We Sell Fresh Air!

We Sell Fresh Air!

Observations by Danny Summers

I recently subscribed to a publication devoted entirely to Visual Merchandising and Store Designs for retail (actually its name and acronym is VMSD) and in its December issue that arrived last week, the cover story's headline was "FRESH AIR." You can see the front cover below right.

At first glance you have to ask yourself... "Are they selling plants or other things?"

The story covers the design of Timberland® new store in New York City. Timberland® is an American company based Stratham, NH., manufacturers and retailers, specializing in outdoors wear, with a focus on footwear. Timberland's website says, "Everything we make, every store we open, every aspect of our business has been founded upon the outdoor lifestyle." The VMSD story details the design of a new store they recently opened that "brings nature indoors, encouraging visitors to embrace the great outdoors."

The 3500 sq. ft. store features nearly 2,000 live plants to add a lush quality to the store. Men's footwear is displayed in front of a large greenwall (seen here in right photo). Obviously, retailers who sell products used outdoors can benefit from creating a natural environment using plants, but for us, I believe this is another teaching moment for our centers. We sell... Fresh Air, Relaxation, Healthier Environments, Beauty, Little Pieces of Nature, and so much more! Other industries and retailers of other products know it and want in on the action. In one way, they are promoting our products but are we blowing our own horns the way we should. That's a question for each center to answer.

VMSD certainly pushes the cutting-edge concepts of visual merchandising but there are things to learn here. And it is encouraging when you see other categories of retailers using plants to enhance their image or products.
I also want to tell you how I found this publication... are you ready for this?
Ernest Wertheim first sent me a copy with special notes and flags on an article he had read (Thank you Ernest). Of course, the innovative architect he is, Ernest had obviously been a subscriber a long time...Amazing!!! If you are interesting to receive their publication, CLICK HERE.
To read the entire VMSD story on Timberland®, CLICK HERE.
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