Market Sector： Experiential Retail

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MG2 ranked among the top 20 in Building Design+Construction Media’s recently released Top 200 Architecture Firms for 2024.

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消费者体验

Kizik

Kizik is a rapidly growing footwear brand that believes there’s more
to life than tying your shoes. As a digital-native, direct-to-consumer
brand, Kizik partnered with MG2 to design and build multiple store
formats, beginning with their brick-and-mortar retail location in
Utah. The resulting space, a playful, true-to-brand experience, was
created through a demolition and rebuild of the storefront and
interior, integrating two former tenant suites and a portion of the
shopping center’s common area.

Following this success, Kizik debuted the introduction of its new
brand promise, “Motion is Magic”, through its inaugural NYC
experiential retail pop-up. Customers embark on an immersive
journey via interactive visual installations responsive to movement.
Customers are drawn in from the sidewalk by a highlighted
display of products that guides them to their first experience of
discovery and a hands-free try-on. “Motion Is Magic” and the brand
experience created in NYC will serve as a catalyst for Kizik’s most
ambitious phase of growth.

Press Coverage

消费者体验

SOREL

SOREL, a renowned brand, opened a pop-up shop in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood in 2023 as part of its strategy to expand its brand presence. To achieve this, the company partnered with MG2 to create a pop-up shop that will help drive awareness, customer engagement, sales, and marketing integration data for future strategies. This pop-up shop also marks the brand’s 50th anniversary of the iconic Caribou silhouette.

The bold storefront features full saturation of the brand’s signature color – “Optimized Orange” –  a life-size polar bear featuring local art, and illuminated custom signage that provides a peek into the pop-up experience. The team leveraged augmented reality tech to enhance the in-store experience, including a full-body mirror-sized screen that customers can stand in front of to interact with various weather effects. This innovative approach to retail design showcases SOREL’s commitment to providing customers with an immersive and memorable shopping experience.

The AR Mirror with various branded filters and experiences is also visible from the street.
The boot customization charm bar allows shoppers to add charms, chains, and bands to their shoes.

Video provided by SOREL.

Press Coverage

Awards

消费者体验

Waterford

When Waterford, a 200-year-old luxury crystal brand, aimed to revitalize its image and appeal to a younger, diverse clientele, it partnered with MG2/The Lionesque Group to create its first pop-up store in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood: a stunningly immersive experience that showcased the brand’s heritage while embracing modern design to paint a bright future.

Engaging Younger Generations

Through its experience, Waterford sought to tap into the millennial and Gen-Z market, convey its brand story innovatively, and expand regional awareness. The company’s goal was to lay the groundwork for its transition from an exclusive luxury brand to a contemporary, approachable choice for everyday glassware and décor, resonating with younger generations.

Merging Tradition and Modernity

MG2/The Lionesque Group designed a visually engaging pop-up, merging Waterford’s rich history with its progressive future to create a captivating retail experience. Upon entry, visitors were greeted by a striking black-and-white portrait from the latest campaign, setting the tone for a modern, immersive space. 

With a strategic layout that encouraged customers to explore and interact with the products, the retail space’s interiors featured a blend of traditional and contemporary materials, including copper accents shrouded in an edgy rock motif. Throughout, projection-mapped imagery immersed shoppers with visual depictions of the brand’s Irish roots.

A carefully curated branded experience that established next-era elegance.

Balancing Aesthetics and Practicality

Designers curated high-quality, cost-effective materials that stayed true to Waterford’s vision while skillfully balancing the brand’s desired materiality with practical concerns. Where budgeted for, high-end materials such as real copper added luxury and sophistication. To ensure these finishes remained visually appealing, the team educated store associates on proper maintenance to preserve their integrity.

MG2/The Lionesque Group’s comprehensive approach covered everything from reviewing branding materials and SKU lists to managing build-out and staffing while addressing practical concerns such as point-of-sale coordination, associate training, and inventory management. With operational coordination in check, the Waterford team was free to focus on attracting a new audience and driving sales.

Setting the Stage for Brand Evolution

The immersive retail experience, skillfully blending Waterford’s heritage with modern design elements, successfully redefined the brand’s image and connected with a new generation of consumers. With innovative approaches that helped spark renewed interest in the company’s products as everyday glassware and décor options, the pop-up store’s success reinforced the brand’s timeless appeal and adaptability in the evolving luxury market, positioning it for continued growth.

