Click here to download this press release in PDF format. December 7, 2006 Contact: Allison Short Public Relations Coordinator (614) 469-1001 ashort@chutegerdeman.com Agency Contact: Karen Schaffner Corporate Image Consulting (678) 579-9906 schaffner@direcpath.tv Chute Gerdeman Design Makes M&M’S® Larger Than Life New M&M’S World® New York Store Immerses Visitors in Candy-Coated Color COLUMBUS, OH (December, 2006) – Chute Gerdeman, a leading retail design firm located in Columbus, Ohio, was the creative design force behind M&M’S World® New York, which opened today in New York City. Mars Inc., parent company of M&M’S World®, asked Chute Gerdeman to once again bring the world of M&M’S® alive by using color, shape, and scale. The firm also designed the company’s Orlando store, which opened in fall 2005 With more than 25,000 square feet (and 270 degrees of two-story glass) in Times Square, designers focused on creating a retail experience to reflect the essence of one of the world’s best known brands. “We used dynamic color to make the M&M’S® candies larger than life,” explained Denny Gerdeman, principal of Chute Gerdeman. “But we had to compete with the intense color already visible on Times Square, so our challenge was to make this space glow. The technology we implemented makes the store about 40 percent brighter than anything else in the area and includes two enormous video billboards featuring a moving kaleidoscope of M&M’S®in color.” Brian Shafley, president and creative director at Chute Gerdeman, said another challenge they faced was very little wall space because of the surrounding glass. “We had to invent a completely different merchandising format,” he said. “So we turned the existing 22 columns on the three floors into color-changing beacons bearing M&M’S® branding.” Shafley said the overall goal was to translate the entire space into an orchestrated expression of color, shape, and scale, while leveraging the character-driven story of some of the world’s most recognized brand characters: Red©, Blue©, Yellow©, and Green©. Each character is located somewhere in the store – depicting something typically New York. For example, Green© portrays the Statue of Liberty, who beckons visitors up the escalator to the second floor. Another design element is the world’s largest wall of chocolate. Two stories high, the wall is made up of 72 continuous candy-filled tubes. This is where visitors can create their own customized color mix based on flags of the world. In addition, visitors use an interactive “color mood analyzer” to determine which M&M’S® color best suits their current mood. A video component makes them a celebrity by posting images of their faces and personalized mixes on giant real-time video screens. To bring the M&M’S® colors to life, designers used the latest in LED lighting to immerse guests in dramatic color effects that can be changed for holidays or promotions, making the in-store experience different every time someone visits “The entire retail experience is an orchestrated expression in color,” Gerdeman said. “This is an experiential destination for guests to indulge in a world of chocolate and collectable treats – a place where chocolate really is better in color.” 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, including brand communication materials, merchandising fixtures, and packaging. The firm’s client list includes: M&M’S® (Mars), Target, Levi Strauss, 7–Eleven, Sheetz, Chili’s, Einstein Brothers Café, KFC (Japan), Marriott Vacation Club Resorts, Smithsonian, Kohl’s, Club Libby Lu, Pepsi–Cola, CompUSA, Nationwide Arena, Philips Arena and Lowe’s. In 2006, the firm was voted “Designer of the Year” by readers of DDI (Display & Design Ideas) magazine in addition to the numerous awards it has received for design leadership. The company’s work for M&M’S World® Orlando was recently recognized as “International Store of the Year” by the Institute of Store Planners, a professional design organization. For more information, go to www.chutegerdeman.com About M&M'S World® M&M’S World® stores are owned and operated by Mars Retail Group, based in Henderson, Nevada. Mars Retail Group also manufactures and sells ethel’s® chocolates and Ethel M® chocolates. More information on M&M’S World® is available online at www.mmsworld.com