Manchester Brick Specialists, a leading UK supplier of premium clay and stock bricks, needed a proper showroom at their Prestwich head office. Without it, clients were left browsing pallets in a brickyard and the team knew they wanted to provide a more exciting and engaging experience. They wanted a functional, easy-to-navigate space where clients could view and handle samples with ease.
With over 240 stores nationwide, Dulux Decorator Centres are the beating heart of the nation’s trade decorators. We’ve been working with DDC for a number of years on a wide array of projects from full store original design and manufacture, to point of purchase display roll-outs, and more recently a wide installation of protective screens and collection lockers to support the business during the pandemic. The bespoke collection lockers for Dulux Decorator Centres have been designed to hold trade paints in a variety of sizes and each of the lockers also features a built-in cleanup pack and specially designed shelves with stacking plates to avoid any damage to the products. We’ve now successfully rolled out over 150 bespoke, branded collection lockers to DDC’s across the UK and the feedback has been excellent from staff and customers. We’re also delighted to have been approached by other brands on the collection lockers too and have recently started work on new shapes and sizes to suit the individual needs of other trade centres. The collection lockers have been designed and manufactured in house here at RED, and they’re really allowing retailers to add a new level of flexibility to the way that their customers collect their orders, at a time to suit them.
Known across the world, Thierry Mugler is an iconic, luxury perfume brand and part of the Clarins Group fragrance division, which was recently acquired by L’Oreal in early 2020. Back in 2019, Ripple Group and subsequently RED were approached by the Clarins Group to develop a freestanding display solution in collaboration with the high street beauty retailer, Boots. The brief focussed on a refill fountain, promoting a sustainable method for customers to replenish the infamous Alien and Angel fragrances into exquisite, reusable perfume bottles. An amazing project for us to be a part of! The Clarins Group had previously trialled several countertop fountains, and from the success of their campaign along with sustainability creating new purchasing habits among consumers, they wanted to explore a larger, freestanding fountain to take pride of place in Boots Fragrance departments, nationwide. The research, development and design phases were a significant part of the evolution of the display, with our creative and technical teams creating a selection of exciting sketch and 3D visual concepts. Due to lock down and the subsequent closure of retail, the project was unfortunately put on hold for the best part of a year, however, we were delighted when in late 2020 the project was kick-started again! We took the final design and completed technical specifications and prototypes, we then manufactured 150 Fountain displays; fabricated in steel with chrome tubing and refill pods, with laser-cut accent pieces for the drip tray and a high gloss black powder coat for a premium finish. Our creative team also worked very closely to produce the artwork for the mag panels on the sides of the display, adhering completely to the Mugler brand guidelines, this also gave us an opportunity to showcase our graphic design expertise. This project is hands down one of our favourite display projects that we’ve had the pleasure to work on, it was a full end-to-end process for us, all the way from concepts and design to manufacturing and distribution. It required us to showcase the very best that we can achieve on all fronts, and it was a pleasure working with such an iconic brand. The 150 units are now available to use in a selection of Boots stores across the UK.
The Engine Shed is Scotland’s building conservation centre. Created and managed by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), it promotes engagement with traditional buildings and educates people about the skills and materials required to build, conserve and maintain them. The beautifully restored, redundant MOD railway building (engine shed) was refurbished in 2019 with 2 new wings added and RED, with the design expertise of Ripple Group, was asked to design and install their retail area; a unique project with a contemporary reflection of the industrial era complimenting the outstanding conservation efforts of the existing building. Aside from the manufacturing and installation of this project, a great deal of emphasis was put on the design for the manufacturing process. Our Technical Design team took the approved concepts from the architects and agencies involved and worked hard to realise exactly how the products could be manufactured, considering materials such as Cold Rolled Blackened Steel (CR4) with lacquered finish to offer an industrial look and feel. These expertly finalised designs then headed into our in-house manufacturing facility where the design team continued their involvement to oversee the detailed production and on-site installation.
