Harmonious collaboration
Working with agency, Reis – Rawr developed the core concept which was brought to life in both their own Rathbone Place flagship store in London and as a concession within Primark Oxford St.
Rawr then set their sights on taking the concept from London – out to the rest of the country by offering their express beauty shop-in-shop concept to three ASDA locations – Wigan, Derby and Milton Keynes.
Transforming their stores into a ‘lifestyle destination’ is part of ASDAs current strategy, following the business’ departure from the portfolio of global retail giant Walmart, into private ownership in October 2020.
Bringing our shop-in-shop expertise to bear
Nuttall were the natural choice to support the project as we work closely with the ASDA business, but also have significant experience of delivering shop-in-shop concepts for other retailers, including Calvin Klein, Nike and Accessorize. We were approached by George at ASDA to adapt the original flagship design to make it work for roll-out across the three pilot store locations, with a view to further locations across ASDA’s nationwide estate.
In addition to the fast-makeover treatments at the heart of the Rawr offer, the shop-in-shop concept also showcases a range of lust-inducing beauty products, gifts and accessories – creating real customer draw, in store.
A practical perspective for retail roll-out
Our job was to make the concept practical, scalable and robust for the roll out. We worked closely with the lead agency to get hold of the idea and define the material specifications.
Part of our brief was to look at alternative materials to the solid surfaces used in the original concept and to make the scheme more flexible for ASDA’s store formats. Our response was to value-engineer the concept, focusing on modularity and future-proofing.
Some of the solid surfaces were retained for hygiene reasons – being a top priority for both brands in recent months – but we were able to replace glass with laminate finishes in some areas to reduce cost, without compromising the look, feel and overall impact.
Lockable cabinets increased safety and security for ASDA’s super busy, in-store environments.
Swift progress through design and prototype
From drawings, through material samples to prototyping at our Dudley facility took just 4.5 weeks and gave Rawr the opportunity set out their merchandising profiles to see how the concept would perform at go-live for real customer wow!
Production was equally swift. The Derby and Wigan installs were ready just 3 weeks later, with Milton Keynes following shortly behind.
We worked with the main contractors to complete the first two concessions within a week – meaning the project was less than nine weeks end-to-end. Nuttall took care of the product displays, floor units, welcome desks and treatment areas, whilst the main contractor handled chairs, mirrors, wall graphics and lighting – in a working partnership on production and install that was equally as harmonious as the partnership between ASDA and Rawr.
In the fast-transforming market that is modern, mainstream retail, we can see an emerging focus on fabulous shop-in-shop formats, delivered fast and with meticulous attention to detail and customer impact. If this is your challenge, rest assured, Nuttall is all you need.