消费者体验

Alpha Industries

Launching A Debut Physical Retail Experience

Alpha Industries, known for its iconic military streetwear clothing, partnered with retail experts at MG2/The Lionesque Group to launch its first physical retail experience in the Soho neighborhood of New York City. The brand sought to create a concept that would drive sales and tell the company’s story through key heritage moments.

Together with our team of designers, strategists, and project managers, Alpha Industries launched a dynamic and engaging retail environment that helped elevate brand awareness in local markets.

Creating a Branded Pop-Up Environment

MG2/The Lionesque Group was challenged to create a retail experience that would effectively raise name recognition, educate consumers on the company’s history, establish brand loyalty, create impactful moments, and test the viability of physical retail for the brand.

Maximizing Impact: Immersive Retail Strategies

To bring Alpha Industries’ story to life, the team developed an immersive and impactful retail experience, complete with a vintage jacket collection, a 14-foot-tall military plane rudder, woodland camo fabric elements, and an impactful ceiling installation that utilized the brand’s iconic “Remove Before Flight” tags. 

MG2/The Lionesque Group also designed the space with larger-than-life environmental graphics featuring trademark colors and engaging questions that sparked conversations between guests and associates. During production, designers leveraged 2D layouts and 3D renderings to create a clear picture of the final product. In addition to owning build-out management, staffing set-up and operations support was also provided to ensure a seamless customer experience.

A Success Story in Brand Awareness

Alpha Industries’ partnership with MG2/The Lionesque Group resulted in an engaging, multi-sensory retail space showcasing products in the aura of its iconic history. The experience successfully raised brand awareness in local markets and digital channels, educated consumers on the company’s legacy, helped establish a loyal customer base, created impactful, Instagram-able moments, and solidified Alpha Industries’ position as a leader in the military streetwear clothing industry. Since opening its doors, the SoHo pop-up has been featured in Women’s Wears Daily, VMSD, and Chainstore Age.

消费者体验

FITURE

Rear-illuminated back panel in the FITURE retail space

Elevating fitness retail through immersive design

As the #1 most popular connected fitness brand in Asia, FITURE set out to revolutionize the home workout industry with its innovative Motion Engine™ technology and interactive fitness mirror. With the goal of introducing the brand to American consumers, FITURE partnered with retail experts at MG2/The Lionesque Group to bring to life a 600-square-foot pop-up space strategically located in The Westchester Mall in White Plains, NY.

The overall design of the FITURE retail space Caption: The FITURE retail space is a unique and memorable experience for visitors

The team designed three test stations that showcased the mirror and its innovative technology, complete with custom cabinets, ottomans, and a rear-illuminated back panel.

Maximizing Impact in a Small Footprint

Faced with the challenge of creating an impactful, experiential, and fun environment within a limited space, MG2/The Lionesque Group leveraged expertise in retail design and build management to develop a next-generation in-store experience. The team designed three test stations that showcased the mirror and its innovative technology, complete with custom cabinets, ottomans, and a rear-illuminated back panel.

Rear-illuminated back panel in the FITURE retail space Caption: The rear-illuminated back panel highlights the innovative technology of the FITURE mirror

A Dynamic and Engaging Retail Space

To bring the FITURE brand to life, MG2/The Lionesque Group filled the space with larger-than-life environmental graphics featuring trademark colors, popular instructors, and engaging questions that spark conversations between guests and associates.

The team also used recycled LVT flooring to evoke movement and clearly denote individual testing zones. Attracting passers-by into the space is an eye-catching display that highlights the interactive elements of the UI experience with a striking infinity mirror and blue cords that mimics the Motion Engine™ technology.

Custom cabinets and ottomans in the FITURE retail space

Introducing FITURE to the American Market

The resulting environment was a dynamic and engaging retail experience that effectively introduced the FITURE brand and its innovative technology to the American market. Leveraging a combination of impactful design and interactive features, MG2/The Lionesque Group produced a unique and memorable experience for guests, helping solidify FITURE’s position as a leader in the connected fitness industry.

Press Coverage

消费者体验

Cleancult

Design and build a product exhibition for Natural Products Expo West.

Goal

Offering products with real ingredients, zero-waste packaging, and a powerful clean that’s better for you, Cleancult is a sustainably-minded brand offering natural cleaning goods and refills that are gentler on the planet. Seeking to build brand awareness, engage with distributors, and educate potential customers on their offering, Cleancult partnered with MG2 to bring its digitally native brand and persona to life into a physical product exhibition at Natural Products Expo West.

