Australian specialty nursery retailer, Baby Bunting, will open its first concept store in Melbourne’s Maribyrnong this weekend, on April 19. 

The store is the first in a roll-out of a new ‘Stores of the Future’ format, which will open across Australia during the coming years. 

In collaboration with The General Store, the 2000sqm shop aims to deliver a simplified and inspiring shopping experience for new parents. 

Independent consumer research agency Antenna conducted an online poll, on behalf of Baby Bunting, of Australian parents with children aged zero to five years and those expecting a child in the next six months.

“Within our recent Future Village research over half of parents told us that they feel pressured to make ‘perfect’ choices when purchasing baby products, and as a result can find the experience of shopping for key items overwhelming and stressful, despite it being a moment that should signal an exciting time for their growing family,” said Baby Bunting CEO Mark Teperson. 

The store features a ceiling installation made entirely of glass baby bottles to welcome customers into the reimagined retail experience.

A new feeding zone, designed to make customers feel like stepping into a friend’s kitchen, is followed by a ceiling mural of the sky above the store’s ‘travel’ section.

An on-site parents’ room is also available for customers to relax, feed and change their children. 

“The design and architecture of each category provides new opportunities to curate and contextualise products in a way that is more relatable and inspiring,” commented Reid Nakou, chief experience officer at The General Store. 

The new Baby Bunting design concept will be rolled out across key selected stores, along with refurbishments over the coming months, with plans to expand to all Baby Bunting stores across Australia and New Zealand.