The largest outdoor retailer in the UK, made up of three well-known high street brands, Snow+Rock, Cotswold Outdoor and Runners Need, wanted to create a unified store concept across all three brands. The Principle team were asked to define the role of the store, its purpose, experience as well as solve key logistical and operational challenges.
We developed an experience vision - ‘The Base Camp’ - to activate the O&CC brand mission (‘Inspire and support people to actively get outside’) in the physical space, while connecting with three unifying core customer mindsets ‘Outdoor Active’, ‘Challenger’ and ‘Perfectly Curated’ across the three brands.
In partnership with O&CC we developed exhaustive planograms to deliver on our propositions features such as click + collect, ‘endless aisles,’ and appointments for fittings or repairs.
Digital windows and shelf-edge messaging were equipped with QR codes to explore new products or download trail or hiking maps, deepening the customer experience.
The store was designed for maximum flexibility, particularly in the shift between Spring/Summer to Autumn/Winter to account for the vast difference in outdoor gear needs for those seasons. We developed modular and removable signage, wall fixtures, and stages for changing seasons and brand takeovers.
The first integrated store was rolled out in Aberdeen, Scotland in 2022 within an accelerated timeline. We ensured a seamless delivery of the idea from concepts through to reality, on time and within budget by taking full accountability of the process from end to end.
The new concept will be rolling out across multiple UK locations between 2023 – 2025.