Fortnum & Mason’s ground floor confectionery department in its Piccadilly flagship is arguably the most visited and well-known area of the store. Due to its physical position in relation to the entrance doors, confectionery functions almost as a lobby and relative to the rest of the store, it offers Fortnum & Mason quality at accessible prices. Our team worked collaboratively on a new concept to relaunch this luxury wonderland as the ultimate, world-class destination for lovers of chocolate and sweet treats, be they regular or occasional customers.
Our team looked for a design concept that would balance Fortnum’s main mission of ‘a sense of pleasure’ with maximum shoppability and the need, in our fast-moving retail environment, for an evolved aesthetic that incorporated digital content where appropriate.
The confectionery department offers abundance and an opportunity for discovery, with more than 500 varieties of chocolate. We maintained this sense of abundance and discovery with a new loose chocolate counter in the round that heroes the merchandise no matter where a customer is standing. We chose a lighter palette to contrast with chocolate’s typically darker tones and partnered with Spiers and Major to produce a bespoke lighting scheme that both showcases the product to best effect and differentiates confectionery from other parts of the ground floor, creating an enticing, standalone destination.
Fortnum’s confectionery heritage is second to none. By softly projecting video content onto a marble backdrop, we sought to educate those customers who wanted to know more about the history of hand-made English chocolate.
We deployed cheeky bronze squirrels – ‘Fortnum follies’ as they are affectionately known – to tell each product range’s stories. The squirrels, infamous for stealing cocoa beans when they are laid out in the sun to dry, sit on the back counter with a collection of truffles taken from the range on show. Aroma jars, daily tastings, hot chocolate on tap and the live chocolatier station work with the ‘follies’ to conjure a playful, sensory and immersive retail environment.
Our team’s work in completely reimagining the confectionery department has significantly improved like for like sales. We introduced sophisticated lighting, signage and branding to highlight relevant products, while layout and display were all enhanced to drive total sales in a shining example of confectionery and retail best practice.
Perhaps the best recommendation for the quality of our contribution to this project is the ongoing design work we have secured from Fortnum & Mason. We are proud of our relationship with this much-loved brand and heritage retailer and look forward to future collaborations.