Literature retail marketing: the guide for every retail professional

Let me tell you a store (2008) The world is moving at a breakneck speed. Everyone seems to be looking for new opportunities. Is choice an imposing possibility? Is innovation the magical word? In “Let me tell you a store” European retailers, designers, strategists and trend watchers tell their personal and inspiring stories. No fairy tales but retail in every little detail. Who are you? Where do you stand for? Let the store be the place to tell your story to the customer. The theory of our successful Store Manual, now described in practice. You can order this manual for € 35,00 (excl. Postage and Package) The Store Manual (2005) Jos de Vries The Retail Company has been working his way through the marvels of the Retail world since twenty years. Since the Retail branch on its way to professionalism is developing and also scholarly interest was growing, there still wasn’t a manual. Jos de Vries The Retail Company has made a definite change in bringing out “The Store Manual” a must for every store. You can order this manual for € 35,00 (excl. Postage and Package) The sixth sense of retail (2002) For many years Jos de Vries the Retail Company has been recording and interpreting the most important developments in the market for the consumer and the retailer. In combination with our own vision and that of our clients, we have developed a sixth sense that allows us to analyse the rapidly changing trends and to translate them into successful retail concepts for Europe. Which developments in the retail branch can we expect in the near future? And how can you as the retailer react to this? In our book 'The sixth sense of retail' we give an overview of what we feel the most important trends and developments are in the broad-ranging field of consumer behaviour, retail concepts and store design for food and non-food. You can order this book for Euro 27,50 (transport expenses excluded). The concept is the hero (1999) The successful presentation of shop and products can not only bring about a positive image but also achieve above-average successes. Our advice, therefore, consists of analyses, a plan for a strategy and its realisation. You benefit, furthermore, from our long-term customer supervision and you rapidly realise the influence small details have on large balances.

Retail study trip: supermarket visits in Italy and Slovenia

Jos de Vries the Retail Company is organising a number of workshops, seminars and study trips.
Current themes are the basis of these activities, aiming to spot new trends and to put these to the test.
On this page we are printing some information on workshops and study trips scheduled for the very near future. These events often have an international character since many participants are from abroad. We can also organise made-to-measure workshops and study trips. If your business is interested in a specific theme or if you would like to study the developments in a particular country in person, we will be pleased to make the appropriate arrangements to suit your needs.

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For the true connoisseur
Educational trip to Italy / Slovenia
Ipercoop BOLOGNA • Interspar PADUA • Iper ‘Grande’ LONATO • Mercator Hypermarket LJUBLJANA
The rich tradition of Italian cuisine continues to appeal to the imagination. And that also applies to the assortment in its supermarkets. In Italy, shopping is a true feast for the connoisseurs among us. The Ipercoop is a good example of a large assortment that is presented in a market-like manner.
New concepts, such as those of Mercator in Slovenia, also reveal a rich choice of products, but then positioned in another market. Recent developments in Slovenia are definitely worth a visit. We offer a full and interesting programme.

Are you interested? For more information go to contact and info or send an e-mail to Maurice van der Kooij (m.vanderkooij@josdevries.eu)

Development specialized pet store (Germany)

Welke – Since 100 years specialized pet store

The company Welke is already for over 100 years specialized in the world of animals, they are located in five different German cities; Dortmund, Bochum, Köln, Duisburg and Lünen. All these locations are big size areas (between 1.500 and 3.500m2) where the animals have a central place. The personell is well qualified and are crazy about animals. The animals are housed in quality areas and where possible a whole experience world for the animals has been created.

The product groups from a pet store consists of water animals, rodents, birds, reptiles and the cat and dog area. Both last groups face strong competition from supermarkets and other selling points selling animal food. To position the company as animal specialist, not only massproducts and technical products is being sold but also a broad and deep assortment of premium animal food products.

The company Welke is franchisee of the Sagaflor Verbundes Zoo&Co company. Central themes in the company philosophy is the welfare of the animal.

Welke asked Jos de Vries The Retail Company to develop a new store concept for the store in Duisburg. Jos de Vries The Retail Company is a well-known organisation in the retail business. Jos de Vries The Retail Company is one European´s leading company in analyzing, designing and realizing shop concepts.

