NEW YORK — It used to be that the most interesting development in mass store design was the addition of drive-through pharmacies. Lately, however, retailers are introducing new prototype stores.
One of the most dramatic examples is Rite Aid’s Customer World format. Beauty is placed in the middle of each of the five stores that make up the concept. The units also have a more open feel and a larger emphasis on pharmacy. A big key, according to Mary Sammons, Rite Aid’s president and chief executive officer, is lower gondola heights. Rite Aid plans to open 80 new and relocated stores as well as remodel 200 stores to reflect the look next year.
Other companies adopting new blueprints include Meijer, Lewis and Brooks.
Meijer has worked out new adjacencies, particularly in removing beauty from jewelry and into its own home. Brooks is also working on a dramatic new look for beauty, although the company won’t release specifics. CVS continues its evolution of new looks. A new store in East Windsor, N.J., features bolder color decor and a large dermatological department. The unit replaces an existing store in the same shopping center.
Innovation isn’t limited to the U.S. In London, Boots’ three-story Oxford store has a huge open sell fragrance bar. Also, Boots has placed vitamins and skin care closer to each other to take advantage of the synergies between looking — and feeling — good.
Mass Retailers Adopt New Store Formats
It used to be that the most interesting development in mass store design was the addition of drive-through pharmacies.
