The new Jigsaw store in Aberdeen takes inspiration from its surroundings to offer an experience that stands out from the retailer’s estate.

Creating a new-model or flagship shop is, in some ways, straightforward. In many instances, a project of this kind is a matter of corporate pride – and occasionally, hubris – so more care and attention is lavished on the design and execution than might be the case in a standard branch.

In 2014, fashion retailer Jigsaw opened an ‘emporium’ on central London’s Duke Street. In spite of a mildly off-pitch location – a mere 150 or so metres south of Oxford Street, but far enough to matter – chief executive Peter Ruis threw more or less everything but the kitchen sink at the store.

The outcome was a very good-looking retail space. Designed by Dalziel + Pow, it had elements ranging from winsome wall graphics to a jukebox with records selected by Ruis, as well as an outpost of cafe-cum-tapas operation Fernandez & Wells.

The fashion press duly made the trek to write about the retailer’s renaissance and the new ground that was being broken by a fashion store that was also a place to hang out in.

A year later and Jigsaw has developed a number of new store models across the UK, the latest of which is located in Aberdeen and is the handiwork of design consultancy Gpstudio.

A unique offer

At this end of fashion retailing, every store should not appear as if it has been the result of an exercise in ‘value-engineering’, or the streamlining of an initial idea, while still maintaining a consistent brand identity.

Ruis is keenly aware of this: “It’s important for the Jigsaw brand to remain relevant and authentic to its location, and not just a bland roll-out scheme”

In Aberdeen, that means granite. The city, built from this tough and ancient volcanic rock, provided the inspiration for the interior of Jigsaw’s northernmost store.

Jigsaw_Aberdeen_gpstudio_2

The Aberdeen shop is brand new, covers 1,600 sq ft – around a quarter of the size of the Duke Street shop – and occupies a corner location in the city’s Bon Accord and St Nicholas shopping centre.

Accented with a granite feature wall, the store is an example of how classic materials can be used in new ways to provide an inventive twist on an established brand.

It features an unusual internal geography, but the similarities to the Duke Street emporium end there.

It is a small store and therefore an integrated cafe is something of a non-starter. The same is true as far as elements such as the jukebox and the “designer area” are concerned – there is a limit to how much can be put into a 1,600 sq ft space, when set against a two-floor 6,000 sq ft flagship.

That said, in the same way that the Duke Street store ploughs its own furrow, there are components that set this branch apart from the 73 standalone shops in Jigsaw’s portfolio.

Design classics

The granite wall has a changeable shelving system built into it, meaning that although it is an ostensibly rock-solid feature it is in fact flexible and can be changed and remerchandised at short notice.

The cash desk is another defining feature and takes the form of a plywood curve in the centre of the store. This creates a focal point for shoppers and gives the impression of a modern bar, as opposed to a traditional square cash desk.

Yet this is contrasted with a traditional wooden parquet flooring which, along with the granite wall, helps to anchor the store in rather more familiar retail territory.

“The integration of modern aspects with design classics has created an engaging customer environment,” says Adam Dainow, associate director at Gpstudio.

Lighting has also been made a feature in this store, deployed in conjunction with floating ceiling rafts. The rafts are used to help define merchandise areas and allow glimpses of the classic 1960s coffered concrete ceilings above.

Finally, there is the cosmetic graphic treatment, which consists of black and white prints showing Jigsaw photo shoots, contributing to a mildly art gallery-like feel about the whole enterprise.

Jigsaw

The phrases on the walls are in a simple font with a muted use of grey on the white walls, and are complemented by images framed alongside. “Forget the rules: if you like it, wear it”, is a fairly typical example of what confronts the shopper and is certainly on-brand as far as Jigsaw is concerned.

Curated elegance

Jigsaw has succeeded in taking a brand that is normally associated with the high street and making it amenable as part of the mix in a shopping mall. Gregor Jackson, founding partner at Gpstudio, says: “We’ve been working on a model that works in a shopping centre, which is what Peter [Ruis] has been trying to do.”

He adds: “There hasn’t been any intention from us or Jigsaw to get into cookie-cutter mode. If there is any similarity to what was done in Duke Street, it is the curated feel to the store. It’s about getting the mall sites to work.”

Jigsaw continues to be a brand in transition and there are plans in place to open further stores as well as looking at those that are already up and running.

In Aberdeen, shoppers have been given a taste of the Jigsaw flavour and while it may be different from Duke Street, something of what the brand is about has been successfully imbued into the shop.

Jigsaw continues to develop different store options, but the location imprint on each new branch is strong and this must surely be a more interesting route to follow than the roll-out programmes that are pursued by so many others.  

Jigsaw, Aberdeen

Size 1,600 sq ft

Location Bon Accord & St Nicholas shopping centre

Design Gpstudio

Ambience Curated and individual

Part of a roll out? No

Stand-out feature A granite wall in the granite city