Grid2 creating Hollywood buzz
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 26, 2006
New York — Martin Roberts, president of retail design firm Grid2, sounds like a Hollywood director when he talks about the concepts his company is employing for Comfort Solutions by King Koil.
Grid2's striking presentation of a new retail store concept, showcased in Comfort Solutions' 7,230-square-foot showroom at the World Market Center in Las Vegas, has created a strong buzz in the bedding industry. It is helping fuel strong growth at Comfort Solutions, which continues to add key retailers to its dealer roster. And it is also sparking more discussion in the industry about the importance of well-merchandised retail stores.
Roberts and his team evoke the glamour of Hollywood with several dramatic touches in the Comfort Solutions showroom, including oversized lightboxes, soft sheers and drapery, and a circular walkway.
The walkway is based on the principle of the "slow reveal" — a staple of Hollywood filmmakers: The full bedding assortment is unfolded one layer at a time as consumers follow the walkway around a central rotunda.
Images of Jaclyn Smith, whose Jaclyn Smith Home Bedding Collection is an important part of the Comfort Solutions lineup, are featured throughout the showroom. Smith provides the Hollywood glamour.
High-end Comfort Solutions models are showcased inside the center of the circle, including one bed placed on a rotating pedestal. That movement invites consumers to come into that space.
'Touch leads to sales'
One of the design challenges of this type of store layout is how to entice consumers to get involved with the bedding. Roberts puts it this way: "How to get the customers to touch all that merchandise? Touch leads to sales. Touch and feel are important parts of the merchandising strategy to entice people to buy."
The beaded curtains in the showroom come into play here. "They are like pearl earrings," Roberts said. "It is like jewelry for a woman. I saw a lot of women touching them."
Those curtains also play another role. "They create a sense of urgency," Roberts observed. "You can't quite see what is going on behind them. They draw you further and further into the retail experience."
They also provide privacy for consumers, thus making them more comfortable about lying down on the mattresses. Many consumers are not comfortable lying down in public settings, such as a wide-open retail bedding department, Roberts said.
Chandeliers are used in the showroom to add sparkle and energy. "They create this sense of luxury," Roberts said. "Sparkle creates movement. People will move into a space with movement. They won't go into a space that is dead. That is scary to them."
Other elements that pull consumers through the showroom are the corners that are created by putting the circular rotunda inside a square — or a rectangle, if that is the space available in the store. "Corners create eddies," Roberts said. "Fish swim in the eddies." So do consumers. "By the time they leave," he added, "they have seen everything."
Grid2 uses a variety of lighting techniques to add to the inviting feel of the showroom. The featured lighting comes from the chandeliers. Perimeter lighting adds a sense of space to the room. Floor lamps give the room a residential flavor, helping consumers feel right at home. The fourth level of lighting comes from track lights and spotlights, which put the accent on luxury.
The overall feel of the showroom, according to Roberts, is "light and bright," which is just what the target consumers — women — like. "Women like to go into bright spaces," Roberts said.
-
Grid2 creating Hollywood buzz
Mar 30, 2006
Featured Company
-
Brandwise Inc.
Brandwise serves a model - not just an industry - by integrating, automating, and optimizing the entire sales channel, from wholesale Suppliers to their Reps and the Retailers they service. In short, our software helps Reps and Suppliers sell more and create... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
