HEAL'S BIRMINGHAM & LONDON | Office TwelveOffice Twelve

Breif

Design Heal’s Westfield White City store as part of the new extension with a unique proposition to spark inspiration and online purchasing from customer footfall.

Office Twelve were awarded their second project of the year with designer homeware retailer Heal’s – as they continue it expand their retail estate. O12’s first project with Heal’s was to design and install their first regional flagship store for the Midlands. The pop up space was to be situated in Birmingham’s most stylish shopping and lifestyle destination – the Mailbox. Three years on and the store continues to delight visitors with carefully curated display and customer touchpoints.

O12 were then asked to build upon the design concepts that we deployed in the pop-up showroom. The store required 10 key areas to be strategically placed, with a design that would inspire the customer as soon as they step into the space. Other areas such as the home fragrance and lighting areas would need to stimulate direct purchase.

Approach

A strategised design of space, delivering an inspirational customer journey throughout every step.

Behind this design is the art of storytelling, the deep British heritage that lies beneath the Heal’s brand is told from the windows right through to the back of the store. Having designed the Birmingham mailbox, Office Twelve carried over key design concepts to the Westfield store, creating consistency through the estate.
Office Twelve’s design team strategised a zone plan of the required 10 areas of the store to help achieve the client’s objectives. A high impact zone and entrance feature using premium wooden plinths created a sense of welcoming at the front of the store, along with lighting tactically placed to increase footfall and motivate impulse purchases.

The customer journey began at the front of the store with areas such as home fragrance, home cushions and throws where items can be purchased, helping to ignite the shopper’s inspiration for their home. The journey continues into larger areas such as furniture as the shopper makes their way through the store. Such areas incorporated a ‘touch and feel’ approach to the design. Using different materials, multitiered rug displays, larger furniture items and a Heal’s heritage feature wall, guides the customer through some of the world’s most iconic furniture brands. To complete the journey, digital content on the walls for customer to explore even further and a cash desk, where customers can seek advice and place their orders.

Office Twelve’s Project Management managed the delivery and installation taking a hands-on approach working in collaboration with Westfield Teams. Due to the construction ongoing around Westfield, this was particularly challenging. Demonstrating vast knowledge of different retail landscapes.

Impact

The Heal’s store has been proven to be a great success at the new interior’s hub located in Westfield. The pop-up space in Birmingham's Mailbox has also be transitioned into a permanent space.

With a fixed budget, Office twelve produced a design that ticked all the boxes in the brief. With a very short lead time, and despite a few last-minute changes from Heal’s end, everything was created to deadline and Heal’s opened a beautiful new showroom as on time as planned. Both stores have been proven to be a great success in both London and Birmingham.

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