The story started in 1906, while India was still under the British rule, with the ‘Swadeshi’, Made in India, movement led by great Indian patriots and businessmen like Lokmanya Tilak and Sir Ratanji Jamshedji Tata who helped conceive Bombay Swadeshi Co-Op Stores Co. Ltd. Later to be known as The Bombay Store. Since then, the brand has championed this by offering its customer ‘a piece of India’ sourced directly from Indian artisans and craftsmen in a curated range of Home décor, Tea and wellness, Fashion Accessories, Souvenirs and Gifts and Pashmina.
Recently the brand set out to update its brand experience that epitomized an authentic and tasteful old-world charm of India in a modern context. This is conceived in two distinct experience zones – The Market Place and The Home. The former is inspired from the cultural energy of Indian marketplaces and the later from the exquisite décor in the homes of royalty in India.
The store front present the Market Place rendered with strong visual cues from vendor carts, canopies and small store fronts. The store front is used as a cultural art wall to highlight the brand’s name and elephant mnemonic in a composition of Indian patterns in in-lit filigree work to create a stunning and differentiated effect. The core material palette of the store environment is a combination of earthy stone finishes, rich carved wood, metallic embellishments and printed fabrics.
The Marketplace present fixtures and furniture that are inspired from vendor carts with canopies from the local Indian marketplaces. The brand story is told in traditional ‘family ancestors’ like picture frames that present the brand’s history above the merchandising line. The cash counter makes a bold statement for the brand with an arty brand backdrop. Form here customers are led into The Home area through an archway inspired from a royal home’. The main highlight of this area is a large ornate table displaying the key artifacts of this section embellished with an installation of copper vessels that act as decorative lights over it. Wall hangings and artifacts and furnishing help add to the brand’s narrative.
Visual merchandising plays a critical role in telling brand stories using clusters of product stories across the store and help craft a delightful journey of discovery across the store right from the store front. The graphics and communication design play a crucial role in delivering the brand narrative through Indian patterns, forms and colors. Gifting wrapping, an important element in the customer journey, is given a pride of place next to the cash counter enabling customers to have choice of make their purchases special. The lighting design concept is boutique and flexible to create highlights for the products and the many architectural features in the store.
Overall, the store helps deliver a very memorable and delightful experience of discovery for its customers.
Location : Mumbai, Seawood Mall, India
Store Size : 1650 sft