Ideations
A Retail Publication
Maximizing Your Rollout Potential
Although recovery from the Great
Recession is uneven, the future certainly
looks brighter. Earlier this year, retailers
began to feel optimistic enough about the
industry outlook to put their expansion
plans back on the table. Despite ups and
downs in consumer spending, there have
been retail gains. The winners are those
companies that have taken the time to
identify with shoppers in order to create
the most relevant plan for the successful
implementation of new ideas.
Obvious winners have been dollar stores,
value stores and quick-serve restaurants
followed by the grocery and convenience
channels. Family Dollar plans to expand
by 300 units and remodel its current
fleet. Two retailers looking to triple their
number of locations in the next two years
are Five Guys Famous Burgers & Fries
and Children’s Orchard, an upscale resale
chain. No-nonsense small format grocer,
Fresh & Easy and glamorous Whole Foods
Market recently announced expansion
plans. Chipotle intends to bring a new
Asian restaurant concept to the market.
Banks are among the most active small-
format developers (and thanks to recent
takeovers, redevelopers), with Chase
being one of the most aggressive.
The spur of lower land values, construction
costs and reduced rents are also driving
development. Thanks to this rare trifecta,
many companies are fast-tracking their
plans, hustling to lock down deals while
the good locations and values last.
Consequently, their rollout and documen-
tation partners need to move quickly.
“In a pivotal moment like this, where
retailers have a real opportunity to
generate momentum for their brands, it
tends to be all about speed to market,”
says Don Rethman, Senior Vice President,
Architecture, Interbrand Design Forum.
“Many of our clients have had to compress
the process and develop aggressive
timelines in order to take advantage of
retail space that has gone dark. However,
when you focus entirely on speed, you can
blow right by subtle but powerful brand
opportunities. The kinds of things that
could have a business impact. And if your
rollout team isn’t there to protect you,
you might end up with a compromise that
undermines the brand.”
Unlike times past, companies seeking
documentation and rollout services today
can expect speed, quality and cost-
effectiveness from architects who know
Issue 5 • 2010
how to find the sweet spot where they
intersect. There’s no longer a need to
settle for two out of three. The danger,
according to Rethman, is that without
the proper guard rails in place, the set
of unique intangibles associated with a
retailer—its brand essence—is no longer
in control. Without that control, design
elements that help make the brand matter
to the shopper can be cut from the original
vision, such as lighting schemes and
textures that play on emotions, lifestyle
elements and creative touches that speak
to the ego, architectural icons that make
strong, differentiated statements.
There’s also a risk that investment could
be uneven, leaving one aspect of the store
brand-right while another is left devoid of
engaging character. This is often the case
in quick-serve restaurants when the drive-
thru takes precedent over the dining area,
left to languish and discourage foot traffic.
According to a recent study, design has
risen significantly in importance among
retailers, and is expected to increase
in importance in the years ahead. The
reason? Shoppers are not just value
driven these days, they are sophisticated
consumers of design and ambiance.
(continued on back)
Retail Observations
Innovation Should be Measured
by Shopper Delight
The word “innovation,” with all its
connotations of invention and imagin-
ation, naturally makes us think of big,
radical ideas that transform industries,
slay competition or alter human behavior.
In the world of goods and services, it
makes us think of the supercenter format,
the QSR drive-thru, self-checkout, next-
day air delivery, and many online/mobile
shopping innovations. And just as
naturally, in our fields of endeavor, we all
want to leave our mark with a brilliantly
disruptive big idea.
But the truth is that innovation can come
from the smallest piece of insight that
when acted upon delivers a transformative
moment, solving a creative problem that
can be either large or small, scaling from
micro to macro.
That point was brought home to me
recently when our creative team shared
in the award of a design patent with
client Procter & Gamble for a simple yet
ingenious instore display that allows
a Swiffer product to come out of its
box for full hands-on investigation and
engagement. It gets the shopper closer
to the product, makes it convincing in its
purpose and propels sales in a valuable
fashion. In this case, pinpointing the
moment of “pain” in the shopper
journey allowed the team to make a
difference—in terms of the bottom line,
a profound difference.
This isn’t our first design patent, just
the smallest in terms of size. We were
awarded our most radical, game-
changing design patent for our work in
the financial category, and in the same
vein, helped shift the industry paradigm
in the automobile buying experience. The
shopping experiences in both industries
at the time were considered to be less
than pleasant, at times even cold and
confrontational. In such cases, innovation
of any measure that delights customers
with a warm, human “touch” brings a
major return to the brand. It’s immensely
gratifying to be part of such projects.
We’ve also been part of enormous
innovation, with partners that have
succeeded wildly and at least one that
proved man’s reach can indeed exceed his
grasp. Before the World Wide Web made
it possible to create a store that carries
everything in the universe virtually, one
retailer tried to do it physically. At the
height of the big box era, we designed
The Incredible Universe, a colossal
home electronics store that did not edit
assortment—it sold literally everything.
Our work addressed all facets of the
experience—identity development,
operations, communications,
merchandising and customer engagement.
It was such a feat of daring that the case
was written up and studied in business
schools. Even though the vision got ahead
of its ability to deliver, the outcome led us
to success. Ten years later, when we were
asked to design an equally daring 16-acre
shopping space in Kansas City called
Nebraska Furniture Mart, the big idea was
a smash and jammed the needle on the
shopper “delight meter.”
While the big innovation work is
exhilarating, and the small is fascinating,
in my mind there’s another category,
that of far-reaching—as in around the
world. Our design team also shared in
several patents awarded to Holiday Inn
for the design of its refreshed identity and
hospitality experience. The pylon sign is
a bit of design and manufacturing magic,
with its distinctive glow of warmth that
embodies the history of the brand. Each
of the differentiated guest touchpoints
represent a transformative moment. To
create them we studied behaviors and
emotions as they drive choice. While each
touchpoint may seem small on its own,
together the impact engages millions of
travelers around the world.
Innovation of any size is only meaningful
when it makes a difference for the shopper.
That’s how we create and evaluate ideas
and that’s how we help retailers win in
the marketplace.
Bruce Dybvad

