Shopping experience par excellence

Situated in close proximity to Ikea, a Toom DIY store, Toys“R”us and other big retail outlets, Zoo & Co. Bangel's new store is in a busy retail park with good traffic access that attracts customers from Greater Berlin as well as from the nearby cities of Cottbus and Frankfurt an der Oder. The 1 900 m² store, spread over two storeys in a former kitchen and bathroom studio, is the company's ninth outlet. Thanks to its striking, colourful façade featuring large pictures of animals, it is instantly recognisable from some distance away. One of the highlights of the store's ground floor area is undoubtedly a cats' “parlour”, in which velvety-pawed pedigree felines can slink around to their heart's content between carpet, sofa, table and scratching tree in a fully furnished sitting room. The large-scale presentations of ornamental birds and rodents towards the rear of the store are also impressive. Two kiwi-green walls with built-in show aquariums positioned towards the centre of the retail area constitute another eye-catching feature, forming a kind of arch opening the way to a glass elevator, which whisks shoppers up to the aquatics and reptile department on the first floor. The importance attached to the aquatics segment in the store is demonstrated by a canvas with bold underwater motifs that extends up over both floors between the lift and the stairwell.If the ground floor attractions give shoppers the feeling of being in a zoo, this impression is reinforced on the upper floor, with superb sales displays as far as the eye can see. An aquatic plant display designed in the shape of a star with a column aquarium in the centre, a special presentation of various species of tortoises in high vivarium cubes, a themed landscape complete with a waterfall in which Paraguayan caiman play, a snake house decorated with stone cladding where tiger pythons languish – customers encounter a new attraction every few metres. There are terrific special zones, show aquariums and vivariums to increase the desire for a pet and to differentiate the store qualitatively from other distribution channels. A lot of thought has also gone into organising the shelving, and in spite of the number of pet displays, the retail area does not give the impression of being overcrowded. Between the display units, promotional areas and shelving there is always sufficient space to create a relaxed shopping experience for customers. The colours chosen for the décor are bright and welcoming, adding…