Checkland Kindleysides has been working with Boots to create retail merchandising and display unitary for the revamp of their No 7 brand which was officially unveiled on February 7th 2005.
The £100 million beauty brand was launched 70 years ago in 1935, and is one of the best known make-up ranges on the high street.
Ashley Newson, Senior Operations Manager at Boot's said "we wanted to create an in-store environment that truly reflected the values of the UK's biggest cosmetics brand consistently across our eight different display sizes". He added "we know from customer feedback that shopping for cosmetics can be complicated and we wanted to create a much improved shopping experience, which following research we believe we have delivered with the help of Checkland Kindleysides."
We have created several different variations to work across all environments ranging from large retail islands in flagship stores through to single modules for smaller applications such as airport stores.
 We took design cues from the new product packaging's fliptone (iridescent) signature colours and softer, organic forms.
The merchandising unitary itself ranges in height from 2m to 2.5m for the large island units, where the No7 beacon (with its colour changing lights) gives prominence to the brand across the store, and is central to the island acting as an archway between two areas of the retail space. Newson added "the new design works fantastically in not only signalling No7, but also the entire cosmetics customer offer".
The bays are made with translucent glass with a dark frame; with under-lit shelving highlighting the products, while down-lit graphics act as a header for each bay. A fliptone finish has been used on dark frame and pale base of the bays and the counter adding a sense of movement as you walk around the unitary.
 The design for the counters needed to include three functions; for this we created a curved freestanding unit with a general consultation area also practical for make-overs, a product promotion area and a discrete space for the till.
The unitary gives No7 a premium ownership of the space and gives customers complete accessibility to the No7 brand, allowing them to choose which way they want to shop whether they are just making a replenishment purchase, there to test and buy or to receive advice from a consultant before purchase.
All of the redesigned elements work together to align the No7 brand, (in the consumers mind), with the premium beauty houses.
 This is a significant relaunch from a design management point of view, with an overnight launch into around 1400 stores creating a massive 'wow' factor for consumers and the industry alike.
Boots chief executive Richard Baker said the initiative is designed to drive beauty sales and footfall. "No7 is our biggest brand," he said. "This is about making it even better and drawing more customers to our beauty counters."
About Checkland Kindleysides
Founded in 1979, we are one of the largest design consultancies within the UK. Our offer spans a broad range of
design disciplines including graphic communication, identity, retail, interior and interactive design. We work in
partnership with both local and global brands across a diverse range of market sectors.
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