Smart Design Makes ‘the Same’
Look Like ‘More’
Dollar General proves transformation
needn’t be costly.
Recently, Dollar General did a beautiful
thing. It seized the opportunity to not
only transform its brand, but redefine its
entire category.
With over 8,000 stores and a truly
impressive growth rate, Dollar General
is the 800-pound gorilla of the dollar
channel. Beyond that, the retailer looked
like just about every other dollar store
in the industry.
So, the people at Dollar General did a brave
thing, something they have never done.
They reached out to an agency. They asked
Interbrand Design Forum to transform
their brand and their store experience to
something unique—to stand out, look
great, deliver big ROI and be cost effective.
One of the things I believe deeply is that
“great design” doesn’t have to mean “big
dollar spend.” It doesn’t have to be wood
floors, spectacular glass store-fronts, and
celebrity DJ booths. Take Chipotle. It’s a
great example of simple colors, messages,
and inexpensive materials composed in
a powerful way to create a memorable
experience authentic to the brand.
Great design is about simplicity, story-
telling and attitude. We assured Dollar
General that with a much needed identity
refresh, new store navigation system,
graphics program, and fresh coat of
paint (what we often call “quick wins”),
the brand could overcome many of the
barriers common to its category. And thus
introduce itself to a group of customers
newly (and painfully) aware of the need
to make their dollars go farther. We
could help them consider Dollar General
for the first time.
Guest Feature
by Ryan Brazelton
The first step was brand strategy and
visual identity. Research revealed clearly
that the brand’s thrifty shoppers wanted
to see more “fresh” in the consumables
and “less clutter” throughout the store.
Working as a team, we helped create a
brand platform to keep the tactical core
brand values while bringing emotional Ryan Brazelton
and even aspirational elements into
Senior Creative Director
the brand space so we could elevate
Graphic Design
the shopping experience. Essentially,
Dollar General agreed to move from a Interbrand Design Forum
“dollar store” mentality (a category the
company practically invented and
defined) and reclaim its “general-store” Ryan manages a multi-discipline
roots. We knew we could bring that to
life in a modern, relevant way. design team in its pursuit of
thought-provoking ideas to fuse
For the new identity, we leveraged
the yellow-and-black core brand equity with great design. The goal is
to craft a mark both more modern and
to bring a client’s brand to life
friendly, but still familiar. It visually
signals that the brand will help you through an insightful, engaging
stretch your dollar.
customer experience. Ryan
With the new identity in place, we enjoys being surrounded by
designed a visual system that brings
the strategy to life. The system is about people who challenge and inspire
two things: the customer and the brand. him to be more imaginative
First, make sure the customer can easily
shop the store. Sounds so simple, doesn’t every day. His fascination for
it? Yet very (very) often, brands create
transformer action figures is
so much clutter in the store (thinking
that more merchandise equals more exceeded only by his passion for
sales) that any navigation aids get lost
innovative concepts that connect
or ignored by customers whose energies
are now taken up with finding things. emotionally with shoppers. Ryan
Certainly, Dollar General had that problem.
So we cleared the store of everything is a regular contributor to the
they had and started fresh. Now bold Interbrand Design Forum blog.
category signs lead shoppers through
the store, while end cap and aisle signs
get them right to the products they need.
(continued on back)
 Maximizing Your Rollout Potential Smart Design
When faced with the option of price versus price plus an enhanced physical environment, As for the added emotional, aspirational
they tend to take the complete package. The language of architecture and design, to aspect of Dollar General, that arrived
paraphrase Dead Poets Society, is meant to woo shoppers. through the brand story. The company
has a rich heritage and many great stories
“Our approach is very much in line with the trend towards expressing brand in the store to tell. It had just never taken credit for
experience, using those elements and emotional triggers that our brand strategy people them. For instance, ever notice how
have determined influence purchase and preference,” says Rethman. “We also work with Dollar General has a small parking lot? This
analysts who know where the returns are going to be on your investment, where to best isn’t because it can’t afford a big one. It’s
spend your dollars. So, during the documentation and rollout phase, nobody cuts the one of the ways of serving the customer.
third leg off the stool.” Keeping the parking lot small helps save
time, shoppers get in and out quickly.
Rethman goes on to explain that a team of architects and engineers integrated with What a great story! Just tell it! A bold,
retail designers is the key to receiving the greatest value for your investment. These three simple graphic treatment marries a unique
disciplines working together through each phase of design development offer the ideal, aspirational image style to create a unique
the key to maximizing your rollout potential. Value engineering is done during the process, Dollar General lifestyle and attitude.
not added at the finish, where it can often end up being applied with all the subtlety of a Something that had never been present in
chain saw instead of a scalpel. the brand or the industry.

