Credit: Zimbio
By Stuart Silverman
I visited Banana Republic’s new store format, that opened earlier this month, in New York City’s SOHO. It’s a nice store; fresh, attractive and easy to navigate. From a layout perspective, they have made the store much Easier to understand in terms of what they offer and where to find it.
In both the men’s and women’s stores, along the right side, there is a clear circulation spine, a wide boulevard, running from the front to the back. As you walk the boulevard, on the left you see clearly separated boutiques, each merchandised around specific themes. For example, on the men’s floor, there are boutiques for casual wear, work wear, and formal wear. In each boutique, they show a full range of shirts, sweaters, pants, and accessories that support the theme.
An additional touch is the placement of the checkout registers along the shopping boulevard to the right of the boutiques.
From an overall experience, when you walk in to the store, you get a good sense of how you are going to interact with the store. You see this inviting boulevard, clearly defined and merchandised shops to the left, and checkout to the right. You see how you are going to get in, where you are going to go to shop, where you are going to checkout, and how you are going to get out.
In a world where we are continuously bombarded with all kinds of messages and have to work to sift through the good vs. the bad, where some retailers force you to walk through the whole store to get to the checkout, the new Banana Republic store format is clear, understandable, and Easy to shop.
