Walk around a technology store in the UK and chances are you’ll find yourself in a variant of a racetrack layout, with a confusing mesh of overhead signage. This means time spent on finding the appropriate category, as well as a frustrating shopping experience.
In Istanbul, Teknosa, Turkey’s largest technology retailer, has taken the cyber bull by the horns and created a 28,500 sq ft (2,650 sq m) interior that aims to increase dwell times by making the environment appealing rather than functional. In this single-level store, the main difference is that all walkways lead to a central hub. This is a large circular space where freestanding fixtures create sweeping curved vistas and where the product, rather than the store, gets the benefit of the lights that are part of each display.
Teknosa Planet offers everything from laptops to food mixers, but, while the product variety is impressive, the overriding impression is still one of space. This is another departure from standard technology retailing, where the maxim seems to be get as much out on the floor as possible, with inevitable overcrowding.
Designed by US consultancy Rattray+Magness and opened at the beginning of the year, Teknosa Planet is a format that can be flexed in size, because of the portability of the in-store equipment. It can also be remerchandised rapidly to allow for product launches or promotions, which is more than can be said for many technology retailers across the rest of the continent.
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