Image Credit : James Tye Photography.
Project Overview
Building on the success of previous retail experience innovation, YourStudio have teamed up with Virgin Holidays again to design a multi-dimensional and immersive concept for their new v-room store in Cardiff. This is the first Virgin Holidays store in Wales so we wanted to push store experience, to the next level.
The new experiential store creates a relaxed and inspiring environment to get customers in that ‘holiday-ready’ mood. Not a store as we know it, the space includes a champagne and coffee bar, comfortable lounge areas and animated content to immerse you in a range of destinations. The Virgin Holidays rollercoaster invites customers to ‘jump on board’ and experience the exhilaration of traveling around the world and through a number of signature destinations on a trip you won’t forget. Who needs to stay standing still when new technology can now teleport you to new destinations?
Virgin Holidays have embraced the latest capabilities of virtual reality in their new experience, taking customers loop-the-looping out of the v-room store amongst rolling hills of the beautiful English countryside, whizzing you around the poetic golden plains of and African safari, diving into the pure crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, extending to the magical, infinite outer space amongst the twinkling stars, faraway planets and finally finishing off in the high-octane, technicolored Las Vegas.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Tom Edington, Isobel Scott and lead by Howard Sullivan and Tom Philipson - both co-founding partners of the studio.
Working with Dan Buckingham at Virgin Holidays, his project management team and the brand team.
Project Brief
When it came to this site, it was their first store in Wales and located in the St. David's shopping centre - a very cosmopolitan and fashion-led shopping experience and Cardiff's biggest shopping centre - so the store had to attract their unique demographic, be eye-catching, considered and also be flexible to cope with high footfall.
Virgin Holidays have worked with the team at YourStudio for several years creating concepts for the different formats of stores they have across the country. Virgin Holidays are always wanting more, pushing boundaries and being bold and we wanted to keep the key learnings from previous stores in mind but push the concept further to really delight the Cardiff customer.
Project Innovation/Need
It's not a normal travel store at all, there are eye-catching on-brand red VR rollercoaster seats in the entrance and high traffic area of the store and a champagne and coffee bar, highlighted with glistening pendant lights above. We wanted to change the conversation from 'where are you thinking of going on your next holiday' to 'would you like to join us for a tea, coffee or glass of champagne?' and also remove the traditional rows of computer screens and make it a more relaxed experience and changing the conversation. There is also comfortable lounge seating and animated content to immerse customers in the range of destinations and services Virgin Holidays offers.
Knowing the excitement and glamour of flying, the v-room also includes a full-size mock-up of a Virgin Atlantic cabin, including Premium Economy and Upper Class seats for customers to experience the range of in-flight options before making the purchase. The seats combined with the accompanying champagne, create that perfect selfie moment and have delivered significant upgrade sales.
The design combines technology with that essential human and personal touch we crave when booking our annual treat abroad. A family friendly area with a kids ‘hang out’ space makes sure younger visitors have just as much fun in store as you do.
Design Challenge
With any retail fit-out, there are always delays and issues on-site but we actively managed the project management from a design perspective and conversed with contractors on-site daily. As with any shopping centre, the base building is easy to work with and the main element that was tricky was the VR rollercoaster seats, the upholstery, lights and height for customers to step 'on board' was intricate and very important for the whole experience to work as planned. We designed custom-furniture with storage for brochures and there was a wide array of custom finishes for the screens, bar, desk, and kids area that always need extra care and time. The main design highlights include the rose toned mirror and branded elements such as 'Fly in Style' and 'Adventure Calls' communication.
Sustainability
We make it out policy to work with local tradesmen, contractors and keep as much of the production as local as possible to reduce transportation. Much of the store’s bespoke furniture has been designed to be modular so it can be re-used and re-configured to close the production loop and reduce future obsolescence. It has also been produced in batches for energy efficiency.
Energy efficient lighting has been used throughout and the store is programmed to go into sleep mode when it’s not being engaged with to save energy.
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.
More Details