Together with DHL we built their first flagship store in Amsterdam, Van Baerlestraat 114. We helped them with 3 important aspects:

1. The brand store concept developed by us is derived from our earlier design for the DHL Service Centers. The main concept items were implemented, from the yellow express line on the floor that helps customers find their way, to the wall behind the counter that has a life size image of the cargo bay of an airliner, to the parcel that you drop off and appears to roll straight into a plane via a conveyor belt. The retail concept is kept intact and recognizable. We advised about the premium look and feel and experience for this flahship store. If you walk in you enter a world of DHL brand colours which cover the walls and ceiling (it is almost like entering a transport box of DHL), the premium concrete flooring, clear signage and for example a lighting plan developed by a light architect it is immediately clear to anyone standing at the shop window that it is a DHL brand store. A store that shines with quality and a welcoming feel.

2. Advice about the store routing. Consumers can be led through a store and during the ‘journey’ can be stimulated to learn or get activated to buy. We have filled out this journey by creating a yellow path that leads past all the different store parts. First, brand experience, then functionality such as a packaging area followed by a counter where a parcel can be handed in or collected.

3. Practical realization. Which floor can cope well with trolleys? What permission is needed for advertising on the façade? And how big must the coffee counter be without creating a standing-in-the-way situation? Providing in an option to use the toilet? We developed the store within 6 weeks – from the removal of the floor to rebuilding the toilet. Practical solutions have also been considered such as banners in place of solid walls by the video screen and the display cases. With new promotions or sponsored events, the visual can be changed quickly and simply.

Concept / Art Direction Photography: Mokum @ Salon d’Autonome Photography: Jaap Vliegenthart