arken shine at the Popai Awards 2011

It was smiles all around at the POP awards last week as arken cleaned up for their client Superdrug, receiving 4 awards for the recent re-design of their flagship store, including a Display of the year award. They also received silver for the Flex display created for Filofax.

arken received a silver award for the creation of an exciting new layout for Superdrug’s flagship store in Wimbledon. As previously blogged, arken worked with London-based design consultancy Dalziel and Pow to create the new store design for Superdrug, elements of which have since rolled out to another 50 stores due to the impressive sales uplift generated.

The judges commented - “A repositioning of the Superdrug brand, an increase in sales and a new way of merchandising make-up were all achieved in a new flagship upmarket store look. Good use of space with round displays in the centre of the shop floor. Strong sales uplift of up to 75%.”

arken received a gold award in the cosmetics category for the ‘playtable’ - one element of the new ‘make-up zone’ for the new Superdrug store design.

The playtables are stocked by a single brand, and are circular in design allowing the shopper to navigate around the whole display. Mirrors are incorporated along with tissues boxes to encourage the shoppers to test out all the products in the range and hopefully encourage purchase.

The judges commented - “Modern-looking and colourful, this unit hits the ‘come and play’ brief perfectly. The use of MDF gives a premium feel and there’s good use of space. A great performer in the participating stores.”

The display also received Silver for display of the year. As to why the judges explained - “ The ‘come and play table’ brief was very well executed and led to great performance in-store. The unit offers a premium feel with the use of MDF instead of the more traditional metalwork and is both colourful and modern. A great use of space!”

arken also received a silver award for the unique ‘A frame’ make up displays developed for Superdrug.

The Judges commented that - “The unit delivered perfectly against the brief. A beautiful display with great standout it is better looking than many standard gondolas. Excellent sales performance too!”

arken received a silver award for the display they created for Filofax’s flex product. Flex is a new range for Filofax targeted at the 25-40 year old female market. Being a 'sister' of the traditional Filofax - the brand owners wanted to reposition its solid/dependable - yet somewhat ageing - reputation. The unit has been produced for all major department stores, stationery outlets both in the UK and Worldwide.

The product 'hotspot/highlighter' feature at the top is secured via a spring retainer which encourages shopper interaction with a real notebook i.e. rather than an electronic one. Vibrant colour coding and clear product information assists the browsing and selection process.

The unit has proven so successful that the launch was extended to two additional Retailers.

The judges commented that this display was “A good fit within the department store environment. With highly noticeable yet simple lines created with a good use of materials, the unit can easily be disassembled for recycling and comes with a creditable footprint.”