arken scoop 5 POPAI Awards

arken P-O-P International clients Unilever, Superdrug, Logitech and Wormser were recognised for the impact of their in-store displays at the recent  POPAI Awards.2012. The POPAI Awards are the retail marketing industry’s annual awards to recognise, benchmark and celebrate excellence in retail marketing. This year’s Awards saw a record number of submissions, with a total of 218 entries competing for the top prizes. 

Wormser’s Fashionista brand and arken won Gold in the ‘Cosmetics, Health & Beauty, Hair products & Fragrances – Permanent Display’ category for the Fashionista Make-up Display. The display is designed to fit an existing Superdrug carcass, and demonstrates Fashionista’s ‘pick and mix’ style range of cosmetics. The high impact 4ft display showcases eye shadows and blushers alongside the unique pallet in which shoppers insert product selection. The judges commented: “This unit achieves real standout in a crowded market place with an extremely eye-catching design.”

Wormser and arken also won Silver in the ‘Fragrance and Cosmetics – Temporary’ category for the Fashionista’s Saturdays magnetised nail polish line display. The creative design replicates the unique ripple effect created by the polish with product colours demonstrated in spot UV varnish. 300 units were dispatched for the launch, with a further 232 units subsequently ordered. The judges commented: “Great use of colours and celebrity endorsements, while the innovative use of corrugated material to create a new wave shape created a strong point of difference from other FSDUs.”

Unilever and arken won Silver in the ‘Flagship & Store’ category. The new design created for Unilever’s Dove Spa flagship store touches all elements of the retail environment. The outcome is a store that reflects the uplifting spirit and engaging personality of the Dove brand. The judges commented: “The clean lines and visual appeal of the store are very in keeping with the brand, bringing the Spa experience to life on the high street.”

Health and Beauty retailer Superdrug won Silver in the ‘Sustainability’ category for the Make Up Carcass, created by arken. As part of the store re-invention the make-up category needed a new outer carcass solution, into which various make-up brands create their own fixtures. The display is an environmentally sustainable product that also delivers cost savings from utilising the same carcases across all brands. It is currently installed into 270 stores with remainder of the estate likely to follow.

Logitech was also successful, receiving Bronze in the ‘Travel, Leisure and Automotive’ category for the unique Logitech Extendable Harmony display – a flexible shop display created by arken that is suitable for various retail environments. arken was also praised for a very cost effective roll out with all 400 units installed across Europe within just 2 weeks.

“The POPAI Awards are prestigious in the world of Retail Marketing and we're thrilled to have come away with an impressive haul of five awards on the night,” said Tracy Scutt, managing director of arken P-O-P International. “We're over the moon with the results. Our congratulations to our clients and to all the arken team involved in delivering this success.”

FILOFAX UNVEILS NOTEWORTHY RE-STYLE TO ITS FLAGSHIP PEN AND PAPER STORE

Filofax, the iconic personal organiser brand, has completed the re-style of its London flagship store in Conduit Street with the help of Newmarket-based retail display specialist, arken P-O-P International.
The retail space has been refreshed to deliver a luxury multi-brand store experience, which now includes luxury pen brands Faber-Castell and Graf von Faber-Castell alongside the Letts Filofax Group multi-brand portfolio.

Rather than undertake a costly full store redesign, arken P-O-P International has worked closely with Filofax to instead give the store a considered re-style. New swinging exterior ‘Filofax Pen and Paper’ signage has been created to communicate the multiple brand focus of the store moving forward. The new store also features changes to lighting and graphic navigation, as well as product re-location and the introduction of branded displays. The use of innovative window graphics have also been deployed to communicate the brands available in-store including Filofax, Letts, Faber-Castell, Graf von Faber-Castell, Yard-O–Led, Flex by Filofax and Noteletts – a move that will allow each brand to have its own presence in-store, whilst individually remaining ‘on brand’.

"We were delighted to draw on arken’s in-store experience to create an enjoyable shopping journey through the store that also communicates our brands’ stories in such a compelling way. The re-style successfully reflects both the positioning and breadth of our brands in a dynamic and modern way that we are sure will appeal and engage London’s shoppers," a spokesperson for the Letts Filofax Group said.

The collections are now displayed in six defined sections (see above), with graphic navigation above to allow shoppers to clearly identify products. This together with new illuminated signage gives the area a contemporary feel, whilst the re-located Flex by Filofax range – displayed in its own distinctive, illuminated cabinet – provides an added dimension. Letts diaries, address books and calendars are displayed in a new triple bay area, with angled product holders, and cupboard storage beneath.

For the Yard-O-Led pen brand, arken P-O-P International have created a new slick illuminated display tower. The display features a black MDF base with convenient lockable storage, and a black header with illuminated branding. Glass panels and a lockable glass door provide security for these high end products, whilst allowing shoppers to clearly see all the products available. The products on the shelves are illuminated via LED down lighters fixed under the shelves.

The new remodelled flagship store was officially opened on the 5th September 2012.

arken graphic display helps Gala Bingo to give new clubs a winning look

Bingo players in the North East have had their ‘eyes up’ after Gala Bingo, the UK’s leading bingo operator, gave two recently acquired clubs an inviting fresh look – with a little help from arken.

The popular bingo clubs in Middlesbrough and South Shields were given a facelift after Gala Bingo completed their purchase from the Noble organisation. To add the all-important finishing touches to the refurbishment programme, arken supplied a range of display materials including wall and hanging poster frames, to create a truly winning environment for bingo players.

“We were delighted to welcome the Middlesbrough and South Shields sites to the Gala Bingo family. But there was still plenty of work to do. Our priority was to integrate both clubs into the Gala Bingo brand, and ensure that those changes happened as smoothly as possible,” said Gala Bingo spokesperson.

arken have been a preferred supplier to Gala Coral Group for a number of years, supplying lightboxes, poster frames, forecourt signs and literature dispensers to both its bingo and casino venues. “arken has become the first port of call for Gala Bingo Club managers when they need promotional display material. Our combination of quality, outstanding customer service and realistic pricing mean that they can always bet on us to deliver when it matters most,” said Paul Smart.

Gala Bingo has recently embarked on an extensive refurbishment and investment programme to create exciting venues with market leading products, which will enable it to continue to grow its share of the UK gaming market. The bingo operator boasts over 700,000 active members who make more than 3 million visits each year to its clubs across the UK.

POPAI Awards 2012 – arken P-O-P nominated for 5 awards

arken P-O-P is pleased to announce that we have been shortlisted as a finalist for the prestigious POPAI Awards 2012, scooping a total of 5 award nominations. Representing the very best in creative excellence within the retail marketing industry, the full list of 2012 nominees was unveiled on the 27^th June during Marketing Week Live. Our creative P-O-P work for Logitech, Fashionista and Superdrug have all been shortlisted for awards in their respective categories, while our design for the Dove Spa store has been nominated for the ‘Flagship and Store Award’.

The ceremony will take place in London on Tuesday 23rd October at the Hilton Park Lane Hotel, London.

Find out more about our nominations for POPAI 2012

arken graphic display solution for HMV Technology Stores

arken have created a new graphic display solution for HMV Technology Stores

The graphic displays support a new in-store campaign from HMV who wanted an interchangeable category display solution for their technology area.

Find out more about arken's graphic display solution for HMV Technology Stores

Argos store refurbishment

As part of Argos’s store refurbishment programme to enhance the in-store experience for customers, arken POP has been awarded part of the signage contract. This includes producing exterior signage in the form of poster cases placed outside the stores.

Read the full story about arken providing customised poster frames for Argos