The newly designed store in Cork, Cannock features high windows to the front and side and long glazed frontage, accompanied by high ceilings and LED up-lighting. The store layout has been planned to guide the customer through a sequence of experiences.
The store building has a porcelain tiled entrance, high ceilings and a large format video wall feature with nine energy-efficient and eco-friendly back lit screens. The video wall feature creates an impact at the entrance and displays key video footage of current ranges and promotions. Through this, a link is created between the current promotional material customers may have already seen in newspapers and television advertising.
The customer is greeted by specially designed and commissioned mirror based lampshades, and LED spotlights which illuminate the inspirational room-sets and complement the large range of furniture on display. LED eco-friendly lighting is used throughout the store; track and ceiling mounted. John Evans carried out all the lighting design to ensure the furniture is lit to its best advantage.
The customer’s journey through the store is punctuated with screens delivering digital media content, creating informative pause points. For example, the first pause point lists the frequently asked questions by customers with the answers to each. Another demonstrates the varying cushion types and allows customers to try out these on purpose made chairs.
A key element of the store’s concept involved the installation of two new interactive 23-inch ITab points, which were located in key sight lines across the store. The ITabs run via the DFS app, allowing the customer to plan a virtual room. Users can select furniture and place it into the 3D room, moving the pieces around as they want. This enables them to get a feel for the scale and style. They also feature a built-in online browser where customers can browse the full DFS range, checking items in stock into a favourites list.
The Sofa bed area and Coffee Point combine soft lifestyle graphics with larger impact text, to denote and entice customers to the specific areas. The coffee point invites people to stop, relax and ‘have a cuppa’, specifically laid out to allow the customer to sit down, and consider their options, all whilst in front of a TV playing key messages related to these decisions. Within the sofa bed area AV is used to demonstrate the technicalities of the sofa beds.
The store is adorned with porcelain tiles, real timber flooring and carpet. The wall finishes were chosen to work well with different styles of furniture, and make it stand out. The walls themselves have been designed to arrest the eye, enabling the customer to make selections between different ranges without restricting views across the store.
John Evans designed the new stores in partnership with DFS and their specialist consultants – Jupiter Design, The PAI Group, and Touch2View.
