Extreme home makeover

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Extreme home makeover
Homemakers Furniture transforms itself with updated branding and a stylish, inviting store design

By Jessie Bove, Managing Editor
June 16, 2010

Jamie Padgett, Padgett & Co., Chicago

Originally a factory for Parker Brothers board games like Monopoly and Sorry!, the former 250,000-sq.-ft. Homemakers Furniture store and warehouse in Des Moines, Iowa, was an oversized space with a 170,000-sq.-ft. showroom in need of a major makeover.

Although Homemakers has only one store location, it�s not your typical one-off�the brand is actually a division of Omaha, Neb.-based Nebraska Furniture Mart Inc., whose majority stakeholder is none other than legendary investor Warren Buffett. With just one store, it was critical that Homemakers be able to operate normally during the remodel. To do this, the retailer teamed up with Dayton, Ohio-based Interbrand Design Forum to develop a renovation plan that would keep the store running throughout the two-year construction process, which included the redesign, remodeling and expansion of the facility to 400,000 sq. ft., with a 215,000-sq.-ft. showroom.

Since the building was originally designed for manufacturing, there were multiple design deficits that needed to be addressed. �In order to deliver what customers were truly looking for in a shopping experience, we knew that it was time for a drastic change,� says Dave Merschman, president, Homemakers Furniture. �Not only did the look and feel of the store need to change, but the services rendered needed to be state of the art.�

With the planned expansion and enhancement of the showroom and warehouse, and a more appealing exterior, the timing seemed perfect to update the brand as well. Everything from company letterheads to uniforms was transformed as part of the overhaul. �Despite the reluctance of others and the nature of the poor economy, we were confident that this was the right thing to do at this time,� Merschman emphasizes.

The ultimate goal was to evolve the existing Homemakers store and warehouse into a retail experience that would establish the brand as an authority on home. The design team sought to create a differentiated experience that �excites, entertains and informs, and that delivers style, selection and value to instill confidence in purchasing,� explains Scott Smith, senior vice president, executive consultant, Interbrand Design Forum.

While many home furnishings stores are planned on a generic grid, Homemakers� new design instead features an open, inviting space that breaks the typical store paradigm of room after room of furniture. �The vision was to create key merchandise focals that bring to life solutions around style, furniture and accessories in an experience that is fresh and inviting,� Smith says.

The new layout improves ease of access, visibility, vertical circulation, traffic flow, merchandise displays and check out. The layout is organized by department through a series of flexible merchandising pads, finished with carpet. Aisles are finished in hard tile surfaces that establish overall circulation. Small, stylized vignettes�highlighted by accent flooring#details�are scattered throughout the showroom to enhance the large spaces, while also building intimate areas, �rather than one large entity and a sea of lampshades,� Merschman describes.

As a store circulation launching point, a striking two-and-a-half-story fireplace focal tower serves as a dramatic welcome hearth and backdrop, while simultaneously disguising an immovable mechanical room. The new two-and-a-half story storefront beckons customers inside, and lets in plenty of natural light to brighten the showroom. �Additionally, in the grand entrance, �oversized lampshade� fixtures provide a warm, residential cue, while accent uplighting signals the way, leading customers down major departmental promenades,� Smith explains.

The Accessory Marketplace was moved up front to create visual intrigue at the customer�s initial entry into the store. �Accessories are a dominant traffic driver,� Smith notes. �A high-impulse zone at the entry is reinforced with easy-to-shop styles merchandised through column towers down main circulation promenades.� Vertical integration of display units forms small areas in the large space, and makes the first floor �far more appealing and cozy for customer shopping,� Merschman says.

The design team also raised the ceiling and added an energy-efficient lighting system to further open up the formerly dark space. To better leverage an existing mezzanine level, two destination categories�bedroom and mattresses�were moved upstairs. The team visually opened up the physical architecture, and added escalators in order to encourage and enhance circulation to the second floor. A dramatic feature display at the bottom of the escalators also provides a visual cue of the bedroom department upstairs.

Further contemporizing the image of the Homemakers store and brand, a new trend-right color and materials palette was introduced to create residential warmth and an inviting environment, Smith says. The use of large-scale lifestyle graphics and photography develops an emotional connection with customers, as well as highlighting the latest seasonal styles in a dramatic, yet cost-effective, way.

Most of the technology improvements were focused in the back of house. New warehousing, inventory control systems and other upgrades speed up customer service and pick-up wait times. Customers can purchase items in the front checkout area or at point-of-sale stations located throughout the store.

With every square foot of its showroom completely rebuilt or remodeled, Homemakers� revised store offers a bright, colorful shopping experience that reinforces the brand�s attributes of selection and value.