BOSE

This large-scale replica of the popular Wave® radio is one of the first elements the customer sees upon entering the Bose store in the Valley Fair Mall. "The challenge for us was to produce a functional fixture that represented the theme of the company," according to Rob McDonald, general manager of Tarrant Interiors, a Leggett & Platt Co. based in Fort Worth, Texas. Bose got its start in the music business with speakers, but is best known for its Wave® radio.

"The cashwrap was a unique and fun take-off of the radio," states Justine Diatelevi, site design and development business operations manager for Bose Corp.'s headquarters in Framingham, Mass. Diatelevi, who has 16 years of experience in retail construction and fixture purchasing, felt that Tarrant was able to take a good fixture design and value engineer both the materials and the showcase in the cashwrap to improve both the effect and the fixture's cost-effectiveness. Bose plans to open 10 to 15 stores in 2002.

ELIMINATING THE BLACK LINE
One of the biggest aesthetic challenges in constructing the cashwrap was making the ribs of the Wave radio front look authentic. Gluing a laminate to a substrate results in a black line at the edge. "With so many ribs in the front of the unit, the lines would have detracted from the fixture," says McDonald. So Tarrant searched for a better solution. Sintra®, lightweight but rigid plastic board that's often used for signage, was it.


The fixture manufacturer used a 3/4-in.-thick panel and routed the grooves into it; then affixed a piece of laminate to the face. Not only did it look better than originally specified, the Sintra® actually resulted in a more durable fixture. The cashwrap is constructed of MDF core with Pionite graphic talc laminate and black Sintra® ribs, with metal and glass components.

The unit measures 120 by 36 in., and stands 42 in. high.

ACCESSING THE SHOWCASE
The showcase integrated into the cashwrap needed to be accessible to staff but look inaccessible-and at the same time not detract from the Wave radio design. The tempered glass window is positioned where the LED screen would be on an actual radio, just big enough to merchandise product. "Prior to Tarrant's coming on the scene, the showcase opened from the top," says Diatelevi. Tarrant was able to design one of the ribs as a handle to pull the glass top forward for easy, undetectable access of merchandise from the front of the cashwrap.

Bose Cashwrap, Valley Fair Mall, Santa Clara, Calif.

NASFM Member Fixture Manufacturer:

Tarrant Interiors, a Leggett & Platt Co., Fort Worth, Texas

Retailer: Bose Corp., Framingham, Mass.

Is your fixture supplier a member of NASFM?

NASFM is made of up over 450 store fixture manufacturers with corporate headquarters across the world, and over 800 plants worldwide. Combined, NASFM members produce about 85% of the store fixtures manufactured through the U.S. and Canada. When you bid out your jobs, make sure your suppliers are NASFM members.