Apr 27, 2010

"This year and next year, good retailers are going to have to invest in their shops to avoid them looking tired and outdated," states Gordon Hutchinson, md of Apple Display & Shopfitting, one of the gift industry's most respected names.

So what trends should retailers be thinking about to take their shops forward? With re-fits high on the investment agenda for gift indies this year (see the Retail Barometer on page 25-33), PG&H visited the Apple Display design studios in Manchester, to discover how shops - from small independents to visitor attractions, department stores, multiples and garden centres - can seriously increase their business through giving their outlets a bespoke make-over.

When investing in a shop-fit, there is no real rule of thumb, says Gordon Hutchinson, a former multiple gift and card retailer himself for well over two decades. He turned to bespoke in-store design, display and shopfitting in the early ‘80s, having discovered a flair for design while running his own nine-strong retail ‘empire’, and when, fleetingly becoming an American greeting card importer, he sold more acrylic displays than cards when he exhibited at Top Drawer! (In fact, the company’s giftwrap bar went on to win a Design Council Award for Best Display Rack).

"The key is in knowing when to carry out the re-fit," says Gordon. So what is his professional advice? "A re-fit should take place somewhere between five to ten years, although ideally, it should be between five to seven years, before the shop begins to look tired and out-of-date," he points out.

The first step for retailers, he advises, is for them to go out onto the high street to take a look at what their competitors are doing. "It is essential to discover whether competitors have made improvements to see how their own shop measures up. Simply giving the shop a lick of paint is a very short-term solution. And if a shop has diversified and brought in a new product range, then existing displays will almost certainly not be adequate to sell the products to their best advantage."

Naturally, colour and materials are key to the overall look. So what are the current trends? "Although MDF and veneers remain popular, shiny gloss materials are very much in vogue, with one of the latest materials being HI-MACS/Corian (used for kitchens), a solid surface material made from compressed acrylic and granite that is wrapped around a piece of MDF," Gordon explains. "It's very versatile with endless potential - it can be rounded or curved - and it comes in a rainbow of colours. If it gets scratched from wear and tear, you simply sand it over to make it smooth and shiny again," he explains.

While the darker cherry and walnut woods of the Noughties continue to be a popular choice, Gordon is also an advocate of the mono look. "You can't go wrong with simple, stylish black and white," he emphasises. "We've recently used this colour theme for a high-end jewellery shop at the Manchester Royal Exchange, and the look and feel of the interior is stunning."

On the subject of whether products should be freely displayed or locked away behind closed cabinet doors, Gordon says it is down to individual retailers to take that decision. "Jewellery shops need to have locked cabinets of course, but in general, no retailers want to have their products stolen."

In today’s eco-friendly world, Gordon points out that LED lighting is, perhaps, the biggest trend of all, and consequently, an important decision for retailers to take. "Up till now, most retailers have installed directional Halogen light fittings, and probably burned their fingers replacing the bulbs! But apart from being very hot, the lights are not energy efficient and don’t last very long, which is why the LED system is rapidly taking over as the lighting of the future. LED reduces consumption by 30%, and running costs by 91%, and is much cooler, with lamps lasting for 50,000 hours before you need to replace them, compared to Halogen lamps which burn for 3,000 hours. Also, at 11w, a LED lamp will emit more light than a 50w low voltage dichroic Halogen lamp. LED is constantly being improved, with prices coming down."

With independent gift shops revealing a huge swing to impulse buys this year, does Gordon have any display tips to help maximise sales? "One of the secrets of a good retailer is for the customer to purchase not only what they came in for but another item, so an important impulse buying area is definitely the counter. As it is such a key area, it should also look as tidy and clutter-free as possible, taking into account that it might be used as an office as well, displaying more than just the cash register and the card machine."

Almost 30 years down the line, what still appeals to Gordon is that business remains a challenge every day. "Every job is different, every budget is different," he states. However, he freely admits that the past 18 months or so have been among the toughest. "Bad debts and customer reluctance caused a grim face for 2008/2009. But fortunately, we seem to have reached a small turning point," he continues. "Prior to Spring Fair, our order books were rapidly filling up again, and thankfully, the show itself was a real throwback to the old days. We had two stands which were both extremely busy throughout. We had a lot of serious enquiries, so it certainly gave us all a much needed lift."

What does he feel gives Apple Display the edge in such a competitive market place? "My own experience as a gift and card retailer," he enthuses. "I can relate to the people I'm dealing with, because I can talk knowledgably about products and displays having done it myself for over 40 years. Also, we have the benefit of over 120 years of retail experience in key managerial positions. We are always looking into new market places, so you have to look back at the last couple of years to see what we can achieve over the next two. We're continuing to be very pro-active, and with a new 'feelgood' atmosphere circulating, my hunch is that 2010 could turn out to be a very good year indeed."

 

As featured in PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

Share this article: