Ballard Designs expanding with new store prototype
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Cataloger and online retailer Ballard Designs, a division of HSN, Inc., is looking to engage customers with a new retail experience that emphasizes customization.
The brand, which specializes in European-inspired home décor and accessories, opened a prototype in August at Tysons Corner Center, Virginia, that will serve as a model for future expansion. James Pope, senior director of brand marketing & retail, Ballard Designs, told Chain Store Age that the retailer plans on opening four stores in 2017, with locations at Natick Mall, Natick, Mass.; Roosevelt Field, Garden City, New York; and South Park, Charlotte, N.C. (The fourth store is still is still being processed.)
Ballard teamed up with FRCH Design Worldwide on the design of the Tysons Corner store, whose environment invokes the feel of an inviting home interior, where women feel comfortable to explore, engage and play. The space celebrates the many different customization opportunities the brand offers and allows a hands-on interaction where customers can become the designer, celebrating their own personal style.
The heart of the 12,400-sq.-ft. store is a design studio that brings the brand’s channels — catalogue, online, brick-and-mortar — together to create a unique omnichannel experience. The studio showcases the full array of Ballard’s collections and allows customers to personalize their home furnishings. Work tables are surrounded by product options that allow shoppers to customize designs, including materials, sconces, fabric and hardware.
“What I loved in our process of working with FRCH is that they spent a lot of time pushing us to share who Ballard is as a brand,” said Pope. “It shows in how we optimized the idea of customization with assisting her (our guest) to unleash her inner decorator which brought the design studio front and center of the store experience.”
Open-display sample drawers keep the materials organized but allow customers the ability to design on their own terms. Trays are available to curate shoppers’ selections and stimulate the design process. Tablets with interactive touchscreens allow a deeper dive into the brand’s customization options.
Consultants on hand to assist customers through the collection of case goods, upholstery, lighting, rugs, bedding and accessories. And with over 200 fabrics to choose from, Ballard created large fabric rails displaying full yard samples that offer shoppers a better sense of scale when applying material and fabric to their design.
“We introduced architectural features including the wood trellis ceiling, sculptural chandeliers and framed, seeded-glass panels, to not only define the studio but create a more intimate work space,” said Novak.
The studio space is surrounded by a series of lifestyle vignettes that are paired with library and armoire fixtures to highlight complementary product and keep the space from feeling cluttered.
Accent wall installations bring the wall line down making the spaces feel more intimate, while also creating a temporary backdrop that can be repainted or utilized for layered art and wall décor.
In addition to its new store at Tysons Corner, Ballard has locations at King of Prussia Mall, King of Prussia, Pa. (opened fall 2015), St. Johns Town Center, Jacksonville, Fla. (2008), and International Plaza, Tampa, Fla. (2007).
Cataloger and online retailer Ballard Designs, a division of HSN, Inc., is looking to engage customers with a new retail experience that emphasizes customization.
The brand, which specializes in European-inspired home décor and accessories, opened a prototype in August at Tysons Corner Center, Virginia, that will serve as a model for future expansion. James Pope, senior director of brand marketing & retail, Ballard Designs, told Chain Store Age that the retailer plans on opening four stores in 2017, with locations at Natick Mall, Natick, Mass.; Roosevelt Field, Garden City, New York; and South Park, Charlotte, N.C. (The fourth store is still is still being processed.)
Ballard teamed up with FRCH Design Worldwide on the design of the Tysons Corner store, whose environment invokes the feel of an inviting home interior, where women feel comfortable to explore, engage and play. The space celebrates the many different customization opportunities the brand offers and allows a hands-on interaction where customers can become the designer, celebrating their own personal style.
The heart of the 12,400-sq.-ft. store is a design studio that brings the brand’s channels — catalogue, online, brick-and-mortar — together to create a unique omnichannel experience. The studio showcases the full array of Ballard’s collections and allows customers to personalize their home furnishings. Work tables are surrounded by product options that allow shoppers to customize designs, including materials, sconces, fabric and hardware.
“What I loved in our process of working with FRCH is that they spent a lot of time pushing us to share who Ballard is as a brand,” said Pope. “It shows in how we optimized the idea of customization with assisting her (our guest) to unleash her inner decorator which brought the design studio front and center of the store experience.”
Open-display sample drawers keep the materials organized but allow customers the ability to design on their own terms. Trays are available to curate shoppers’ selections and stimulate the design process. Tablets with interactive touchscreens allow a deeper dive into the brand’s customization options.
Consultants on hand to assist customers through the collection of case goods, upholstery, lighting, rugs, bedding and accessories. And with over 200 fabrics to choose from, Ballard created large fabric rails displaying full yard samples that offer shoppers a better sense of scale when applying material and fabric to their design.
“We introduced architectural features including the wood trellis ceiling, sculptural chandeliers and framed, seeded-glass panels, to not only define the studio but create a more intimate work space,” said Novak.
The studio space is surrounded by a series of lifestyle vignettes that are paired with library and armoire fixtures to highlight complementary product and keep the space from feeling cluttered.
Accent wall installations bring the wall line down making the spaces feel more intimate, while also creating a temporary backdrop that can be repainted or utilized for layered art and wall décor.
In addition to its new store at Tysons Corner, Ballard has locations at King of Prussia Mall, King of Prussia, Pa. (opened fall 2015), St. Johns Town Center, Jacksonville, Fla. (2008), and International Plaza, Tampa, Fla. (2007).