durham, nc - refresh
Winter 2020
project manager
A capital investment was earmarked for interior and exterior renovations in the winter of 2020. This was a perfect opportunity to breathe new life into a stagnant floor map and re-imagine legacy fixtures with an evolution mindset.
Goals included opening up the front of store, solidifying adjacencies and creating specialty shops, all while recommitting to merchandising standards. The above photo represents the placement of the front of store fixture and it’s new relationship with the REI logo table and impulse areas.
Gondolas were angled to provide relief from a dated grid system and allow customers to access these areas more easily from the drive aisle.
Walls were re-configured for maximum impact and visual interest drawing customers through the aisles. Helmets massed out here lent a pop of color and indicated a calm space.
Packs adjacent to sleeping bags and pads. Creating more space for a sleeping pad test fixture and even more efforts to depart from the grid system.
Continuing to create bold statements on walls to draw customers in. Clean organizational strategies to keep product accessible to customers and employees alike.
A host of evolution strategies came together in footwear. A more linear arrangement of shoes on the wall instead of staggered shelves, a more random seating area working in tandem with angled footwear tables promoted a more exploratory movement through the department, and breaking up the sock gondolas created more separation between sub categories. All this combined with a fresh rug package makes for a significantly improved footwear experience.
Adjacencies were a priority in the travel department. Emphasis was placed on the outfitting experience by ensuring add-on products, like travel organization, are placed close at hand for customers shopping for luggage or travel packs.
Care was taken to build a compelling camp cook wall. Its design and intent were taken right out of the evolution playbook. On the left you see a higher priority placed on camp stoves. As stove inventory became constrained, the wall on the right emerged, focusing more on camp cook accessories. Both iterations impactful and telling similar stories.