It wasn't a quiet celebration for the team at Chilango or ‘i-am’ when we were invited to the opening of Chilango’s newest restaurant on Chancery Lane, London.

Following months of hardwork from the team here and over at Chilango we were so chuffed with the results that we just had to celebrate.

We began working with Dan and Eric back in 2005 and collaborated with them to rebrand and redesign their then restaurant ‘Mucho Mas’. Following a series of brand workshops and concept designs developments we created the Chilango brand with Dan, Eric and their team.

Fast forward 5 years and we were excited to be back working with them on their 5th site.

Our team of graphic and interior designers returned to the essence of the Chilango brand to create this new site focusing on it's urban, street and authentically Mexican style.

This new restaurant demonstrates the evolution of the Chilango brand and is brilliantly executed.

‘i-am’ Istanbul are excited to show the first shots of the new brand and store design that we have completed for Turkish retailer; T•box.

T•box is the youngest brand of Boyner/Aymarka Group, and has been reincarnated in a short period of time through the graphic and interface design teams of ‘i-am’ London and specifically ‘i-am’ Istanbul.

After the brand team carried out the workshops, we created the new core brand. Then with a new identity, brand communication and a new store concept we have changed T•box from head to toe!

We are continuing to work with T•box on how the experience combines renewed identity and store design to consistently make sure T•box stands out from the crowd in young fashion retailing.

‘i-am’ associates have designed a new flagship branch for prestige estate agents Strutt & Parker on Fulham Road, London. The eye-catching, contemporary and quirky design will set the benchmark for future refurbishments and new sites.

‘i-am’ aimed to create a branch that would embody ‘Partnership,’ a key theme for the Strutt and Parker brand, as well as provide a more positive visitor and staff experience, and challenge general preconceptions about estate agents. Strutt & Parker, despite its deep-rooted history, was keen to embrace change and arrest attention through unexpected concepts.

‘i-am’ took inspiration from the brand’s British national heritage, coming together in recent years with a network of London offices. The resulting play on ‘partnerships’, juxtaposes urban and rural, old and new, with an injection of British tongue-in-cheek wit.

A clean, contemporary shop front frames an ironic take on a classic panelled red door detailed in vinyl linework - traditional architectural etchings on the windows are rendered similarly, and illuminate at night to create a beautiful, on-brand subtle statement.

Having perused the unusual modern/traditional ‘collector’s cabinet’ in the window, featuring properties displayed on plan chest drawers, visitors step inside to find a generous space to browse and interact with staff. Consultations occur at meeting spaces reminiscent of a cosy restaurant or a vintage British railway carriage.

The quintessentially British theme is expressed
in details such as ‘Jeeves and Wooster’ bowler/top hat light fittings, while the exterior etchings, including an MGA classic car and wellington boots, are followed through in similar style inside, complementing mural-scale photography of a London taxi and a Pashley’s bike in a beautiful country landscape.

Simon Rose, Manager of Strutt & Parker 140 Fulham Road commented that ‘The customer response has been fantastic, with visitors commenting on how inviting and attractive the branch looks. All the staff love working in the relaxed environment that ‘i-am’ have created
for us.’

We have been working with our client MTI in Kiev, Ukraine, helping develop and reposition their three existing fashion footwear brands: Plato, Intertop and Kiditop.

Our remit covers brand positioning, identity, retail design and the most important element; people.

As part of our ‘People & Culture’ training review process we were asked to introduce new thinking and standards of retail service across the board. The programme began with our presentation of the ‘Five Star Customer Store Experience’ to all Directors and store managers across all three brands.

The focus of the presentation not only demonstrates the benefits of great service in terms of brand differentiation, it also sets out clearly how and when great service delivers increased sales.

The benefits of a positive customer experience will not only protect against commoditised selling by creating reasons to buy other than the cheapest, it will also generate long term customer loyalty, encourage return visits, leading to consistent footfall with improved average transaction values.

The ‘Five Star Customer Experience’ is based on three key and well proven principles that we refer to as the three S’s, Smile, Seduce, Sharpen.

Smile, nothing works as well as a smile. Whether its nature or nurture a smile says a thousand words and is the shortest distance between two people. When someone greets you with a smile it is difficult not to smile back. When meeting someone for the first time research has shown that we have 7 seconds to create a positive or negative impression. Smiling is singularly the most important.

Seduce; don’t sell. If people only bought what they needed shops would quickly go out of business. A compelling product display tempts people to stop, touch, smell, taste and consider for a moment, the seduction process has begun. For the sales staff, how they look, what they know and what they say about the product is vital to a rewarding experience.

And finally Sharpen. Good front off house habits ensure staff never pass a mess, retail is about the detail, customers expect the best experience. Dirty, untidy, unattended displays or service points send out the wrong message. Fresh, shiny and new is what is expected. Good retailers never stand still; great presentation is paramount. It is rumored that five star retailers do not know how to fold their arms!

For more information on the ‘i-am’ People and Culture programmes, contact:
Celine@i-amonline.com