and outside of London.
John Lewis & Partners, Heathrow T2
more here..
Who:
John Lewis & Partners, Heathrow Terminal 2
Why:
New store opening and first international exposure of the John Lewis & Partners brand.
How:
Worked with John Lewis & Partners Head Office VM team, developing presentation styles, groupings and product placement.
Created planograms with CAD and Buying teams to maximise sales margins.
Communicated with Home and Fashion Buying teams, gathering and developing own brand and branded product stories.
Influenced look and feel of retail landscape through fixture style, wall colours, wallpapers, lighting and POS.
Installed the window scheme and styled all the visual merchandising across
the store.
Waitrose & Partners, London
more here..
Who:
Waitrose & Partners
Why:
New self-serve market-style fruit and vegetable display. To create visual impact as you enter the store, making the fresh food displays look enticing and shoppable.
How:
Worked with Waitrose food Buying team to design a self-service fixture for seasonal produce.
Collaborated with the Waitrose Design team to develop the look and feel around their planned campaign.
Sourced a mix of vintage and branded crates and handwritten chalkboard signage.
Created visual merchandising that the Waitrose shop floor team could easily maintain and replenish daily.
John Lewis, Exeter
more here..
Who:
John Lewis & Partners, Exeter
Why:
New store opening.
How:
Developed ‘VM hot spots’ throughout home and fashion departments.
Created a customer journey with a quirky and distinctive point of difference.
Sourced all vintage furniture and props and customised each to fit within each product category.
Influenced look and feel of retail landscape through fixture style, wall colours, wallpapers, lighting and POS.
"Karen & Martin came highly recommended to us for their strong creative thinking and attention to detail. They saved the day and helped us get a key area of the store ready for opening.”
Beth Skinner – Window Concept & Production Marketeer – New Look
Heidi Klein Pop Up, Harrods, London
more here..
Who:
Heidi Klein Pop-up, Harrods, London
Why:
To increase their presence in Harrods and launch the new Spring/Summer collection.
How:
Worked with SFD shopfitters to design a bespoke fixture with hanging rails and integrated mannequin plinths. As Visual Merchandisers we are often called upon to collaborate with other creative or production teams in this way.
Designed the graphic column to be interchangeable.
We executed the project, to brief, over a single night.
Exclusive Roots, Oxford
Exclusive Roots, Oxford
more here..
Who:
Exclusive Roots, Oxford
Why:
To increase sales by improving the overall layout of the shop interior and creating and installing regular window displays.
How:
Redesigned the interior of the shop, improving navigation for a better customer experience.
Introduced a visual merchandising system of branded wooden crates, which allowed for constantly changing fixtures in which to present new product.
Created inspirational windows which changed every three weeks to encourage both new and existing customers.
PopUp Britain, Piccadilly, London
more here..
Who:
PopUp Britain, Piccadilly, London
Why:
We worked with PopUp Britain to give up and coming small businesses an opportunity to discover what it’s like to run a high street business. Most of these companies had only experience of online retail before. Each Business traded for a two week period within this shared retail space in Piccadilly, London
How:
We assisted each company with setting up a suitable space to demonstrate their products. Each company had to work within their space, and also had work well alongside their neighbours products.
We supplied each of them with props and accessories we had sourced to help showcase their brand.
We guided them with hints and tips about visual merchandising to help them maximise the potential of their product.
Every two weeks a brand would swap out with a new brand. We managed up to ten new swap overs within this retail environment and each new company received the same support to make them feel ready and confident to trade.
Euphorium Bakery, Tesco, London
more here..
Who:
Euphorium Bakery for Tesco
Why:
To introduce artisan bakery products to the Tesco customer.
How:
Worked with Tesco’s Buying and Marketing teams to support seasonal promotions.
Created merchandised table layouts for all baked goods.
Sourced identical vintage and new props (crates, baskets, POS) for 30 stores.
Created visual merchandising guidelines for table promotions and bread offers.
Amedei, Harrods Food Hall, London
more here..
Who:
Amedei, Harrods Food Hall
Why:
Introduce the Amedei chocolate brand to the Harrods customer.
How:
Travelled to Amedei factory in Italy to get inspiration for the counter display.
Collaborated closely with the founder to design a scheme which worked with both Amedei and Harrods.
Designed and sourced the presentation kit to create an impactful chocolate counter display.
L Living, Shanghai
more here..
Who:
L Living, Shanghai, China
Why:
L Living store opening - a new concept store, part of the Luolai Home Textile Co Ltd, was to open in the new Mixc Mall, Shanghai. The existing Luolai brand was known for classic and luxury product. L Living developed the company’s appeal
to a younger audience.
How:
Laid out all the furniture and products by scheme into the newly-designed shop interior.
Merchandised the products onto the shelves in stories provided by the designer.
Created top displays within each department.
Dressed the windows to flow seamlessly into the floor space.
Trained and coached the Head Office and Store teams with hands-on merchandising techniques.
This was a massive challenge: to merchandise the whole store for the mall opening deadline within 10 days. The store opened looking incredible.
