Now Showing, new concept store by The Space

South African retailers getting experiential retail design right

When it comes to retail design, experience is everything. We are always on the look-out for retail experience inspiration to incorporate into our own retail designs. In particular, we are always excited when we come across inspired local, South African retail design experiences. Right now, we’re not short of inspiration.

Here are our top picks for experiential retail design done right, right here in South Africa

Top of the list is “Now Showing” the new concept-store-come-design-gallery shop by the quirky South African retail chain, The Space.

Now Showing is an out-of-mall boutique fashion and design store with a difference. The shop changes up the theme of its retail stock on a regular basis, just like an art gallery would do – hence the name “Now Showing”. The opening “product collection” was titled “The Dark Side” and includes dark and moody products, such as intense dark chocolate, rich incenses, ink-black pasta and opulent cult-inspired jewellery and other dark oddities. Of course, the store’s retail design matches the product show – the retail design incorporates zebra skin rugs and taxidermied owls and moody lighting among other strange and darkly interesting objects.

Now that is what we call experiential retail – by changing up the themed product ranges regularly, Now Showing is sure to keep customers coming back for more.

Now Showing’s The Dark Side product event in action – image from Bizcommunity

You can visit the current product collection on show at Now Showing at 109 Waterkant Street, in KZN.

Another retail design experience to keep an eye out for this summer is the Levi’s pop up store in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. The pop-up store offers free customisation of new and old Levi’s jackets to shoppers. Customisations will include embroidery, screen printing and illustrations. Get there while you can – and take note of the tiny store’s retail design too. We love the simple raw wood interior that makes the product the hero of the design.