The most compelling store concepts came from Switzerland, Spain and Great Britain: Fooby Lausanne Bel-Air in Lausanne, Spar Market Puerto Rico in Mogán, and The Making of Harry Potter in Leavesden. The jury evaluated the successful interplay of store architecture, colors, materials, lighting and visual merchandising as well as the implementation of a clear message about the product range and a direct appeal to customers to select the winners from among the 73 competitors from 22 countries. Let’s take a closer look at these winners:
Fooby Lausanne Bel-Air in Lausanne
Swiss cooperative Coop’s online food community has its own 1,000-sq-m store now, namely Fooby Lausanne Bel-Air. A former theatre serves as a continuation of the online platform in the form of a store, and it sets the stage for high-quality regional and sustainably produced products. The food can be experienced with all five senses. Across all three floors, experts give advice and offer culinary highlights–the concept store is a convenience shop and manufactory rolled into one. The materials concept supports the Fooby brand in terms of both form and color and flawlessly harmonizes with the historical architecture. Black, white and real wood form the foundation and set the stage for the products. The majority of the frames, shelves, tables, racks and paneling/trim are made of light-colored wood which best reflects the freshness, liveliness and warmth of Fooby. White and green tiling represents artisanal production, sustainability and health.
Spar Market Puerto Rico in Mogàn (Gran Canaria)
The new Spar store occupies a 2,000 sq m space with a large range of products that features fresh regional products in particular. The atmosphere of a traditional market is skillfully combined with that of a modern retail store. The company’s characteristic colors, combined with black and warm materials like wood, create a modern look and highlight individual departments. At the heart of the supermarket are refrigerated walk-in rooms for beer, wine and cheese, which are also used to offer tastings. Graphically understated, illuminated lettering above the individual rooms helps customers orientate themselves. Suspended ceilings, such as a green light installation on the beer room’s ceiling, as well as illustrations on the walls and glass doors provide an interesting decorative backdrop for the products.
“The Making of Harry Potter”, Leavesden
“The Making of Harry Potter” takes full advantage of the magical ambience of the world-famous school for witchcraft and wizardry. The area featuring shops and cafés in the Warner Bros. Studios comprises 836 sq m. Original film sets, a mix of colors, film props and antiques create an authentic, direct experience for visitors to the store. The “Dark Arts” area with its nearly 5-metre-high original glass window from the film, the wand shop inspired by Garrick Ollivander’s shop, world-famous school headmaster Albus Dumbledore’s collection featuring the model solar system from Hogwarts’ Astronomy Tower – all eleven areas of the store celebrate the opulent world of the Harry Potter films. Fantastic books, objects containing the “trapped souls” of witches and wizards, and magic wands provide the backdrop for the products, some of which can be personalized. For example, names can be embroidered onto wizard’s robes, and there is an engraving service for selected products.
