What happens when a retail fit-out meets robots

SML – a multinational branding and retail technology solutions company - came to MPL for an end-to-end commercial fit-out service and shop design, with the end result of a new testing and training facility. From creating a detailed flythrough video to ensuring the on-site robot had a charging dock, MPL looked after almost every aspect of this innovative project.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, SML embraced the chance to improve its customer-facing and employee facilities after a fire forced them to move premises. With its technology embedded in bar codes and handset readers in many of the world’s biggest retail stores, SML set its sights on creating a new demonstration and training centre for an increasingly automated sector.

CLIENT:	SML, Corby
COMPLETION:	2 weeks
TOTAL AREA:	6000 sq ft
SECTOR:	Retail Design Projects

The brief

SML came to us with plans for two different floors. They wanted the 5,000 square feet of ground-floor space – set out in an L-shape shop fit out – mocked up as a large retail store, incorporating a meeting room. The request was for a flexible space that could reflect a number of retail lines – one that could be mocked up as a sportswear shop one week and turned into a homeware or perfume store the next. The first floor was to house a boardroom that morphed into a more relaxed break out area.

Our approach

With the chief decision-makers based in China, our first job was to draw up detailed 3D plans showing two different store setups – one clothing, one shoe - and turn these into a fly-through style video for the overseas owners to approve.

Our technical drawings then allowed us to plan in enough power and data supplies for a very tech-heavy fit-out, with multiple wall screens, a state-of-the-art till, a smart mirror, a robot (which needed its own charging station) and feature lighting. At the same time, MPL’s team worked to design and commission a number of retail fittings that could be adapted for different products.

Brand and rebrand with ease

Usually MPL creates or is given set brand guidelines and we apply this in a permanent fashion. At SML, we were asked to provide a neutral, blank canvass with customizable aspects. This allowed the company to create a training facility where any brand’s own livery could be installed before its arrival for a real-life shop experience. For instance, if Zara staff were booked in for training, the large media wall and smaller wall-mounted screens could be programmed to show Zara marketing campaigns and adverts.

On the flipside

MPL designed a number of open-style shelving units that are ultra-versatile in their use. Stood one way up, they accommodate hanging rails for garments and provide flat surfaces for folded items but rotated 90 degrees, the units are perfectly designed to display bottles, jars and boxed goods. Our fit-out specification also included multi-use flat shelving units and freestanding cubes so a cross-section of items could be showcased.

A room within a room

Although most of the space is devoted to the mock store, SML requested a meeting room on the ground floor that could be private or opened up. To do this, MPL installed bi-fold doors but we had to ensure there was a seamless installation with no lip, so the house robot could move freely between the two zones. Additionally, the room’s centerpiece table is modular in design, and can easily be broken up into individual desks to create a classroom-style training facility.

Eat, greet and meet

MPL was handed a blank canvass when it came to the first floor, with a loose brief to create a boardroom cum break out area. We drew inspiration from the colour and materials palette on the ground floor, with muted shades brown and a continuation of the marble wall tiles, broken up by a striking teal accent colour. Slatted wood batons have been positioned to create a subtle divide between the formal and more relaxed area, with a large boardroom table, world map wall art, drinks station, bar-style seating, a bespoke banquette sofa, and a statement pendant light some of the additional highlights.

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