We’ve been working with Parkside for a number of years now, and recently posted about the London design studio that we worked on in 2019. Well, we were working extremely hard over the first quarter of 2021 with their internal teams to complete their head office design studio, based in Leicester. The brief focused on creating an open plan, industrial-style space to showcase their large format tile samples along with a huge variety of different textures and colours, the studio features thousands of premium tile samples, but it has been designed in a way where it doesn’t feel overwhelming. Ripple was commissioned to design, and RED to manufacture and install the majority of the tile display units that you see here in keeping with the design and style of the rest of the fit-out, we worked closely with the internal design teams at Parkside along with a number of other contractors and studios, to help bring the project together perfectly. Parkside has created full 360-degree internal tours of their studios that you can browse on their website, this includes both the recent Leicester projects and our last Clerkenwell job, have a browse in the following link. https://www.parkside.co.uk/our-studios
With hundreds of well-known and well-trusted brands under its belt such as Dulux, Cuprinol, Hammerite, Pollyfilla and many more, AkzoNobel are experts in making coatings, and chances are that you’re never more than a few metres away from one of their products. We worked closely with AkzoNobel and design agency, V2 Studios to help transform 6,400 square feet of space within the head office, into a high-tech customer centre for the business to showcase its brands. The new space allows retailers to immerse themselves in the customer experience and view product innovations before they go to market. The multifunctional environment was designed to inspire, educate and engage not only AkzoNobel customers but also its staff. Our Technical Design Team worked with V2 to interpret their concepts and then translate them into tangible products, and following the sign off of our specs, RED was commissioned to manufacture and install all of the equipment, displays, fittings and furniture into the centre in Slough.
Long-standing partners of Ripple Group and RED, Parkside Architectural Tiles, approached us alongside Architects Feix & Merlin, to help bring their vision of a light-filled, and engaging showroom, office and exhibition space to life, in their flagship Clerkenwell branch in central London. Working closely with the architects and client, our teams helped to visualize the concepts with render and mockups, we then translated these concepts into functional pieces of equipment and furniture that would then be crafted by RED in our 25,000 sq ft manufacturing facility. Each component of the build was then delivered to the site and expertly installed by our fitters, whilst our account management team careful managed the whole project. We hope that, together with Feix and Merlin, we have created a relaxed, creative space and a hub for the local design community, that helps to inspire everyone who uses it.
With more than 60 years of experience dressing women for life’s special occasions, David’s Bridal is known for offering an unbeatable selection of exquisitely crafted wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, party dresses, and accessories, all at amazing prices. In November 2016, the wedding giant made its mark on U.K soil with the opening of its flagship store in Birmingham and the team at Ripple and RED were thrilled to be chosen to design, manufacture and install a range of furniture, fixtures and fittings. Working closely with the interior design firm Child Gratton Lewis, Our creative and technical designers played a pivotal role in bringing David’s Bridal vision to life with a series of concepts and then technical specifications, our in-house manufacturing facility then crafted the range and our teams fully managed the install. This elegant store really stands out from the competition and offers bridal parties an ultimate luxury experience when planning their special day. The layout of the store is designed to inspire customers, and help them choose a dress and accessories to perfectly suit their style.
For many years, we’ve worked in partnership with Topps Tiles to develop their store format and environment, constantly looking to enhance their brand and customer in-store experience. We’ve been instrumental in the design and implementation of numerous rollouts of display fixtures, alongside full store re-vamps across the estate including more recently working with their commercial tile brand Parkside to create stunning showrooms. It’s safe to say that the Topps Tiles that you see today is in part, due to the work from the teams at Ripple Group over the years. Alongside the store format development, we’ve designed and manufactured a whole range of products and solutions, geared to drive customer engagement in the stores, maximise ROI and improve the overall experience. Topps Tiles is just one of the household names that we’re proud to be working in partnership with on continually improving the merchant experience alongside Dulux Decorator Centres, Marshalls, MKM, Parkside, Norman Piette and many more.
Back in February 2021, Laura Ashley announced another partnership with the UK’s leading wallpaper and paint manufacturer, Graham & Brown who are exclusively supplying Laura Ashley paint, wallpaper, and murals from Spring 2021. We have been working with Graham and Brown for a number of years now, helping them to design and manufacture a host of premium retail display units, and so when it was decided that a feature paint & paper display would be created for the new Laura Ashley flagship store, we were approached to make it a reality. Working closely with both Graham & Brown and the Laura Ashley teams, our creative designers at Ripple created a number of concepts in the form of sketches, from there the selection was narrowed and the remaining designs were prototyped and rendered as 3D models for the teams to review. After a number of tweaks and adjustments, the teams settled on a final design which was then handed over to our technical design team who produced detailed specifications, considering materials, finishes and the various construction and fixing methods. RED them stepped in to make the designs come to life in our dedicated joinery and cabinet making departments, and our installation team got to work on fitting in time for their re-opening in April.
Red Manufacturing, Hope Mill, Soho Street, Oldham, Greater Manchester
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