Selfridges asked us to help them create a themed in-store pop-up display for unique and plush American toy brand, FAO Schwarz. The pop-up was to be their entry into the UK market and as a brand known for their high-end toys, life-sized stuffed animals and interactive experiences, it was to be toy display with the WOW factor.
The brief was to ‘push the limits of traditional retail’ and transform a generic children’s toy area and bring it to life with high-impact branding, big graphics and the addition of the iconic FAO Schwarz clockface.
Our design team got to work planning brainstorming some ideas and created some concepts that were submitted to the client for approval. They were absolutely thrilled with our ideas and blown away as to how we’d incorporated some iconic features of their branding into the different elements of the retail design, such as tall toy soldiers and 3-dimensional cogs.
We completely transformed the area, creating a brand-strong, captivating retail pop-up with careful thought and consideration for all possible areas.
We designed colourful headers with 3-dimensional cogs and banners that spanned the display area, drawing the shopper eye to a standout central focal point featuring the giant iconic FAO Schwarz clock face. Protruding 100mm from the wall, the clock face was animated with moving hands.
Creating bespoke retail plinths and stands, we designed and created 400mm square MDF cubes that could withstand the weight of products to be placed on top. We then wrapped them in printed campaign vinyl and set them around the retail area for visual merchandising displays.
We wrapped existing retail furniture with campaign branded graphics and created podiums and plinths in solid, textured vinyl to give the perception of quality and plushness. We also encased the till point in gold vinyl to add to the retail theatre.
To give the pop-up a strong sense of brand, we designed double-sided tall toy soldiers and cut them to shape. We then attached them to the freestanding retail displays and added low-profile header boards so not to distract the eye from the high-impact headers and central feature clock face.
The chosen materials were carefully planned to ensure that sustainable and recyclable alternatives were utilised where possible, such as cardboard and box board. A number of elements such as the toy soldiers and branded cubes were to be used for future displays.
The display was such a success for the brand that the following year they took over the entire toy department floorspace.
“The thought that KGK Genix had put into the retail design was astonishing. They’d really thought about all touchpoints of the customer journey and made a truly knock-out activation. We love it, the store staff love it and most importantly our customers loved it, we often heard ‘WOW’ when customers came onto the floor closely followed by the sound of children’s feet running to the display. You were instantly drawn to the moving clockface, it really did bring the campaign to life.” – Senior Print Production Coordinator, Selfridges.