Urban Planning

With a collection of popular brands on its shelves like Esprit, Wrangler and S. Oliver, German fashion retailer Wehmeyer had its work cut out for it to make its new private label shine.

“Layouts in the old store were created purely by the sheer size of the categories,” says Raj Wilkinson, creative director for JHP, the London firm in charge of redesigning the chain. But now, with an updated design that features a simpler structure to spotlight each brand, Wehemeyer’s new private-label merchandise stands out among those already established names.

Launching the new concept in the Düren location, one of the oldest within the franchise, Wilkinson and his team scaled down the customer journey to bring clarity to the space and created individual shopping areas to emphasize the variety of brands.

Large wall graphics form sections for each brand, creating shop-like settings. “We wanted the spaces to be distinct, to appeal to different moods and suit a diversity of lifestyles,” Wilkinson says. For example, the womenswear department features classic timber veneer fixtures and a sea-green accent wall. A casual clothing area armed with an urban-style treatment has laminated black gloss fixtures for accessories.

The merchandise is the focal point, so color comes primarily from the clothing. However, subtle tones of red and orange show up in design details such as square pillars and dressing room curtains. White walls and pale limestone floors add to the neutral backdrop.

To light the space, designers used suspended linear directional slats, circular lighting coves, illuminated floating panels for graphics at display areas and touches of colored neon lights.

Wehmeyer plans to roll out the design concept to its 44 other German locations.

Client: Wehmeyer, Düren, Germany

Design: JHP Design, London; Raj Wilkinson, creative director; David Rook, associate director; Martin Williams, senior designer; Anthea Leyden, senior designer

General Contractor: Larsen, Hamburg, Germany

Ceilings/Fixtures/Flooring/Furniture/Materials: Larsen, Hamburg, Germany

Lighting: Larsen Light, Hamburg, Germany

Forms/Props/Graphics: Wehmeyer, Duren, Germany

Krentz Photography GbR, Aachen, Germany