Step in the right direction

When Timberland decided to create a new look for their stores, it was the perfect opportunity for the brand to embrace innovative technology to create a greater in-store experience

Having obtained a retail unit in the much anticipated Westfield Stratford City, Timberland felt it would be a fabulous time to release a new concept. The brand’s in-house global creative services group joined forces with Dalziel and Pow to develop the design which was to be rolled out worldwide. The brief was to present the brand in an environment that would ‘inspire and equip’ the customer in an engaging way. As well as achieving this it was important for the concept to be a reflection of the brand’s New England heritage, and to also be flexible and scalable.

The Westfield Stratford City store which revealed the new retail look opened its doors earlier this year, and will shortly be followed by stores in Singapore and the USA. The Stratford shop is 197 sqm in size and has a two-story all-glass frontage. The design team used segments of the iconic tree logo as monolithic art forms and to create part of the storefront’s design. Customers here can walk under a canopy of seven metre-high tree structures, and interact with seasonal product.

The re-imagined retail experience has been designed as a ‘box within a box’, bringing the brand to life through an engaging approach. Designed as a freestanding timber structure, the store frames the Timberland product on the inside, while offering a view to the outdoors through a series of apertures. The landscapes lining the perimeter are illuminated, creating the notion of being inside the architectural shell, looking out. While the New England outdoors flows into the store through a sense of discovery, with portals allowing views of the outdoor experience that include landscape vistas, lighting, natural textures and materials. The connection to the outdoors is further enhanced by the use of daylight skylights, breaking up the timber ceiling.

Digital technology has also played an integral part of the new concept. Designers have incorporated oversized digital screen at the front of the store to showcase the latest seasonal product and lifestyle outdoor stories. And, in-store, touch screens in multiple locations provide the customer with the opportunity to interact with the brand in more of a two-way dialogue – learning more about the products. The interactive technology was developed together with the Apologue Experience Design Firm and Timberland’s in-house Global Creative Services group, in order to create an interative customer experience.