MG2

Providing everything from design ideation, 2D layout, and 3D renderings to all production sources and build out management, MG2 worked hand-in-hand with Cleancult to create a branded environment that accurately represents the brand’s messaging and aesthetic, source and execute the production of the exhibition booth, and—keeping in line with the brand’s sustainable mission—carefully plan for storage and future reuse of the set.

Outcome

Cleancult found great success with the debut of its brand in a physical environment. To highlight their sustainable messaging, we incorporated an oversized product carton to emphasize their sustainable packaging, a living wall with real plants, and included digital and physical signage with product claims and information—all utilizing environmentally-friendly materials. Cleancult was thrilled with the connections made during the show and is now set up for future activations with quick and easy access to an existing build-out in storage.

消费者体验

Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Gardens

Engaging. Instagrammable. Destination-worthy.

When Victoria’s Secret, one of the defining brands in the world of beauty, sought to elevate both local and global awareness around its iconic Bombshell fragrance, they partnered with MG2 / The Lionesque Group on the design, development, and build-out of a one-week immersive pop-up experience on The High Line: an iconic outdoor park that weaves through the heart of Manhattan.

From the onset, finding the perfect outdoor venue—an outdoor city park that allowed for the selling of goods but also supported the duration desired by the client—was as challenging as it was paramount. The team sourced, scouted, and worked with the City of New York to navigate the complexities of permitting to secure the iconic, elevated High Line park for the pop-up’s location. With the challenges that variable weather can provide for outdoor venues, designers also took every possibility into consideration while curating the experience, incorporating contingencies for inclement climates.

With a focus on creating an immersive, technology-integrated journey that would play host to several events and memorable moments throughout the week, designers adopted and embodied the Bombshell state of mind from day one. Designers studied concepts in 2D and rendered in 3D, while also carefully curating the color and material palettes, signage, lighting, and floral packages that would become the foundation of the experiential attributes, iconic structures, and captivating motifs.

With the run-of-show, customer journey, and design details finalized, The Lionesque Group conducted a veritable orchestra of contractors, vendors, and specialists, coordinating the budgets and timelines of hundreds of moving pieces to bring a wholly unique, unforgettable 10,000 sq/ft pop-up to life.

The experience featured 150 lbs of greenery, 525 feet of LED neon, 1,350 sq/ft of pink vinyl, and approximately 58,000 stems of fresh florals—half of them season-favorite peonies—sourced both locally and from countries around the world.

The Bombshell Gardens debuted to unanimous fanfare from the press, influencers, celebrities, and visitors. Complete with immersive projection mapping, artful mirrored installations, elegant gardens containing thousands of flowers, and classic brand iconography, visitors were immersed in the Bombshell story: a place of discovery where all are welcome to be inspired and uplifted through the ultimate fragrance journey.

Engaging, Instagrammable, and destination-worthy, the Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Gardens experience garnered over 93,000 visitors, millions of social media impressions, four engagement proposals, significant brand awareness and coverage, and the genuine, high-spirited, consumer-empowering brand engagement it sought from the week-long pop-up event.

Press Coverage

Awards

消费者体验

Packer x Asics

For US Open 2016, Packer x Asics opened up shop in Grand Central Station with a limited collection.

Goal

To generate awareness and sales for the first exclusive launch of Packer Shoes x Asics and Mitchell & Ness capsule collections.

MG2

Packer Shoes contracted MG2 for their 4th Pop-Up Store in NYC. With the goal of capturing U.S. Open-based media and foot traffic, MG2 secured Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Station and was the lead project management team for the #GAMESETMATCH activation.

Outcome

Located at the pinnacle of passerby traveling from NYC to Arthur Ashe stadium, the 3-day pop-up captured thousands of visitors daily and was featured in major industry publications including SneakerNews, HypeBeast, Sole Collector, and more.

消费者体验

Amazon Video

From November 29 through December 8, 2018, fans of the Amazon Prime Video original series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel were able to experience a slice of 1958 New York through a pop-up Carnegie Deli replica restaurant in Lower Manhattan.

Goal

To promote the release of the second season of Prime Original show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the iconic Carnegie Deli was brought back to life through a pop-up deli experience that transported visitors back to the era of the TV series, with everything from décor, to pricing, to the menu, reflecting 1950’s New York City as depicted in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, making it a fully immersive and highly photographable experience.

MG2

Tool of North America hired MG2 as their full-service partner to design and render, as well as source and manage, the production of the immersive environment for the pop-up, with a2zrestaurant as the operational partner.

