With Grupo Huitzilin serving as both general contractor for building construction and fixture manufacturer, the 289,570-sq.-ft., three-story flagship store of El Puerto de Liverpool went from groundbreaking to grand opening in eight months. “We enabled the retailer to cash in on a critical Christmas selling season by opening in mid-October 2003,” said Luis Olaguibel, president of Grupo Huitzilin. The accelerated time-to-market—about half the norm—was possible due to the company’s ability to overlap some activities, such as fixtures being installed while walls were being painted.

When time is of the essence, fixturing expertise counts. Huitzilin loaned staffers full-time to Liverpool’s store planning department to explain how fixturing decisions would affect the timetable. Their advice on availability of materials and ease of production for various proposed design elements proved invaluable in accomplishing this amazing feat without compromising on design. For design was crucial to the success of this project.

Invigorating the Brand
While the nearly 50 major El Puerto de Liverpool department stores in Mexico's largest cities bear little resemblance to the Mexico City market stall from which Juan Bautista Ebrard began selling clothes more than 150 years ago, the look of this chain, named after the English port that once supplied its imported goods, was wearing thin. So upon entering the Guadalajara market with its youthful customer base, Liverpool sought to create a prototype for rejuvenating the brand.

“Liverpool was reinventing itself for Guadalajara’s young, affluent shoppers with time and money to spend, so we wanted a modernist, emotional visual statement,” says designer Robert Coker.

RYA's vision involved greater use of forms and graphics to add vibrancy, so signage elements such as backlit graphics were built into some fixtures. The stainless-steel framed blood-pumping action shots in the perimeter fixture shown above stimulate a desire for the bicycles they feature.

Slim Structure
Huitzilin manufactured all loose and perimeter fixtures, showcases, back islands, and metal hardware in the store, with the exception of vendor shops. Designed to convey a contemporary feel, the fixtures have slim structures with simple lines. Design elements such as legs instead of solid bases contribute to an open feel to the store, encouraging shoppers to focus on the merchandise.

While most of the store's two-way and four-way garment racks (not shown) are stock Huitzilin products made of tubular steel with a nickel finish, some are variations that distinguish them for specific areas of the store. Huitzilin switched materials to wood or glass, changed finishes, and adjusted decorative aspects such as arm attachments to achieve a wide range of effects.

Elegant Entrance
As one of the store’s biggest profit centers and the area by the entrance from the mall, the cosmetics department, which largely features an open-sell approach, must be attractive. Glass by French supplier Saint Gobain gives a retro effect to the columns and showcases. Some fixtures are graced with laminates surfaced with real wood. Lighting comes from within the fixtures as well as from overhead lighting fixtures.

This cosmetics display case featuring Formica Ligna laminate incorporates a graphics holder angled for easy viewing. At 37-7/16 by 62-15/16 in., the graphics holder nearly covers the side of the fixture, turning a typically nondescript surface into a medium for reinforcing marketing messages.