Australian design agency e2 has won the award for Best Retail Design in Asia Pacific for its flagship store the OPSM eye hub at the Asia Pacific Property Awards in Shanghai early this month.
Located in Melbourne, the 1500 square metre store features a split-level design that incorporates interactive technology and immersive experiential design including state of the art medical technology, interactive product testing, 41 touch screens, wind and glare simulators, a kids education zone and seven themed optometry rooms.
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“It's tremendous to work with OPSM as a brand that understands retail need not deteriorate to discounts and bargains,” says Alex Ritchie, creative director at e2.
“Consumers will buy on value, which in this case is created by giving consumers a unique experience when deciding on their eye ware. I'm delighted that our approach to creating memories for consumers has been recognised.”
Chris Beer, CEO of Luxottica (owner of OPSM) APAC and China says he wanted to create an instore journey that touched each of the five senses.
“When you take a truly exceptional concept like OPSM eye hub – with the focus of providing an equally unique and engaging customer experience – the design of the store is paramount. e2 understood what we wanted to achieve… through this collaboration, we have delivered an unparalleled customer experience for the optometry sector," he says.
e2 will represent Asia Pacific at the International Property Awards in London this December, where the company will compete against winners from Europe, Africa, the Americas and Arabia for the coveted title of World’s Best in Retail Design.