Premier Retail

Design4Retail In profile

Design4Retail
Written by Roma Publications

Design4Retail : In profile

Design4Retail is a retail design practice, delivering a range of services from full interiors, concessions and branded spaces to pop-ups, events, VM, graphics, branding and POP. Next year, Design4Retail celebrates its 15th year, so now seems as good a time as any to take a look back at some of the fantastic projects within the D4R portfolio.

Premier Retail recently caught up with the company’s Head of Marketing, Charlotte Walsh to talk about Design4Retail. Charlotte told us about some of D4R’s most significant projects and gave us an insight into the best way to combat challenges.

 

Hi Charlotte, thank you for taking the time to speak to Premier Retail. Please can you tell us about some of Design4Retail’s most significant projects?

“Yes – I would love to.

“We have just completed a global launch for Too Faced which has come to fruition after nine months in the making, so we’re very pleased about this one! We have worked as an extension of the Too Faced team to bring to life their vision for the brand and are now in the process of rolling out their global concession concept to retail, launching this first in Debenhams and Selfridges stores.

“D4R have a long lasting relationship with adidas® working on an exciting range of retail projects over the years. D4R designed, developed and installed the amazing ‘house of adidas®’ situated on the 5th floor of Harrods. The prestigious shop-in-shop launched in April 2014. D4R have recently returned (March 2017) to ensure that a refresh of adidas® graphics and campaign imagery was launched successfully!

“Another significant project was our first project in the Middle East, for leading publishers and bookstore That Al Salasil. On this project we were appointed to create an engaging environment which would reignite consumer’s passion for books and reading and elevate That Al Salail as a bookstore destination in Kuwait. We were really proud of the creative concept and feedback from the store was extremely positive with sales increasing significantly.”

Design4Retail

What projects have you been working on over the past 12 months?

“We have worked on some really exciting projects over the past 12 months including the Too Faced global launch here in the UK.  We completed another project for That Al Salasil for a new children’s designer store in Kuwait which launched in February and we have started working with Charlotte Tillbury which has been really exciting.  We helped Hammonds overhaul their brand and retail ID which has led to a number of showrooms being rolled out.

“Aside from this, we have grown our marketing team and now have an internal trends and insight department which has worked really well helping with the creative output.”

 

Have any of these projects differed in any way to your usual work?

“As we have grown we have had the opportunity to work on some global projects which can be tricky at times with different time zones. This has meant less face-to-face meetings, but Skype and conferencing has made it easy to stay in touch.  Too Faced are based in California and That Al Salasil in Kuwait but this has also made for some great trips to gain an understanding of different cultures and retail!”

 

When working on a project, what are the biggest challenges you face? And how do you overcome these challenges?

“Time and budget are always the biggest challenges!

“With regards to a critical path, we have an ideal way of working but every client has different needs, which we will always try and accommodate. Our technical development team are kept busy value engineering each project so we can always bring it in on time and on budget!”

 

Are there any projects you’ve found too challenging?

“Every client and every project will have its own set of requirements and that comes with their own challenges. We have a great deal of experience now so we haven’t been defeated in launching a project yet!  Luckily we have our own in house designers, development and project managers as well as a logistics team who install every project!  This means that we can offer a full turnkey solution from design right through to installation, resulting in a seamless experience for clients.”

Design4Retail

Moving forward, what type of projects do you have on the horizon?

“We have been working with some new clients on large showroom projects and we have just started working with a really exciting brand on a potential experiential pop up space. We want to continue servicing our existing client base as well as work with new brands and retailers on all kinds of retail executions. Watch this space!”

 

As a company, what are you most proud of?

“We have grown organically over the past few years but our culture remains at the forefront of everything we do. We are a friendly bunch and believe collaboration with clients is the key to a successful project. Our directors, Chris, Tim and Jon remain involved with the day-to-day running of the business and work closely with the D4R teams to make sure all projects run as smoothly as past projects.

“We have gone from working with two clients in two sectors, almost 15 years ago, to working with over 30 clients across multi sectors – there is nothing we can’t put our hand to!”

About the author

Roma Publications