Cotton On has opened its largest standalone store at Melbourne’s Highpoint shopping centre. The retail space covers 750sqm, almost four times the size of the brand’s former Highpoint store, and reflects a new look and future direction in store design. The store was designed and built by Cotton On’s inhouse team of designers and own construction company. Martin Kwaskowski, senior store design manager at Cotton On, said the brief was to build on the brand’s already establis
shed confidence while supporting its casual, laid back values. Timber, brick, and concretematerials were used throughout to give the store an authentic feel.
A living front window, which frames the store’s 21m frontage, allows customers to shop directly from the display, designed in a way that will change over time to engage customers with the store’s latest lines and promotions.
“The idea around the living window is that it engages our customers with our latest offers, and breaks down the barriers of what we would call conditional window displays,” Kwaskowski said.
“It’s a rotating space for activations, launches, and product. So that whole conditional non-selling space and every inch of the floor can become productive and allow our customer to navigate through the store.”
The space is broken into an easy to navigate series of shop in shops, housing the latest men’s, women’s, denim, and accessories lines.
“We’ve added lots of new wardrobes and features, ranging from large format fixtures to small displays, which allow us to be slightly different from the typical white box approach.
“I think we’re very good at adding textures throughout the store experience. It’s really about creating a journey for us from the door to the back,” he told Inside Retail PREMIUM.
A first for Cotton On is the introduction of an exposed glass back of house, which allows customers to see new stock being unpacked as it arrives instore.
“It provides an element of theatre for their store experience,” said Kwaskowski.
Shoppers will be able to purchase items as they are being unpacked from boxes, before they hit shelves.
Cotton On GM, Felicity McGahan, said there is no other Cotton On store in Australia like the Highpoint flagship.
“The store offers customers an insight into our forward vision for Cotton On, setting the benchmark for our new fleet opening around the world. The new store will allow us to offer shoppers an instore experience like no other,” said McGahan.
This story first appeared in Inside Retail PREMIUM issue 2022. To subscribe, click here.