Design prototypes at their best are exciting, innovative and full of promise, imbued as The real moment of accomplishment came
they are with shopper insights and creative vision. But any new prototype must be when we prototyped the store. Customers
adapted to a wide variety of real estate. Chase Bank is an example of a client on a rollout walked in and literally stopped, gasped,
tear with a mix of new builds, instore-branches, remodels and rebrands, often in spaces smiled and went excitedly to explore the
from 4,000 to 5,000 s.f. Rethman and his team have rolled out almost 180 so far. “The store. (True story. I was there.) Every
challenge is to adapt the prototype to multiple units with varying footprints in tons of customer said the same things, one of
jurisdictions without losing the elements of the brand that shoppers notice.” which was, “Oh, this Dollar General has
so much more than mine!” Of course, it
In the case of Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts, where business is thriving, the design needs to doesn’t. But now that they can shop it
work as well in the small 10,000 to 15,000 s.f. format stores as it does in the large 40,000 more easily, understand it and enjoy being
s.f. stores. “It does,” claims Rethman. “Our team is grounded in brand and therefore armed there, they see it, find it and buy it. It’s a
with the knowledge of which elements drive shopper choice. That is how you maximize beautiful thing.
rollout potential for a client. The selling environment will be equally effective in their 50
upcoming remodels as it will be in their 50 new stores.”

Creating news through design, staying relevant through reinvention and expanding
into new markets all contribute to the lifeblood of retail. The courage to try something
new is alive and well in the retail industry as seen in its quest to engage with shoppers
at a higher level. As one retail executive said, it may take a few years for the economy to
return to normal, but customers will continue to expect creativity. The right approach to
documentation and rollout can make the most of the opportunity.

Ideations
A Retail Publication by
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Bruce Dybvad, CEO

Jill Davis, Editor
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