The following article is adapted from a GlobalShop 2006 presentation presentation by Blair Ford, vice president of retail for M&M’s World.

When a brand is transitioned from product to retail store, the environment must convince consumers to cross the lease line and to make a purchase. M&M’s is a beloved American brand. The candy has a rich heritage that includes eating rituals, and the M&M characters are ranked as the most recognized brand icons worldwide. But for Mars Inc., making M&M’s World successful required not only the brand and a theme for the store, but also a connection. The emotional aspects of the brand had to be tied into the retail environment in order to keep consumers in the store. The winning formula: thematic visuals and interactive, fun elements.

Las Vegas: The Birth of M&M World
Good candy alone does not a good retail environment make, as the Mars manufacturing team discovered when they operated a confectionery store in Las Vegas. Originally planned as an Ethel M store, the 38,000-sq.-ft. space proved too large to fill with nothing but chocolate. The project became M&M’s World, the four-floor environment evolved, and awareness escalated. But then the inevitable occurred—the retail operation hit a plateau. The assortment strategy of five colors of M&M’s wasn’t cutting it.

Retail experts put an action plan into play:

• Capture the Las Vegas tourist market.
• Create a destination within the store.
• Create entertainment value.
• Create something to keep the consumer in the store.

The solution involved a creative perspective, which included:

• Electric green M&M’s exclusive to the Las Vegas store
• A Colors Works Wall with 50 tubes of every M&M color for customers to mix and match in cello bags
• Special effects and a 3D movie
• Life-size characters interacting with shoppers in the store

Volume picked up, and the store was refixtured to better handle the traffic flow and better showcase the products. The changes, along with staff training and scheduling improvements, resulted in a "mega" sales hike over two years.

Today, the M&M spokescandies are working overtime in Sin City. Every day, some 100,000 people cross the lease line and purchase one ton of M&M’s.

Orlando: The Retail Evolution Continues
With the success of Las Vegas, an Orlando location followed. The evolution of the Orlando site involved Columbus, Ohio-based design firm Chute Gerdeman and Vegas-based Dixon Entertainment Arts. The design plan consists of only one floor and the focus is 100 percent on the lentil (technical jargon for an M&M).

Other strategies of the store environment:

• Make it fun.
• Communicate that chocolate is better in color.
• Provide interactivity.

This store design has incorporated dwelling pockets, giving shoppers time to look at the products. Custom terrazzo flooring has been dyed to match the brand’s palette. The candies are a color device at the “My M&M’s Wall,” where 72 vertical tubes hold 21 rainbow colors. There’s even a Color Mood Analyzer Kiosk to assist shoppers in choosing colors. And the spokescandies have a presence, even leading shoppers in the Macarena!

The Orlando store has yet to garner the momentum of the Vegas store, but a robust marketing plan is in place. The concept continues to evolve, allowing consumers to immerse themselves in the fun spirit of the M&M’s brand in creative and interactive ways.