Image Credit : Adam Luttick - Luts Photography
Project Overview
Australias’ integrated telecommunications leader, OPTUS engaged greater group to design and build their latest “experience” store, at the nation’s largest shopping center and fashion capital, ‘Chadstone’. The delivery and expectations for a store in such prime location entailed accomplished design expertise, while keeping the Client’s brief in context. The aim was to bring their Customers an enhanced cutting-edged introduction to new technology and heightened entertainment experience, as well as delivering a store that would very much be a fashion statement.
While the aesthetics of the store were designed to allow the Customer to feel at home in an inviting “high-end” environment, new categories and elements were introduced and designed specifically to appeal to the very wide Chadstone demographic and bridge age, language and taste gaps.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
greater group (Sydney): Chris Smith, Tifana Ang, Vicky Fu, Mauricio Plazas, Phoebe Bullimore
Project Brief
OPTUS Chadstone is one of their largest “experience” stores. Furthering the brands’ offering and overall retail experience for their network, the brief emphasised a store design that would have a unique contemporary appeal; playing specifically on Chadstone’s national recognition as the “fashion capital”. The brief was to design a store that would lend itself to the fashion-centric demographic of Chadstone, whilst creating an inviting, warm feel and approachable telco store.
The Chadstone experiential store was designed to meet the Client’s needs in providing a cleverly flexible, digital platform for their shopfront execution, in addition to new ways of fixing, hanging screens and different formats for presenting digital content were tested to ensure that they were suitable for the future digital needs of OPTUS whilst maintaining a flexible approach that could be utilised in different ways in the future. Aesthetically, the shopfront design needed to be eye catching and vibrant, but the digital elements needed to be coherent. Practically, it needed to be simple and flexible.
The design and material brief would account for high-end finishes, an overhead steel structure and an oversized digital display window, in a “forest” into the shopfront. To maintain the connection with the rest of the OPTUS stores, it was important to utilise OPTUS’ existing flexible retail system.
Project Innovation/Need
Oversized digital shopfront display -First to be introduced to an OPTUS store. The display presents a new way of introducing the brand and give the shopfront a “fashion forward feel”. Optus are keen to engage children and this is amplified in the digital shopfront and supported with different seating options in the store – including those for kids
Audio table-Designed to present OPTUS’ new “sound offerings”, showcasing how audio/lifestyle elements could be bundled with mobile services. The new ways of presenting audio products were prototyped and tested to ensure that not only were they were suitable for the future needs of OPTUS, but were also ergonomically designed for customers.
New fixture categories-Target “wearables” such as, VRs, smartwatches etc. Mirrors were incorporated into custom organic fixtures to appeal to “edgy” customers, a new market sector for OPTUS.
Shopability enhanced with meticulously placed fixtures, as well as tried & tested store layouts, taking the customers on a journey through the entire store and experience theatre, product and great service.
Chill out zones-To allow customers to “play” without feeling intimidated. Dwell, hang, relax, wifi etc. was key to the multifaceted seating arrangements.
‘Connect Home’ a flexible new system oriented around home entertainment, mobile networks and digital benefits. The formats were tried & tested for presenting digital content suitable for the future needs of OPTUS.
Store size-All design elements work cohesively to take advantage of the immense space and present OPTUS’s best store yet.
Design Challenge
This store is not about product.
It is about experience!
This is a major change for Optus as entertainment is now the new product. Being located alongside its main rivals, the challenge was to create a warmer, more innovative, attractive solution without queues, intimidation, or “in your face” technology.
It succeeds day after day against this challenge and, if numbers of customers in the store at any one time, is anything to go by, it is BELTING its opposition !
Equally, the design lead time for a flagship in Australia's No. 1 shopping centre was incredibly short i.e. the same as a normal shop. Likewise, the build time was only 3 weeks.
Sustainability
- Good design and project management ensures great value without compromising premium quality, social as well as environmental responsibilities. The greater group teams and Partners endeavour to operate in ways that are sustainable, such as waste management, reducing carbon foot print, safe working conditions etc.
All production facilities ( there are many, many components that make up a store), are inspected and rated for safety, sustainability, social accountability and quality by external auditors. We take “ethical production” very seriously!
- greater group has over 30 years’ experience in retail design and our client relationships span decades. The choices we make now – as designers on our clients’ behalf, will affect the future of both companies and impact on our planet for years to come. Whilst maintaining our client's commercial interests, our designers will suggest design elements and specification options with the implicit intent of making stores greener.
Our designers actively look and specify products and fittings where possible that promote energy saving and/or carbon reductions. greater group are helping the environment by offering a practical sustainability charter to our clients and staying open-minded and welcoming to the green change.
Interior Design - Retail
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes and aesthetic presentation. Consideration given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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