Visual Merchandising Display - Fairchild Books

products in major department and speciality stores. The
brand name/designer supplier has often tried, and not
always successfully, to establish its own look and identity
within the department where it is located. By featuring the
graphics and signage, and the fashion attitude of the line,
the supplier tried to promote the brand name by separating
this line from the others around it. Today, we find, more
and more, small distinctly different “shops” or “boutiques”
within a single department, each with its own fixtures and
furniture; graphics, signage, and lifestyle imagery; merchandise
presentation, and sometimes even lighting. We
are seeing more of these vendor shops taking over whole
departments in stores.
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P a r t 5 : V i s u a l M e r c h a n d i s i n g a n d P l a n n i n g
The vendor shop will often be a miniature of the brand
name/designer’s freestanding store or will try to recreate, in
the limited space, the essence of that retail image. The fixtures,
the lighting, the use of graphics, and merchandising
techniques will attempt to establish immediately a continuity
with the brand name/designer’s freestanding stores.
It is a fully realized shop within a shop, carrying a selection
of the brand name/designer’s products. There are exceptions,
but usually the supplier will provide the fixtures and
décor for this space, specify the lighting requirements, and
also dictate how the merchandise will be visually presented.
The retailer (the department or specialty store) yields up
some of the precious sales floor space in exchange for the
Figure 26.3 The old-time “pipe rack and fluorescent fixtures” company outlet store has been replaced by smart and sophisticated settings more
in keeping with the brand and the product. The Cole Haan shop, though minimal in décor and ambiance, bears a resemblance to the taste
level of the product, whereas the simple, unpretentious design is a reflection of the discounted price offer. Cole Haan outlet store.