Beauty retailer goes experiential in new store model
French beauty brand L'Occitane en Provence wants to transport customers to the land of its birth.
The company has completely redesigned its flagship at Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto, to a new model that offers an immersive digital experience and a multi-sensory journey inspired by the land and culture of Provence. Designed by brand creative and experience agency School House, the store boasts a 22-foot- high glass façade that is home to a striking curved video wall, six feet high and eighteen feet wide, which helps draw shoppers into the space.
"Upon entering, guests will feel a sense of wonderment – they will be transported to the lavender fields of Provence, learn about L'Occitane's expertise in the art of extraction, and visit the land of Corsica, home of the powerful Immortelle flower," said Paul Blackburn, North American VP of concept design, construction & merchandising, L'Occitane, which operates some 240 stores in North America.
The yellow glass archways at the entry were inspired by Provençal architecture. Key store features include an interactive skincare bistro, a testing experience for fragrances, and large hand-cream column wrapped in communal seating. Provence is brought to life through various design features that channel the elements of earth, fire, air and water.
Earth is cultivated with a flooring of natural stone and a botanical ceiling installation. Water is cultivated with automated rain shower sinks, encouraging test-and-play with products beneath showers from hanging illuminated arched domes. Fire is channeled through a radiating sun installation set within the ceiling plane above and is cultivated into fragrance clouds, creating a unique testing experience for fragrances.
The store complies with L'Occitane's eco-friendly sensibility. The lighting is 100% LED, and, for the first time in North America, an in-store bottling recycling program in partnership with Terracycle is offered. The stone flooring and countertops are made of recycled natural stone aggregates and contain pre-consumer recycled content. The yellow arches are made from specially-formulated co-polyester resin, incorporating 40% pre-consumer recycled content, compatible with one of the largest post-consumer recycle streams.
The Yorkdale redesign is part L'Occitane' new "global" retail strategy, which driven by tailoring the customer experience with innovative and personalized services across the globe, while adapting the concepts according to local market specifications.
The retailer has two other stores scheduled to open in December, including a 6,450-sq.-ft. site — its largest location to date — on London's Regent Street.
It also will unveil a new concept, on the Champs Elysee in Paris. Called 86 Champs, it was created and L'Occitane and French pastry chef, and will Pierre Hermé, the famous French pastry chef, and is described as "a haven for indulgent beauty products and delicious sweet treats."
The company has completely redesigned its flagship at Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto, to a new model that offers an immersive digital experience and a multi-sensory journey inspired by the land and culture of Provence. Designed by brand creative and experience agency School House, the store boasts a 22-foot- high glass façade that is home to a striking curved video wall, six feet high and eighteen feet wide, which helps draw shoppers into the space.
"Upon entering, guests will feel a sense of wonderment – they will be transported to the lavender fields of Provence, learn about L'Occitane's expertise in the art of extraction, and visit the land of Corsica, home of the powerful Immortelle flower," said Paul Blackburn, North American VP of concept design, construction & merchandising, L'Occitane, which operates some 240 stores in North America.
The yellow glass archways at the entry were inspired by Provençal architecture. Key store features include an interactive skincare bistro, a testing experience for fragrances, and large hand-cream column wrapped in communal seating. Provence is brought to life through various design features that channel the elements of earth, fire, air and water.
Earth is cultivated with a flooring of natural stone and a botanical ceiling installation. Water is cultivated with automated rain shower sinks, encouraging test-and-play with products beneath showers from hanging illuminated arched domes. Fire is channeled through a radiating sun installation set within the ceiling plane above and is cultivated into fragrance clouds, creating a unique testing experience for fragrances.
The store complies with L'Occitane's eco-friendly sensibility. The lighting is 100% LED, and, for the first time in North America, an in-store bottling recycling program in partnership with Terracycle is offered. The stone flooring and countertops are made of recycled natural stone aggregates and contain pre-consumer recycled content. The yellow arches are made from specially-formulated co-polyester resin, incorporating 40% pre-consumer recycled content, compatible with one of the largest post-consumer recycle streams.
The Yorkdale redesign is part L'Occitane' new "global" retail strategy, which driven by tailoring the customer experience with innovative and personalized services across the globe, while adapting the concepts according to local market specifications.
The retailer has two other stores scheduled to open in December, including a 6,450-sq.-ft. site — its largest location to date — on London's Regent Street.
It also will unveil a new concept, on the Champs Elysee in Paris. Called 86 Champs, it was created and L'Occitane and French pastry chef, and will Pierre Hermé, the famous French pastry chef, and is described as "a haven for indulgent beauty products and delicious sweet treats."