Outcome

The pop-up deli experience was an extraordinary success, it served 11,000 people and had a waiting list of 8,000. The pop-up garnered 280 pieces of press coverage including Buzzfeed, Forbes, Vogue, Eater, USA Today, and 10 broadcast segments, with a social media reach of 45 million.

2019 One Show Awards Finalist for Experiential Design and Indoor Spaces

消费者体验

Sally Hansen

Sally Hansen opened a pop-up nail bar during NYFW to debut their innovative new app that solves the trial-by-purchase nail polish problem.

Goal

Brand Awareness and education for ManiMatch the app that lets you virtually paint on nail polish. (Using augmented reality technology, the app allows you to digitally test drive over 200 different Sally Hansen shades!)

MG2

MG2 was tapped by Sally Hansen’s digital agency, CULT LDN, to be the partner production agency for the pop-up nail bar. We partnered to source the location, design 3D renderings, oversee production build, and source store staff.

Outcome

Over the 3-day pop-up had over 2,500 visitors, drove over 19 million social media impressions, and was cited as a “Genius App” by Teen Vogue and “Best Way to Shop” by Mashable.

消费者体验

ShopLAB

Partnering with Steiner + Associates, MG2 was tasked to provide strategy services to analyze, evaluate, and solidify the pop-up retail incubator program. 

Goal

Evaluating and identifying the turnkey operational strategy in relation to data driven technology and brand curation while further solidifying goals of the overarching retail experience at the property.

MG2

MG2 worked closely with the Steiner + Associates team to ensure the turn-key program would be a success. MG2 provided guidance on needed IT infrastructure to support technology integration(s) and evaluated and ensured the design technology investments aligned with Easton Town Center customer DNA as well as met the needs of target brands and retailers. MG2 also strategized a comprehensive staffing and operational plan and consulted on the pricing structure and needed tenant amenities to establish a positive NOI.

Outcome

ShopLAB is a lower risk solution for the retailers, allowing them to test their performance at Easton Town Center while they measure customer capture potential and the online halo effect of the brick-and-mortar location. The program places a strong emphasis on local Ohio brands, unique gifts and concepts, experiential retailers looking to test out the Columbus market as a future long-term investment.

消费者体验

Tempo

A unique customer journey

When Tempo—an industry leader in the burgeoning world of home fitness—sought to expand its connection with consumers by branching out into the physical retail market, they partnered with MG2 / The Lionesque Group on a holistic approach toward the strategy, design, and build-out of new stand-alone stores.

Applying the data and learning from its partnership retail spaces, Tempo sought a retail offering that goes beyond demoing its products and services. A unique customer journey steeped in education and daily possibilities as part of the Tempo community was carefully curated, showcasing the potential for a healthier, fuller lifestyle, fueled by the strength derived from the brand’s offering. Featuring inspiration from coaches and the company’s founder himself, Tempo’s brick-and-mortar story helps consumers envision a marriage of activities in the real world—rock climbing, surfing, hiking, and more—and your wellness partner at home.

In addition to a comprehensive approach toward strategy, design, and build-out of stores, designers partnered with Tempo on an alignment of KPIs for its new retail spaces. A series of market studies helped the teams determine the right square footage and cities for pilot stores, while simultaneously partnering on and driving everything from concept development, retail strategy plan, and budget assessments, to design fit and project management.

With doors opening in Manhattan and Bellevue, Washington on time for the holiday season, Tempo is primed to properly analyze and optimize its brick-and-mortar retail strategies, while fully immersing home fitness enthusiasts in what’s possible as part of their unique community.

消费者体验

内部收益率

MG2 / The Lionesque Group partnered with GGP to create a place where digitally native brands could test physical retail in a complete turnkey solution. Technologically driven, the project included RFID “Wishlist” key with analytic tracking and enabled the education of customers about their brand story and unique product offerings.

The team fully developed the program and space from the ground up, including creating all branded aspects of the store, curating brands, developing a monthly membership program, design and production of the space, operational management, and ongoing marketing & in-store event strategies.

Offering an experience that garnered 4,156 shares and over 11M impressions, a total of 15 e-commerce brands were showcased in the first chapter of IRL, with 80% viable for long-term tenancy. The innovative concept drew attention from local and national media including articles in Chicago Tribune, Glossy, WWD, Design:Retail, among others.

