Jared, Akron, OH
OWNER: Jared; ADDRESS: 375 Ghent Road, Akron, OH 44333; PHONE: 330-668-5000
THE REDESIGN of this handsome freestanding store by design group Jencen took place in 1998, and it’s an ongoing process to maximize selling power. The muted color scheme brings the attention squarely to the jewelry, which is showcased in brightly lit, airy cabinets with a uniform white theme. There’s a kids’ area to add a splash of color, a coffee station to ensure customers don’t lose that buzz for shopping, and strategically-placed pictures of models in jewelry to help customers visualize what they’re buying.
The panel was divided on this store. Bob Olmstead rated it highly, saying, “Jared has a strong interior and exterior brand presentation,” but adds a note of caution: “The challenge will be remaining intimate and responsive to the various individual markets they serve in terms of merchandising, events and so on.” For Anne Sowden, the store was “too stark, too modern, too shiny both inside and out.” Karen Karch liked the look of the ceiling, but “Overall it’s not my style.” Gwen Carrington singles out customer traffic management, saying “The layout seems to do a nice job of leading the customers through the product areas as they shop.”
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Copycat Tips:
- Uniformity creates a strong brand identity, large pictures provide the right measure of product impact
Watch Out For:
- Convential layouts are great … unless the store next door is a mirror image
