M&S Home
Marks and Spencer appointed Conran and Partners to design a new omni-channel retail environment for their Home department. The solution brought the inspiration of the catalogue and the ease of online shopping to the shop floor and represents a bold new blueprint for retail design.
Customers are greeted by a giant, 2.7m-high ‘HOME’ sculpture at the front of the department – a dramatic backdrop for the season’s key furniture pieces, which are showcased on a 9m-long illuminated catwalk. To the rear of the catwalk the practice installed a ‘Home hub’, for M&S staff to provide help and advice. iPads and large-format touchscreens allow customers to browse the catalogue, and product cards and fabric swatches show off the breadth of the range.
Seasonal rooms show how pieces work together, while in smaller stores, ‘Sell by Sample’ displays profile the colours, designs and textures available in the full collection. The store won ‘Best Department Store of the Year’ at the Retail Week Awards. The new design was rolled out nationwide through 2012 and 2013, changing the way M&S customers shop for homeware.
