5 Star Plus Retail Design creates and implements the Visual Display & Merchandising Concept for the Aleybo flagship store in Beijing. Aleybo is a brand that offers a range of European and American kitchen and lifestyle accessories. Design, function and color are the product characteristics that play an essential role for the brand.

As part of the redesign of its Beijing flagship store in Solana Mall, 5 Star Plus Retail Design was assigned to create a Visual Display & Merchandising concept including the design of the shop window area and all product displays. The brief, besides the creation and implementation of a Visual Merchandising concept, also included the design and production of visual supporting tools such as display stands, price displays, and posters. In addition to this, 5 Star Plus Retail Design was asked to conduct the Project Management during the store’s redecoration period.

The main challenge of this design project was to integrate the various brands including KOR, Contigo, Mikasa, Chantal, Turmix, Zyliss, and Arzum. They had to become part of one uniform product display style in the Aleybo store. At the same time, the Visual Display concept had to be smart and creative.

Based on the dynamic brand image and requirement of using the space in different ways, a flexible solution for the window area was needed. Since the original store design had not planned for a window display and store construction works had only started, we had a free card to come up with a creative solution. Our goal was therefore to create something smart, elegant, and simple, that would support the rest of the store design yet create a big impact and draw people into the store.

In order to achieve a maximum of flexibility, we created swing like shelves made of glass and stainless steel chains that are suspended from rails in the ceiling. The height of the shelves can be adjusted in intervals of 20 centimeters, so that the shelves can be adapted based on changing product display requirements. Furthermore, the shelves can be pulled into both horizontal directions into basically any location along the store window.

For a maximum impact, we built on the strong, colorful design of the products and designed large posters, which are hung from rails behind the shelves. The position of the posters can be changed in the same way like the shelves. Most importantly, different store window display scenarios can be installed with a varying number of posters in different shapes and sizes in different locations based on seasonal and marketing needs. During events, the store receives a sense of privacy with a semi-translucent curtain hung on the rails where usually the posters are placed.

All flexible structures were designed in such a way that they are easily changeable and can be operated by the store staff. To complete the window design, we produced a flexible lighting scheme to highlight products and posters in this area of the store. In the store, our main thought was to create a neatly organized product display. To achieve this, we grouped the products according to brands and placed several items of the same design and color side by side, to emphasize on the richness of the colors and produce a “rainbow look”.

The Aleybo store with the new design opened on October 12, 2013.