Background of the new concept
Germany is in Europe one of the most competitive markets in animals. Fressnapf is with more than 700 stores marketleader in Germany and the rest of Europe. Untill 2 years ago the Zoo&Co company differentiated itself on this competing market by the central animal care and the wide range of products. With the entrance of Fressnapf XXL and further profesionalization by for example Futterhaus the difference between concepts more and more disappeared.

The company Welke developed in 2007 together with Zoo&Co a new specialized pet store in Frankfurt. This store was elected “most innovative pet store of Germany” at the Petstorecongress.

Next to the development of the new store concept Jos de Vries The Retail Company also developed the new concept of Zoo&Co Systems. They are differentiated by the size (between 800 and 1.000m2) and the identity of the concept.

The objective of the project
A concept like Zoo&Co has the possibilities to combine price and quality and therefor wants to show that. The store design as well as the communication has to share this with the clients.

The new concept of Zoo&Co Welke in Duisburg
The 22th of January 2009 the new market from Zoo&Co Welke in Duisburg was reopened. The first month the store saw an increase in customers (+20%) and turn-over per client (+5,5%).

5 key points on the new Zoo&Co Welke concept

Zoo&Co Welke identity starting points of the project:
- Animal life and animal welfare are the central key aspects of the Zoo&Co identity.
- The presentation of products needs to be maximized, This means for the concept that special offers and normal pricing has to be communicated
- Welke is dynamic and is a pleasant concept for the clients. The store offers a wide range of products and has a high service level. The atmosphere is pleasant and inspires the clients.

Jos de Vries The Retail Company and the change of the Welke ID
The adaptation of these values cannot only translated by a logo, but also in 3-dimensionality. Different from a traditional interior-designer Jos de Vries The Retail Company tells a story, the products, pricing, emotion let the formula speak from a retail-orientated-view. A normal shop-fit company looks more from an architectural point-of-view instead of the retail orientated view of Jos de Vries The Retail Company. (The store has to maximize the sales opportunities). The following fases have been realized to develop this new store concept.

Fase 1: Development of the store lay-out
Mass on the rear side (mainly food) showing the competitive position in the market
Modest presentation, to present the added value of Zoo&Co
Animal housing as natural as possible

Fase 2: Routing
Dog and cat section in the main route starting directly from the entrance
Rodents is the center of the lay-out, showing the experience world of the animals
Impulse and Zoo&Co brand products placed at the exit, to offer clients extra service and seduce clients to do additional purchasing
The main route of the dog and cat section leads to the specialized areas
Focus images help the clients with the navegation throughout their objective area. The focus images contain images of the animals.

Fase 3: Store design
3.1 Focus point
Every department has a clear recognizable focus point presented with the typical Welke-brand

3.2 Gondola shelves
Big gondola shelves at the back at food, rodents and water animals. Small at the smaller shelves with for example accesories

3.3 Shelves
Transparent with good communication pricing. The shelve plan needs to be optimized to maximize the number of products shown.

3.4 Premium
Premium does not have a specific way of presentation

3.5 Focus in shelving and added value
Generally there are 2 options to communicate animal life and animal welfare.
- One technical, well-designed central module let the clients communicate and provides information on maintenance and animal welfare
- Second there is the option to communicate in a vertical position the added value. This last option can also be adapted to communicate market information.

Fase 4: Animal housing
Based on the principle “retailing is story telling”, the material of the animal housing has been selected. The store will communicate with the clients. Based on this the material has been selected. How can you achieve:

- combining the products with the animal housing. (cross merchandising)
- show the clients that it consists of more than just the animal
- explaining the animals and how to best maintain the animals
- adding accesories, make it lively to offer solutions

Fase 5: Communication
Attract the customers to enter the store and help the consumers by signing to easy the shopping.
- Fachade
- Entrance
- Look&Feel
- Focus
- Departments
- Gondola of shelves
- Shelves
- Exit

We created for the Welke concept a different way of communication. The communication not only focuses on the animal but also tries to transfer the emotion and experience. The communciation is placed in image focus, head of shelves and in the for Welke developed brand section.

Since many years Jos de Vries The Retail Company is a well-known organisation in the retail business. We are specialised in analyzing, designing and realizing shop concepts all over Europe. We know for a fact that the successful presentation of shops and products can not only bring about a positive image but also achieve above-average successes. For further information on the realized projects you can take a look at our website www.josdevries.eu or you can contact Maurice van der Kooij, m.vanderkooij@josdevries.eu for further information on our projects.

