Serving as both designer and manufacturer has its advantages—when designing, you know the manufacturing capabilities possible for the budget, and when fabricating the fixtures, you understand the design vision. For B&N Industries, such advantages helped ensure that both aesthetic and functional needs were met for Beauty Studio’s new store in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to practicalities such as meeting weight-bearing and lighting fixture needs, B&N was charged with presenting an upscale resort ambiance that appeals to a diverse customer base and accommodating a wide array of brands with flexibility for product line changes.

Resort Ambiance
A franchisee of the Beauty First chain of beauty product retailers, Beauty Studio is a maverick, notes Kevin McPhee, image director of B&N. Shunning the mass-market approach of its Beauty First counterparts, which sell low-end merchandise in warehouse- or drugstore-style settings, Beauty Studio wanted to sell high-end brands in a more upscale environment. Such brands shy away from mass merchants and bargain beauty outlets, so to attract them, Beauty Studio needed an environment that communicates high style and simple elegance. B&N achieved that partly by limiting the color palette to browns, grays, and gloss whites.

Since premium brands require an on-site salon, most stores put a chair in the back just to carry “salon-exclusive” brands. But Beauty Studio wanted its salon to be a profit center, so B&N dedicated a large space with a reception area, white leather Porsche chairs, and mirrors with sandblasted backlit poetic words etched into the glass. A glass wall with a puck system allows light to enter the salon, creates privacy, and supports merchandise promoted in the salon.

The store needed to draw a diverse customer base. With growth of men’s grooming products predicted to exceed 22 percent over the next five years according to London-based global research firm Euromonitor International, products for both men and women had to be easy to shop. And the ambiance had to embrace a youth audience without alienating older consumers. B&N sought to create a store that was sleek and chic, yet friendly and engaging.

To encourage customers to linger and browse, the store evokes thoughts of tropical modern resorts. Taking a cue from the exotic, exclusive destinations to which the store’s presidents are wont to travel as a couple, B&N used palm and wenge wood in the fixturing and incorporated black and white photos of tropical spa locations.
Mid-century modern chairs of Turner design in a custom brown finish next to strong, linear cosmetic tables in wenge wood and white Carrera marble encourage customers to come in, try out product, and have makeovers.

“The entire ambiance of the store communicates escape, pampering, and relaxation. It’s like a giant spread of beauty advertising. It is intended to promise well-being, escape, and a better sense of self,” McPhee says.

Array of Brands
The project’s main challenge was supporting the multitude of brands while avoiding “visual noise” and addressing the tendency of product lines to change frequently, McPhee says. Numerous shelving combinations meet the flexibility need, and simple blocky fixtures with strong shapes contrast the busy look of small merchandise without overpowering it and architecturally divide the space, separating product categories. This intuitive organization extends to the use of wenge wood laminate to segregate the men’s products.

A subdued color palette balances the riot of color of the many brands. Backlighting and balanced product focus lighting eliminate shadows and minimize visual noise, showcasing the products, especially the colorful liquids in clear bottles. B&N eliminated clutter in three typically disorderly areas:

• Tester shelving incorporates a tissue holder and waste dispenser for customers who like to find out how the products feel.
• Blow dryers and curling irons mounted against a wall are plugged in to enable customers to try them, while their unsightly boxes are kept below eye level and cords run through the wall
• Brushes are organized in acrylic drawer displays, with the brush and a description of its purpose on the front of each drawer.

B&N adapted a few stock systems: the puck system for perimeter and floor systems, the cable system for high-end shaving equipment, and the Scissy collection for promotional display. And complementing its 32mm perimeter shelving is wire shelving strong enough to bear the heaviest of liquid beauty products while lending a high-end urban emporium look.

Higher Sales
An evolution of five previous stores owned by this franchisee, the Polaris Mall Beauty Studio store encourages trial, wandering, and discovery of product, but is clean enough that loyal customers easily find a specific product. As a result, it has garnered 1.5 to 1.75 times the sales per customer of previous stores.