Toy Time

Changes to the toy market – from price wars to consolidation – have been happening almost as fast a Transformer morphing from vehicle into war-fighting robot. That means specialty retailers like Fantasy World need to stay flexible to keep up with the pace.

But the Kuwaiti toy wholesale and retail company found itself stuck with a rather inflexible store environment. So working with JGA (Southfield, Mich.), designers sought to transform the retailer’s former zone-themed environment into more flexible system that’s differentiated through the use of color and a layout of neighborhoods and valleys that are more intuitive to navigate. “These elements allow a toy buyer to quickly arrive at their destination,” says JGA Inc. chairman Ken Nisch.

Each department within the 3900-square-foot store was assigned a predominate color, such as purple for girls, green for outdoor toys and orange for boys. A new signage system breaks down graphics into more detail, including individual header strips, end cap organizers and inline signage that further enhances navigation relative to activity type and age appropriateness.

Technology plays a role in this new setting with five large flat-screen monitors positioned to communicate either department-specific video content, as well as overall branding and messaging. dditional demonstration tables and built-in endcap monitors also offer a way to leverage the available content from many of the licensed-property based products.

A rich color palette and illuminated ceiling discs and floor graphics reinforce the retailer’s playful attitude. Another fun material is the holographic FilmShield/3M Radiant Light Film used on the storefront and interior cornices that changes colors from bright magenta to blue as a customer walks past. “The effect is something that could have been achieved using a much higher cost and more technically complicated LED and digital system,” says Nisch, “but was accomplished using a low-tech application of a high-tech material.”

The project also included a slight updating of the retailer’s Freddy Wonderman toy soldier icon that’s used in a variety of ways, including on packaging and in-store graphics. The brand icon also serves a welcoming gesture to those entering the new store.

Project Participants:

Client
Safari House General Trading Co., Safat, Kuwait – Harvey Dulku, retail manager; Salim Kumar, assistant general manager; Sulaiman Al-Adasani, general manager

Design
JGA, Southfield, Mich, – Ken Nisch, chairman; Mike Benincasa, creative director

General Contractor
United Carpentry Turnkey Interiors, Safat, Kuwait

Architect
N-S-Interiors, Safat, Kuwait – Narinder Sethi

Lighting Designer
Lighting Management, Harriman, N.Y.

Ceiling Disks
Moss Inc., Belfast, Maine

Fixtures
Madix Inc., Terell, Texas
Opto Intl. Inc., Wheeling, Ill.

Flooring
Centiva Intl., Florence, Ala.
Interfacefloor, La Grange, Ga.

Graphics
Décor Group, Madison Heights, Mich.

Laminates
Formica, Cincinnati

Lighting
Amerlux, Fairfield, N.J.
Bartco, Huntington Beach, Calif
Spectrum Lighting, Fall River, Mass.

Storefront Film
Filmshield UK Limited, Newcastle U.K.