Project Description
Provoking a sense of discovery and pace to the in-store experience.
The newly launched extension to Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport is the centrepiece of Manchester Airport Group’s (MAG) £1 billion development programme and MAG has shared an adventurous spirit with retailer Dufry in embedding a powerful expression of the city of Manchester, its culture, heritage and people, all vividly brought to life across the design of the retail spaces.
The Design Solution designed three of the Dufry-operated shops in the terminal, including an Express Store (129M2) and Beauty Collection (231M2) hosting an edit of premium P&C brands in a luxurious environment. However, the beating heart of the terminal experience is the vibrant new principal walkthrough store (1980M2), regarded by TDS as an instant contender for the most exciting airport retail space in the world.
With a wide and inviting entrance, the high footprint space has a well-balanced length to width ratio, offering TDS a fantastic 3D design canvas to refine a series of powerful concepts creating an uncomplicated, exciting passenger experience. The design of the main Duty Free store shares the space across two distinct halves that adopt contrasting ‘Night’ and ‘Day’ themes to reflect Manchester’s 24-hour spirit.
Reflecting the airport’s core Leisure audience, it is designed as a great party space. We used the columns down the length of the walkway as a runway of oversized, co-ordinated digital advertising culminating in the ‘Fab Lab’ pod where the latest launches and ‘must-haves’ are on display.
Digital technology is integrated throughout the in-store journey, influencing the shopper experience and else providing essential ‘shareable’ moments throughout the store, including screen ‘walls’ incorporated into the event spaces to create theatrical backdrops for brand activities and a series of ‘digital echoes’ strategically placed to communicate marketing and sales messages at key points in the customer journey.
A theatrical ‘curtain’ of shimmering metallic rods wraps the cosmetics area and dotted around we have neon soundbites where we share local colloquialisms, helping to bring the Manchester mindset to life for shoppers.
“Our category worlds within the store celebrate a cosmopolitan city that is always on the go, night and day, with vibrant modern visuals and a huge musical influence. We also incorporate a variety of themes, such as the city’s industrial roots, engineering and architecture to inspire a series of installations and worlds that create an exciting Duty Free store experience with a spoonful of Mancunian attitude”
Nick Taylor, Director of Design, The Design Solution