Hypermarkets in Europe: trends and developments

		Euromarket Finland		E-Center Germany
		HIT Germany		Globus Germany
		Ipercoop Italy		Migros Swiss
		Ramstore Russia		Globus Czech Republic
		Idea Slovakia

Fair Trade Shop: development of a new store concept

Opening first WAAR store in Nijmegen
At the end of 2008 FaiRSupport, the retail organization behind Fair Trade Shops and Wereldwinkels, opened the first store of the new WAAR-concept. The Fair Trade Shops are located in the center of Amsterdam. The Hague, Haarlem and Utrecht. Fair Trade Original products can be found in the Fair Trade Shops and WAAR. During this year the Fair Trade Shops will be transformed to the by Jos de Vries The Retail Company newly developed store concept of the WAAR-stores.

What is WAAR?
WAAR builds further on the known fundamental elements of the Fair Trade Shop. Fairtrade is one the of the most important focus points of this new formula. The assortment has been increased, FaiRSupport added some special products and product groups. Clients can now find biological articles, products with FSC quality mark and articles of recycled material with a special design. The statement in the store explains where WAAR stands for “ WAAR believes that the world becomes a better place by giving. Worldwide you are able to find authentical gift-ideas with an inspiring story to share. About beauty, power, emotion and love. WAAR brings these pure products, which communicate, closer. For others or for yourself. Always special because of the origen and for returning something to the world. This is WAAR. WAAR is a world to give. “

Durable entrepeneurship
WAAR centralizes to do business in a durable way. The new store concept has been developed by Dutch retail specialist company Jos de Vries The Retail Company. This company has long-time experience in retail and has developed and designed several succesful shop formulas in Europe for the last 28 years. The focus by the development of this concept was on working in the thoughts of the FaiRSupport philosophy, durable and fair products. The interior and the construction has been performed with as many durable products possible, ecological paint and FSC wood. The shelves have been selected to be durable and by type of enviromental-friendly material. To save the environment and lower the energy costs, durable energy and cost-saving lighting has been placed in the store.
The communication is as much as possible digital to save paper and printing. The product information in-store is been provided on tv-screens and future direct mail will be digital.

A special story
Behind the products of WAAR there is always a special story, who produces it, which techniques are used and are there any rituals or uses connected with this product preparation. The products tell these stories, to tell the store further. The more stories told the better the companies who need it will benefit from it, the companies in developing countries. This manner of “storytelling” plays more and more an important role in this store and outside this store. WAAR has been developed in cooperation with Bloei, Van Keulen Interieurbouw and VVO2 Retailcommunicatie.
WAAR has developed a new website www.ditiswaar.nl where you can find more information on this concept. For other newly developed retail concepts you can take a look at www.josdevries.eu.

Gastronomy and foodservice companies

		Heliomare the Netherlands		Migros Swiss
		Centerparcs the Netherlands		Foodfactory the Netherlands
		Rewe Germany		Bakerstreet the Netherlands

Golden rules visual merchandising: improve shop performance

Visual Merchandising
• Visual Merchandising is a tool to create emotion around the product

• “The product is the hero!”

• The ten golden rules…..

Visual Merchandising

The ten golden rules

Rule 1
• The product is the hero
• Create product dominance
• The fixture is of minor importance

Rule 2
• Use product-related items
• Use visual merchandising in the counter

Rule 3
• The staff brings the product to the customer
- staff supermarket

Pre-packed service:
• The product is sold in self-service
• The department looks like a service department
• The product is prepared in sight of the customer
• Possibility to create a perfect presentation

Rule 4
• Make shopping easy for the customer
• ‘Solution shopping’
• Make it visible

Rule 5
• Use the full height of the store
• Use products or graphics

Rule 6
• Make the products accessible
• Don’t create a museum
• Surround the customer with products

Rule 7
• Create full sight on the preparation of the product

Rule 8
• Integrate price-communication and graphics in the product presentation

Rule 9
• Create special places for impulse and offers

Rule 10
• Use product-orientated lighting
• Accentuate special items
Since many years Jos de Vries The Retail Company is a well-known organisation in the retail business. We are specialised in analysing, designing and realysing shop concepts all over Europe. We know for a fact that the successful presentation of shops and products can not only bring about a positive image but also achieve above-average successes.

Please take a look at www.josdevries.eu for further information on our projects and company and feel free to contact us for any questions and/or enquirie m.vanderkooij@josdevries.eu