Butlers Electrical - Queensferry

Design and install a white goods only store with a modern feel where customers understood the brand values but also had the flexibility to make orders and purchases easily.

Challenges

There was a desire from client for the store to run like an Apple Shop with a flexible approach towards sales. They requested less space being taken up by counters and more focus on the products themselves.

The new shop refit also had to incorporate a number of Amica displays that were being provided by Amica themselves into the design and the shop layout.

There was also a requirement to dedicate half of the store to integrated products, which was something that had not been pushed previously by the brand.

Merchandise

The shop redesign and fit had to consider space for the following merchandise:

• 30 x 600mm wide units in the store for display of standard washer, dryer, dishwasher or small fridge and freezer.
• 10 x 600mm wide cooker units to be displayed in store – these units also could not be double stacked and needed to be at low level.
• 12 x tall fridges to be displayed.
• Small selection of Small Domestic Appliances.

Solution

Knowing that Butlers were receiving a number of free Amica displays meant that rather than simply accepting these, the design had to work with them not against them. This helped to steer the direction of the styling within the shop.

The design incorporated the Amica displays as they were considered during the whole design process, and as a result meant they did not stand out like they do in other stores. The displays seamlessly blended into the shop fittings and built in units.

The overall layout of the store was approached with the mindset that everything had to be ordered neatly and clearly branded. The shop’s own brand was illuminated beautifully at the back of the store as a constant reminder of where the customer was and who the customer was trusting with their purchasing decisions.

The shop’s history and customer values are one of the key successes of the brand, and so they were reflected in a wonderfully stylish was on the columns halfway down the store. This allows customers to read and understand the family values that the Butlers have built their business on.

Everything has been well ordered and well-lit, in order to mimic the modern design of Apple stores. Flexibility was key and so removing a permanent counter from the store and replacing this with iPads means that customer orders could be taken anywhere in the shop.