DDi - April/May 2013 - (Page 85)

Photos: Marcos Mendizabal | 85 Opposite: The new department is designed for kids with an emphasis on play and fun. hen Chile’s leading department store brand Paris embarked on a redesign of its children’s offer, it wanted to create an environment that engaged with both children and their parents. Owned by Santiago, Chile-based Cencosud Retail S.A., one of the largest retail conglomerates in Latin America, Paris operates some 35 stores throughout Chile, in addition to a new entrée into Peru in early 2013. The company turned to London-based creative agency Dalziel and Pow to completely rethink the children’s department for a new store opening in Quillin, Santiago, Chile. The brief was to take what was an uninspiring space in its existing stores and turn it into a best-in-class department that would be rolled out across the chain’s fleet to create an urban, playful and interactive space. “The idea was to design a children’s environment easily identifiable as such,” says Paula Rivera Luque, store planning and visual merchandising manager, Paris-Cencosud. “Prior to the new concept, this area was neglected, had very little personality and the environment wasn’t identifiable with the customer base. There was a necessity to create a different and engaging space.” The initial brief was to design a space that both controlled and framed the individual brands, all while preventing the brands from overwhelming the space they occupied. “The leading department brands in Chile—Ripley, Falabella and Paris—all previously offered very similar experiences to the customer, from products to brand environment to services,” explains Juan Camilo Diaz del Castillo, design project leader, interiors at Dalziel and Pow. “There was hardly any differentiation. Paris’ new kids concept has allowed the department to stand out as the first in the market to address the issue of differentiation, consumer need targeting and expectations.” Above: Partition walls between each area allow the retailer to double the density of products. To accomplish this feat, the space has been divided into two main areas: fashion and nonfashion. Fashion is located along the perimeter of the space and follows an age tier, from newborn and infant all the way to 16 years old. The nonfashion areas stand just in front of fashion, with the toy department at the center, visible from all areas and making it the core of the whole offer. Both areas have been fitted with a raised timber flooring that makes a distinctive division between sales areas and the circulation walkways. The walkways have been enhanced with visual merchandising areas dotted throughout. The design team describes the concept as being about adventure: “a fun and whimsical land of toys—a store that both evokes and creates memories.” “We saw an opportunity to create an environment designed for kids, inspired by the traditional values of play,” Diaz del Castillo adds. “[We www.ddionline.com http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - April/May 2013

DDi - April/May 2013
Table of Contents
From the Editor
From the Show Director
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Visual Perspectives
Editor’s Choice
Design Snapshot
Design Snapshot
Markopoulos Award
Tazo Tea
Tiffany & Co.
Experience Makers
Piperlime
Mattel Experience
CookHouse
Aéropostale
Paris Kids Department
Technology & Customer Engagement Section
Technology Trends
Big Data Column
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Design Leaders 2013
Right Light
GlobalShop Coverage
Special Events
Conference Schedule
Chicago Retail
Exhibitor Products
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Shopping with Paco

DDi - April/May 2013