“Well, the words ‘above and beyond’ and ‘couldn’t have done it without her’ spring to mind when thinking about the work Milly has done for the campaign PopUp Britain.”
Becky Jones – PopUp Britain
Room for living, John Lewis & Partners, Oxford St, London
more here..
Who:
John Lewis & Partners, Oxford Street, London.
Why:
Room for Living - new ways to think about your space. Five living rooms reflecting how we live now. “It’s not about creating a look, it’s about making the room work for you”.
How:
Assisted the Head Office John Lewis Press and Communications team, creating and styling product schemes across furniture, lighting, rugs and home accessories, for five distinctive living room stories giving a genuine ‘lived-in’ feel.
Toast, Bath
more here..
Who:
Toast, Bath
Why:
To assist with the new season installation, and re-merchandising of the store.
How:
Merchandised the new season fashion product following head office guidelines.
Created new table displays, showcasing both new and existing product, making it fresh and easy to shop.
Changed around the fixture configuration to maximise customer flow.
ASK Italian, London
more here..
Who:
ASK Italian restaurants
Why:
To supply props and dress restaurants all over the UK so that each one looks
unique and not like a typical restaurant chain.
How:
Sourced and purchased vintage props so there was a constant supply for the
Interior Design team to choose from.
Delivered props to restaurants undergoing refits so that they were dressed and
ready for launch date.
Styled restaurants around the UK, working with each unique interior to create
something different in each branch.
“Karen’s strong personality is only surpassed by her creative and commercial bravado. She possesses the talent and understanding of style and can translate design to its full commercial potential.”
Robb Bloomer – Design Manager – M&S Lifestore
PopUp Britain, Piccadilly, London
Costa Fresco, London
more here..
Who:
Costa Fresco, Tottenham Court Road, London
Why:
An original concept for Costa Coffee through the design of interior displays and merchandising of new self-serve fresh food counters.
How:
Developed a presentation box concept for the walls showcasing kitchenware and baking related props.
Designed and sourced complete kit for the self-service bakery table.
Trialled mock-up displays at Costa Head Office.
Installed wall displays and fresh food offers on site ready for concept launch.
Luolai Home Textile Co Ltd, Shanghai, China
more here..
Who:
Luolai Home Textile Co Ltd, Shanghai, China
Why:
Luolai is a very well known, classically styled, luxury textile business in China. They wished to trial a new concept store which included changing their traditional ways of dressing room sets, and looked to the UK for styling ideas and expertise.
How:
Laid out all the furniture and products by scheme into the newly designed shop interior.
Merchandised the products onto the shelves in stories provided by the designer.
Created room set displays within each department including mannequins.
Dressed the windows to flow seamlessly into the floor space.
Trained and coached the local Head Office and Store teams through the hands on merchandising of the entire store.
Bill's Restaurant, London
more here..
Who:
Bill's Restaurant, London
Why:
To launch a new range of products for the retail section of Bill’s and source a new shelf edge ticketing solution for multiple sites.
How:
Liaised with Bill’s Head of Buying to merchandise a new confectionery and drinks range, ensuring the merchandising was kept within the existing Bill's look.
Mocked up a new shelf edge ticketing solution. After the buying teams approval this shelf edge solution was purchased in volume and used across all Bill restaurants.
Photographed and set guidelines for rollout across all restaurant locations.
David Clulow, Selfridges, Manchester
more here..
Who:
David Clulow concession, Selfridges, Manchester
Why:
Merchandise the newly-designed David Clulow shopfit in a single evening, to coincide with the brand new Selfridges Accessories Hall launch the following morning.
How:
Devised a planogram detailing which brands would go where.
Displayed all products into the correct location, selecting key styles for special display cabinets.
Installed all branded signage and artwork into the relevant light boxes to give visual appeal to passing customers.
Bill Skinner Studio, Jewellers, Otford, Tenterden and Bath
more here..
Who:
Bill Skinner Studio, Jewellers at Otford, Tenterden and Bath
Why:
To showcase new season and existing collections of fashion jewellery to engage and inspire shoppers.
How:
Planned windows and interiors for new season collections across three branches in consultation with the Bill Skinner buying and merchandising teams.
Initiated a seasonal calendar to plot and plan the year’s events.
Developed creative ideas for up-and-coming collections to elevate the brand’s assortment.
Sourced mini-crates, mini presentation kit, props and accessories, to layer into each fixture, creating a cohesive visual story across all store windows and interiors.
Initiated the use of a POS pricing system eliminating the need for hand-written tickets.
Carluccio’s, London
more here..
Who:
Carluccio’s, UK
Why:
A total refresh of Carluccio's restaurant display shelving was needed to showcase Carluccio's cook books and to increase retail sales overall.
How:
Worked with the Carluccios visual merchandising manager to mock up a generic look for the whole estate. The brief was to avoid the use of props to keep the focus on food product and books.
We redressed every restaurant in this focused way, then photographed this new configuration and briefed the teams on maintaining this look.
There was a significant uplift in the cook book sales as a result of this project.
