Stores we love – January

Here’s a few of our favourite new store design concepts that have caught our eye in the new year.

House of Hoops – New York

House of Hoops by Foot Locker launched a 5,100sqft pop-up store outside New York’s Madison Square Garden, home to the 2015 NBA All-Star Game next month. As well as exclusive product launches, there is a Nike basketball hub paying homage to the history of the game and its elite athletes through design imagery and neon lighting. The impressive pop-up runs until the 22nd February.

Verner – Melbourne

Verner’s small boutique in Melbourne’s art-deco Mitchell House keeps things simple, allowing the avant-garde clothing to speak for itself. One side of the room is partitioned by a corrugated, wafer-thin white steel wall, which becomes the backdrop for the best store feature in our opinion – hanging rails suspended by wooden rings and black rope.

Levi’s Line 8 – London

Levi’s launched its first pop-up store dedicated to trendy and affordable diffusion collection Line 8, in London’s fashionable Shoreditch area. The range’s raw yet contemporary aesthetic is expressed through wooden flooring and exposed brick-walls alongside modern fixtures and neon signage. Line 8 is open for the next five months, perfectly situated on the same street as alternative denim brands Edwin and Denham.

Primark – Brussels

We’ve shaken up Primark’s usual formula by designing a fashion-only boutique concept in the Belgian capital. By far its smallest flagship to date at 18,000sqft, the bijou store features gloss black and metallic finishes for a more premium feel, and head-to-toe styling inspiration via high-level mannequins showcasing complete, mixed merchandise looks. We’re especially proud of the bold installation in the atrium combining a city map with neon signage in the brand’s signature aqua.

& Other Stories – New York

After the success of & Other Stories in Europe, the H&M and COS sister brand has made its way to America, opening in November last year. Styled and merchandised similarly to the European stores, we couldn’t resist taking a look when we were in New York and were particularly inspired by the beauty department; we love the new edition of large coloured overhead signs made to resemble nail varnish test cards. If you’re curious about more exciting beauty retail, follow us on Twitter #DandPLovesBeauty to see other concepts that have caught our eye ahead of a special sector insight report next month.