Chute Gerdeman Retail Designs New West Marine Flagship Stores
New Flagships are Nautically Inspired from Stem to Stern
Columbus, OH—West Marine, the leading specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories, has teamed up with Columbus-based branding and retail design firm, Chute Gerdeman Retail, to develop a new energetic vision that is brought to life in two flagship stores.
With a bold initiative to bring visibility to boating, their brand, and to invite a larger customer base into the entire boating experience, West Marine will debut the Chute Gerdeman design in two new locations, both adjacent to lifestyle centers. A 30,000-sq. ft. store in Jacksonville, Fla, and a 25,000-sq. ft. store in Brick, N.J., are both scheduled to open in 2009.
The challenge Chute Gerdeman faced was how to express the excitement of the brand, throwing a wider net to embrace potential boating-minded customers and families, while not alienating the core West Marine customer. With a bold and dramatic design that is rich with traditional nautical references, Chute Gerdeman captures the entire marine experience from stem to stern, leaving no doubts about the retailer’s passion for the boating lifestyle. A full-size yacht helm and flying bridge, to be built by a boat manufacturer, will be an eye-catching central focal point of the store. The yacht’s salon will house the stereo equipment and will be surrounded by electronics displayed on fixtures designed to mimic a boat helm.
Both the Florida and New Jersey stores are in markets where off-shore fishing is popular, so aficionados will appreciate a special Fishing Shop that will feature premium rods and reels, live feed of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) ocean and fishing conditions, and a “Brag Board” for posting photos of big catches.
Throughout the store, customers will find every detail is nautically inspired—from sail wayfinding signage to white-washed wood, teak countertops and galvanized metal lamps. Technology, lifestyle brand communications and vignettes will enhance the shopping experience and make West Marine a memorable new place to visit and shop.
Chute Gerdeman provided a brand vision expressed in a modern, engaging environment, addressing everything from the store entrance design, customer circulation and adjacencies, visual merchandising and fixturing, to lighting, graphic communications, signage and wayfinding, and color and materials.
West Marine currently operates over 350 stores in 38 states throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada and a franchised store located in Turkey.
About Chute Gerdeman Retail
Since 1989, Chute Gerdeman Retail, based in Columbus, OH, has created retail brands, their identities, their environments, and every other customer touch point. The firm’s client list includes: M&M’S/Mars, Target, Levi Strauss, Tween Brands Inc., Kohl’s, C&A Brazil, Shopko, Sheetz, Smithsonian, Hamleys (UK), Lowe’s, Einstein Bros. Café, KFC (Japan), Hanesbrands Inc., Pepsi-Cola, Ross-Simons, Nationwide Arena, Marriott Vacation Club International, Starwood and Wolverine. In 2006, the firm was voted “Designer of the Year” by readers of DDI magazine in addition to the numerous awards it has received for design leadership. For more information, go to www.chutegerdeman.com. www.chutegerdeman.com.
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