How CIC's expertise is helping retailers
In recent years, the retail store landscape has undergone a seismic shift. The pandemic saw consumers transition from High Street shopping to online purchasing forcing many retailers to either relocate or close their doors permanently.
For those seizing the opportunity to move, establishing a retail presence that truly reflects their brand identity, colours, and ethos is paramount. However, achieving this can come with its own set of challenges.
The reality is that creating a new retail store for a fashion brand is far from a simple task of moving in one day and opening the doors to consumers the next. Each brand comes with its unique blueprint, which can make transforming a space previously used by another retailer particularly challenging.
Additionally, many High Street stores are housed within older properties, making it crucial to work with a contractor who understands how to sympathetically and meticulously manage these spaces. This is where Creative Interior Contracts (CIC) can offer invaluable expertise. With extensive experience in project managing the refitting of new retail stores, CIC can help retailers navigate these complexities.
CIC’s Retail Expertise
Earlier this year, CIC’s Fitout team collaborated with a high-end retail fashion chain, delivering a high-specification look within a tight six-week timeline.
The project site was a former designer clothing store, where the previous brand’s blueprint was deeply ingrained. Stripping out built-in fixtures, wardrobes, and shelving crafted in robust triple-layers was no minor feat. The precision required to remove and replace stud walls, ceilings, and bulkheads, as well as install new shelving systems and bespoke furniture, demanded an experienced touch.
Balancing the aesthetic values of the incoming brand while maximising the retail space’s functionality was critical. One unforeseen hurdle was discovering a missing portion of the store’s flooring beneath the original installations. Demonstrating CIC’s ability to adapt, the team swiftly sourced the necessary materials to rectify the unexpected voids, ensuring the project stayed on track.
Beyond aesthetics, functional upgrades were imperative. CIC incorporated alterations to the existing sprinkler systems, enhanced electrical and light fittings to ensure health and safety compliance, and modernized both sales floors and staff areas. These upgrades ramped up safety features without compromising the store’s allure.
A new stockroom was created on the existing mezzanine floor, while fitting rooms were redesigned and relocated. The men’s wear section was moved to an extended rear space in the old ground-floor stockroom. These crucial installations are emblematic of CIC’s ability to seamlessly integrate essential retail infrastructures within the fabric of design and style.
