Rather than compete with its high-profile location – New York’s Times Square – the M&M’s World store takes inspiration from it. Housed in a 25,000-square-foot, three-level glass box, the megastore features two massive LED screens mounted on the exterior and M&M’s Brand Characters with New York flair inside.
Blue Fever takes cues from “Saturday Night Fever” in a Swarovski crystal-encrusted white leisure suit. A 17-foot-tall Green M&M mimics the Statue of Liberty, while Red is a high-rise window washer. Other store features include a subway-inspired ceiling graphic and illuminated pillars that are choreographed to change color simultaneously with the exterior signage.
Client: Mars Retail Group, Henderson, Nev. – John Haugh, president; Blair Ford, vice president, retail; John Murray, vice president, services and finance; Scott Mogren, vice president, personnel and organization; Cindy Wix Ingling, director, store operations; Jennifer Gudgel, director, merchandise; Brian McNally, director, product development; Lanita Isler, director, marketing; Christopher Lossing, real estate contract and project manager
Design: Chute Gerdeman, Columbus, Ohio – Dennis Gerdeman, principal; Brian Shafley, president and creative director; Wendy Johnson, executive vice president, account management; Bess Anderson, director, visual strategy; Steve Boreman, senior designer, brand communications; Steve Pottschmidt, director, design development; Andy Jagger, designer, design development; Susan Siewny, director, graphic production; Steve Johnson and George Waite, designers, graphic production
Design Architect: CG Architecture, Columbus, Ohio
Consulting Architect: Jerome S. Gillman, New York
Construction Management: Premier Management Alliance, Tustin, Calif.
General Contractor: Mackenzie Keck Construction, Rockaway, N.J.
Outside Design Consultants: Illuminating Concepts, Farmington Hills, Mich. (lighting); M-Retail, Westerville, Ohio (MEP engineer); Rosenwasser/Grossman, New York (structural engineer); R. Scott Lewis, New Canaan, Conn. (exterior signage structural engineer); Winston & Co., Inc., Teaneck, N.J. (LED/exterior signage); VDA, Livingston, N.J. (vertical transportation systems); Consentini Associates, New York (fire alarm and protection systems)
Audio/Visual: Dixon Entertainment Arts, Henderson, Nev
Fabrics and Beads: Moss, Belfast, Maine; ShimmerScreen, Mt. Vernon, N.Y.
Fixtures: SEVEN CONTINENTS, Toronto; Group DKG, Toronto
Lighting, Show Control, Special Effects: Weidenbach-Brown, Hawthorne, N.Y.; Show and Tell, New York; Excel Media, New York
Millwork: Universal Custom Display, Elk Grove, Calif.; Total Display Services, Binghamton, N.Y.
Retail Hardware: Capitol Hardware, Niles, Mich.
Scenic and Sculpture: Symmetry Products Group, Lincoln, R.I.; Skyline Design, Chicago
Signage/Graphics: Interior signage: Superior Graphics & Signage, Jackson, N.J.; Broadway National, Ronkonkoma, N.Y.; Exterior signage/LED: Spectrum, Farmingdale, N.Y.; D3 LED, Union City, N.J.; Landmark, New York; Show and Tell, New York
Visual: SEVEN CONTINENTS, Toronto; ALU, New York; Storeworks Inc., Eden Prairie, Minn.; Minard Bernier Import Export, Toronto; Acrylicon, Columbus, Ohio
Photography: Mark Steele Photography Inc., Columbus, Ohio