The in-store experience is perhaps the most important expression of the West Marine brand—it’s where all the spirit and adventure of boating comes to life for customers. West Marine, the leading specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories, knew their stores weren’t delivering on this brand expression so they challenged Chute Gerdeman Retail to create a memorable and effective flagship retail store in Jacksonville, Florida, that would expand the experience and assortment to attract a wider customer base.
Several key strategic goals drove the design. West Marine wanted to broaden their audience by inviting more recreational customers into the world of boating and fishing. To do that, a new real estate strategy was developed to gain visibility in mainstream customer locations. The retailer also wanted to adopt more entertainment-based, lifestyle-driven design and merchandising strategies. Integral to Chute Gerdeman’s design strategy was to elevate the West Marine brand voice while quieting, but not eliminating, the vendor voices also present in the store.
The main drive aisle leads to the store’s eye-catching central focal—an authentic, full-size yacht helm and flying bridge that customers can walk through. The yacht’s salon houses stereo equipment so customers can experience live audio and video. And, at the helm, customers can try out GPS, fish finders, and other electronic eye-candy.
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 has debuted the Chute Gerdeman design in Jacksonville, adjacent to a lifestyle center. Additionally, CG was asked to adapt the design to a second location in Brick, New Jersey, which opened in April.
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, without alienating the core West Marine customer. Throughout the store, customers will find every detail is nautically inspired—from sail wayfinding signage to whitewashed wood, teak countertops, and galvanized metal lamps. Technology, lifestyle brand communications, and cross-merchandised vignettes 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.
With a bold and dramatic design that is rich with traditional nautical references, Chute Gerdeman has captured the entire marine experience from stem to stern, leaving no doubts about this retailer’s passion for the boating lifestyle.
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Do you get The Gist? 
Several key strategic goals drove the design. West Marine wanted to broaden their audience by inviting more recreational customers into the world of boating and fishing. To do that, a new real estate strategy was developed to gain visibility in mainstream customer locations. The retailer also wanted to adopt more entertainment-based, lifestyle-driven design and merchandising strategies. Integral to Chute Gerdeman’s design strategy was to elevate the West Marine brand voice while quieting, but not eliminating, the vendor voices also present in the store.
