Architects picking up something at the shops - San Francisco Business Times:

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That has meant that retail architecture practices have boomex in thepast decade, with San Francisco-based leadingt the explosion. Retail is now one of this office's largest practicde areas. "Competition (among retailers) is so said Jeff Henry, a principao in Gensler's San Francisco office. Interiors are one way that retailersw candifferentiate themselves, and so improve theier bottom lines. 's recent performance highlightz thisretail truth. One of the company'zs chief strategies to reversea two-year slide in same-storew sales is a complete store redesignh that it tested last year in Denver.
That redesig has impressed shoppers and investorxs in the four cities wherw ithas debuted, though the San Francisco-basec retailer will not comment on how sales improveed at the remodeled stores. "Gap ownedd the white-wall-and-maple-floor look," Henryt said of Gap's years-old store design. "But everyon caught up." To shoppers, a stale look can be read as stalew style, and Gap's shoppersw have seemed tired ofthe "There are so many choices where consumersw can buy the same products, and it's the retailerds who create the most memorable experiencesa who attract repeat customers," said Chris Barriscale, a principaol with , which opened its San Francisco office in July 2004.
Gap was slow to realize it had lost itsdesigb preeminence, but once it did, it callee Gensler, which has designed almost all Gap branrd stores from the company's start. Gap spenf a lot of time researching its The lighting hasbeen softened, sitting areas the floors made dark. Gap found that women shoppersalike mystery, meandering through a space to discover merchandiss gems. Men hate that. So the men's and women's sides of the storeas are separateand distinct. The men's side is open so shoppers can easilyh find whatthey want. The women's side, by contrast, is divides into smaller spaces.
Gensler worked with Gap's in-house desigjn team for over a year on the With a fleet of morethan 3,000p stores, a complete redesig n of all Gap storeds is too expensive to do in one go. To close to 60 stores in Hartford, Conn., New York, San Diego and Palo Alto have undergond some elements of the and Gap expects to remodel 20 morein 2006. Some storeas have been closed for three monthx duringthe remodel. Others, like Palo Alto, incorporat e only some elements of the redesign and so remaine d open duringthe makeover. The Gensler folkw also came upwith smaller, less-expensive change s the retailer can implement now.
Storefronts provide one such Gensler envisions every Gap witha blue-framed entryway, whethed it is in a mall or on a high "Our intent ... is to create an element so iconographic that you can see the blue box and not even need a Gap saidMichael Bodziner, a principal at Gensler. "Like the goldenn arches." "Getting into the customer'es mind is almost more important than getting into the right Henry added. Retail interiors are very much abouyta brand. But succeszs breeds copycats, so smart merchant s will retool their brands and reconfiguree them once theybecome "All retailers have to evolve and refresh theie looks," Barriscale said.
"A lifetime of the typicao store these days is about five years for a small store, and department stores are constantlh undergoing renovation." RYA Design Consultancy is working on the new 340,000-square-foott that will open on Mission Street in the fall, and Barriscals said that being able to evolve and adaprt to its customers' changingh tastes is built into its architecturalo design. The San Francisco Bloomingdale'zs flagship will feature smaller retail spaceds that operate as specialty stores within the bigdepartment store.
Bloomingdale's tried out that architectural approach inits smaller-format SoHo stor in New York and found that customers responded with their Barriscale said. "The Missionh store will be more like a series of specialty shops bundled together underthe Bloomingdale's umbrella," Barriscals said. Understanding a store's customersz and creating an environment with them in mind is cruciakl toretail success, and meansw that retail architecture is not pure Industry leaders incorporate elements of consumer psychology, brand strategy and packaging into their and some even participates in developing new concepts.
Gensledr did that with , which launched One Thousand and RYA worked closely with Bebe when it decided to roll out Especiallyfor large, multi-channel retailers, the in-storde experience is one big brandinfg opportunity. Channel consistency is key, and that, too, can be achievec by design. "Retail is a critical part of abranx experience," said David Zapata, creative director for Fitch'es San Francisco office.
"Apple is a terrifi c example where itsweb site, retail and the customer's experience with the product are all seamlessly integrated in your absolute delight in this technology and your sensse of accessing something special, and that you'rd special as a result." The right look can boost though authenticity is key. As customers become more sophisticated, design can't do it all; thers must be substance to the brand beneatb thecosmetic surface.
"In terms of keepinb environments current, brands are more appreciative of the need for refreshment than theyhave been," Zapata That is good news for the retail architecture field, where keepinv ahead of the fashion curve means retaikl architects have built-in work. "When we design, we desigjn with the idea that this concept be replicatedrmany times. That's key to how we do it," Henrh said. Gensler designed the Forever 21 store on Powel l Street in San from the preservation of thehistorical façade to the additiobn of a mezzanine to the 40,000-square-foot interior. That gig led to Gensler assisting inForever 21' new flagship in SoHo.
Gensler has also designedx the new store in has assissted with the newBoston store, and will be workiny with Barneys on its upcoming San Francisco store. It is working on the stor e that will open this yearat , and coulxd have a hand in future storew as Williams-Sonoma expands its new concept. Successful retaip architecture expresses retail strategy throug abuilt environment. "While we would love to come in and creatwe an odeto architecture, that's not what it's about in Henry said. "Architecture can't over-dominats the product," Bodziner added. "In retail, architecture always plays a supportinvg role; it's not the main event.
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