All that glitters is gold: Graven Images brings some sparkle to Glasgow

16.09.11

Graven Images is celebrating the completion of another successful project. ROX is the latest concept to add to their portfolio after Hotel Missoni in Kuwait and it is the flagship boutique that Graven was asked to completely rework to reflect the brand and the luxury market.

It has been six months since jewellery retailer ROX unveiled the results of a £1m investment in a major expansion and redesign of its Argyll Arcade flagship boutique. The store now provides an unrivalled shopping experience, and ROX MD Kyron Keogh is in no doubt that the dynamic partnership between ROX and Graven Images has yielded remarkable results. Graven Images’ design concept, which blurs the boundaries between hospitality and retail, took the store to over 4500 sq ft across two luxurious levels, including a stylish private shopping area on the upper floor.

The store was the brand’s first boutique when it opened in 2002, occupying ground floor premises only. When ROX acquired 2500 sq ft of additional property above the existing store in 2009, Graven Images was appointed to consider how to make the best use of the new space while remaining respectful of the Grade A listed building, which was built in 1827 in the Parisian style and was one of Europe’s first covered shopping arcades.

The result is a new-look ground floor space that succeeds in drawing customers into the store where once of the first things they see is the “brand wall”, a nine metre long glass and quartz cabinet which gives subtle glimpses through to the consultation booths.

Those buying higher value or more intimate jewellery items such as engagement and wedding rings are then invited upstairs to the glamourous “thrill room” that provides a private area for more detailed customer consultations.

Highlights of the “thrill room” include its Moet-sponsored “diamond bar”, the only bar of its kind in a UK retail unit, where customers can sip a glass of bubbly while gazing at the store’s stunning range of diamonds, mirrored walls and of course the 150 sqm glass and mirrored ceiling.

Customers can now also peruse ROX’s new selection of high-end luxury brands, including Ebel and Raymond Weil. Kyron is certain that it is thanks to the store’s new design that these big names are taking notice, with more high-profile brands expected to come on board within the next few months.

Along with the redesign of the store, Graven Images has been instrumental in helping ROX expand its business by reviewing and redesigning the ROX brand. Using the practice’s cross-disciplinary capabilities in branding and communications design, the team has implemented the enhanced brand identity across key items, including hallmarks and the ROX silver band, packaging, point-of-sale, pop-up retail concepts, catalogues, marketing collateral and advertising. In true Graven Images style, every intricate detail has been considered in the development of this boundary-pushing project, and elements of the theatrical are never far away.