In 2014, Brico, the most renown DIY store chain in Belgium, contracted Carré Associates to conduct customer research on the paint and decor departments of their larger store formats: Brico Planit. Our research team was asked to lead a deep dive analysis to identify:

1. Key customer shopping missions
2. Customer expectations as regards the brand and these two specific departments
3. Strong and weaker points of the current store concept in these areas specifically

The results would then serve for the refurbishment of these departments across the entire Belgian market also potentially including the smaller store formats, all starting with a pilot store in Anderlecht (Brussels).

The retail design team’s brief was drafted by our research team using the results of their thorough customer research:

• The space should assist customers in the following priorities of shopping missions: 1. finalising a choice; 2. finding a solution, looking for guidance or grab & go; 3. looking for inspiration, preparing a project or comparing prices
• Customer expectations required a design which would be efficiency based
• The price positioning and product range were seen as positive aspects of the current design. Whilst, the lack of signage, brand identity and warmth were identified as weaker points of this one.

Using the research results and this brief, our design team developed a new concept focusing mainly on promoting practical solutions, inspirations and advice, whilst answering the customers’ expectations of efficiency and price.

Brico was so pleased with the particular attention placed on the design of the signage elements, they asked us to further create a set of guidelines to hand to their different paint suppliers to more clearly communicate each product’s specificities. I personally led and supervised this entire part of the project.

The pilot store in Anderlecht was completed in April 2016 and the concept was then rolled out nationally, including in the smaller format stores.

Following this first successful collaboration, Carré Associates, with myself as lead designer, were asked to:

• create a similar proposal for the flooring department
• create a full tender ready concept, also already incorporating signage guidelines as those drafted before, for the brand’s shared stores with the Dutch group Praxis