SFR
In 2006, SFR, French Vodafone’s local brand, acquired 1500 sqm in the heart of Paris for a flagship store to be built on SFR’s vision of “Music.”
The store name, “le Studio SFR,” and the cornerstone of the project – a 200-capacity concert hall – were built on this concept.
But a fast moving technology market and a complicated building site with a 24-month timeline impacted SFR’s brand vision. So, to improve upon the initial concept and offset risk, we introduced a new quality in the architecture: innovation.
Groundbreaking materials and equipment provided visibility between the concert hall and sales level above, while maintaining soundproofing.
Six meter tall, animated walls, composed of dozens of flat screens, and a computerized theatrical lighting system further enhanced the shopper experience, as did a highly simplified customer and sales process.
A cutting-edge, experiential environment allowed customers to personalize their mobile phone, as well as demo new mobile phone applications such as “home automation” (a solution to control your home appliances at a distance using your SFR mobile phone).
A restaurant and Internet lounge bar offered free WiFi where shoppers can listen through “sonic showers” and download up to one million singles.
Two years and 100 km of cabling, 100 LCD screens, and 13,500 Interbrand resource hours later, “le Studio SFR” was born.
The innovative mobile and music store was soon garnering numerous awards, including the 2008 Janus du Commerce (from the French Ministry of Commerce), 2008 Top Com (architecture section), and 2008 Strategies (honorable mention for environmental design).