Mass merchandising of the kind generally found in edge-of-town locations has managed, over the years, to get itself something of a bad name for cavernous, lacklustre interiors.
And, if you hail from North America, the word Kmart may be sufficient to have you heading for the hills. OK, it may be cheap, but in a world where everybody else is, that will rarely be sufficient.
But, on the other side of the world, there is Australian Kmart, originally an offspring of the US outfit, but for long a fully functioning independent entity. Its newly refurbished 64,585 sq ft store in Eastland, Melbourne, shows what can be done, even when design cost and efficiency are probably top of the agenda.
Stand at the in-mall entrance to this one and, unlike the North American stores, you are presented with a modern vista, including a no-nonsense logo and an interior that doesn’t depress. The space appears relatively bright, in spite of the fact that lighting consultancy LAPD worked with the retailer to bring lighting levels down overall. The impression is created by the use of areas of higher and lower illumination.
The technique reflects well on the graphics used around the perimeter, carving what could be a very large floor into visually manageable chunks. There is nothing particularly fancy about all of this, but it does feel light and welcoming in a way that many stores of its ilk do not.
It also manages that difficult task of taking an existing store environment and making it appear almost brand new. It shows that edge-of-town mass market value retailing can be as interesting as any other part of retailing’s panorama.
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