WHAT STARTED AS A STORE BY STORE APPROACH HAS NOW BECOME A 20-STORE NATIONAL REFRESH
For over 5 years we’ve helped Purolator with their store refreshes. Working closely with Purolator, our mutual partner Rodmell & Company, and Purolator’s in-house retail team we’ve had the chance to help shape each location’s environment, functionality, and shopping experience.
Being a preferred vendor for Purolator puts us in a unique position – we’re handed high-level design direction and concepts from the amazing team at Rodmell, but then it’s on our team to bring these concepts to a reality: tackling design & prototyping, build-specs, material selection, build, and installation.
We’re given a clean, freshly painted empty store… and we take care of the rest.
Bridging this gap for our clients, helping to connect a design agency’s concepts with a client’s specific location requirements, is what we do best.
WHAT WE’VE DONE FOR PUROLATOR
From a store-build and brand refresh point of view, there are three key areas of focus for the Purolator stores.
Area of Focus #1: Retail Fixtures & Displays
The Custom Modular Service Counter
Working from Rodmell & Purolator’s intent package, it was clear they envisioned a modular counter that could adapt to each location’s unique needs. Understanding that the Service Counter was the key focus for each store, we got to work designing and prototyping different options, configurations, and setups for the build.
By designing a service counter based on a set of standardized modules, each counter is purpose-built for every store’s unique requirements without the cost of going fully custom.
Pre-determined centre modules of different widths and heights, as well as a set of various right and left wings with different lengths, widths, and heights, some that include a customer scale and others that do not, allow Purolator to get the perfect fixture for each space’s unique needs.
“The service counters are really developed by the size of the room, the flow-through and what kind of volume a location is dealing with.” Randy Weir, CBSF’s project manager shared when talking about the project.
Randy goes on to say, “Sometimes they’ll eliminate modules. We’re doing one right now where there’s no right-hand side, it just ends with a gable. And again, it was just because of the restrictions in the room.”
Area of Focus #2: Interior Graphics & Displays
Purolator has an in-house team that looks after all POS setups and video displays, however, our team played a key role in producing and installing graphics, wraps, wayfinding and signage.
Area of Focus #3: Exterior Graphics & Signage
Exterior graphics and signage change based on location and permitting needs, however standard elements include back-lit channel lettering, light boxes, and window graphics.
A COOL POPUP PROJECT WE DID
Leading up to the busy 2019 Christmas shipping season, Purolator launched a popup store in Toronto’s STACKT MARKET.
The acrylic snowglobe gave shoppers a selfie wall to experience.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR PUROLATOR?
While we’ve had the chance over the past 5 years to work closely with Rodmell and Purolator on one-off projects, this year kicks off the opportunity to refresh 20 locations in 8 provinces across Canada.
What’s great about a national refresh like this is that our team can consolidate a lot of the project elements. So rather than having to drop our builders, signage teams, graphics teams, and installers ad-hock, we’re able to plan the entire 20 location refresh as a single rolling project.
Another huge benefit to this approach is we can tap into economies of scale because each of our suppliers, vendors, and crew can mass-produce and roll through the project.
What does this mean for Purolator? More control, tighter project planning, stronger communication and the most cost-effective approach.
Looking for help with your next project?
Contact our retail design-build team to get a project plan and quote now!