  • Project Details

  • 地点 伊利诺伊州芝加哥
  • 客户 GGP Inc.
  • 市场分类
  • 规模 418平米
  • 设计服务
  • 资质认证 2018年度设计零售商店，Glossy 2018最佳新概念商店入围
消费者体验

公民身份

The Citizenry Bunkhouse is filled with handcrafted home goods from their various collections aimed at celebrating countries around the world. Located on Bleecker Street in the West Village, the pop-up gives customers the chance to shop the curated collection in person and meet the team.  The objectives were to grow overall brand awareness, learn about customers, and test the viability of a permanent retail store in NYC.

MG2 / The Lionesque Group worked in partnership with The Citizenry team to evaluate and concept the optimal flow and overall store layout. Deliverables included: inspiration for key in-store moments such as the Pampas window story, fireplace moment and patio scene, as well as budget assessment sourcing and oversight for store build-out production. 

在成功的22天弹出窗口后，在纽约市场出现了强劲的人流，销售量以及品牌知名度的增长，The Citizenry延长了他们在West Village的逗留时间。在弹出窗口期间，他们获得了包括《建筑文摘》和《美丽的房子》在内的主要媒体的媒体报道。

消费者体验

真实

As a way to test the brick-and-mortar retail environment, The RealReal hired MG2 / The Lionesque Group as their pop-up design and strategy partner to launch a two-week holiday store in Soho, NYC. The objectives were to increase brand awareness, generate sales and test the viability of a permanent brick-and-mortar retail store.

The team provided location and design consultation for optimal layout in a retail environment and customer flow within the pop-up space. The deliverables included securing a location that best allowed TheRealReal to interact with their target demographic, sourcing of store fixtures, operational elements and back of house, and budget and production oversight from build-out to break-down.

经过成功的两个星期，有超过1,000名访客
每天之后，RealReal每天都会开放
在Soho的永久位置。在持续期间
在弹出窗口中，他们获得了来自
主要媒体包括BBC电台，RackedNY，
HarperBazaar，好莱坞记者等。 

  • Project Details

  • 地点 美国多个地点
  • 客户 真实
  • 市场分类
  • 规模 纽约：4,600 SF FOH + 2,500 SF BOH
    旧金山：4,500 SF FOH + 1,500 SF BOH
    拉斯维加斯：4,500平方英尺
  • 设计服务
消费者体验

麦迪逊·里德

To help the brand build a solid, successful foundation for its long-term brick-and-mortar strategy, Madison Reed partnered with MG2 / The Lionesque Group to launch its first pop-up store in New York City.

With a six-month lease, the goals of the project were multi-faceted and included everything from introducing the Madison Reed brand to NYC and building awareness, to testing the viability of brick-and-mortar in order to acquire new customers and increase revenues of both one-time purchases and subscriptions. 

As a full-service partner, The Lionesque Group team provided a complete turn-key experience. Beginning by securing a retail space in Flatiron—a neighborhood with a high density of the brand’s target demographic—the team worked together with Madison Reed to conceptualize, design, source, budget, and bring to life the aesthetic and store flow for the first-ever Color Bar in just five weeks time.

Following a wildly successful launch—during which bookings increased daily—Madison Reed went on to open up a permanent location in Flatiron, with the design/build assistance of MG2 / The Lionesque Group, just a few months later, in addition to being named “Best in Beauty 2017” by NY Magazine.

消费者体验

紫色

With the objective of growing brand awareness and driving sales, Purple sought to tell an authentic, immersive direct-to-consumer story through a showroom and a series of pop-up experiences across the United States. Engaging MG2 / The Lionesque Group as their full-service partner, the D2C brand took a turn-key approach toward driving sales and educating potential customers. 

设计团队形象化，精心制作，构思并执行了创新的实体零售策略，并在多个城市采购和管理弹出空间的生产。这个多方面的计划使该品牌能够在将来发展和扩展该计划，扩大其覆盖范围，并让更多的客户亲身体验他们的Purple Grid技术。

消费者体验

Periodic: A Popup Shop

创新品牌的快闪店全包设计方案。

In today’s retail landscape, many companies find themselves hoping to test the waters of a brick-and-mortar investment before committing to a longer lease. Periodic—designed and implemented by MG2 / The Lionesque Group—is an award-winning, turn-key space located in the South Lake Union district of Seattle created for brands to activate pop-up experiences in a seamless way.

该项目独特的挑战的是打造兼具B2B和B2C功能的全方位服务平台。设计团队密切关注各种细节，从Periodic这一项目名称、字体和徽标，到装置的模块化和功能性，还包括入驻企业的入职和离职流程设计。

From two weeks to two months at a time, Periodic gives brands an opportunity to have a presence in a fast-growing, highly trafficked neighborhood. The platform is designed to set them up for success, taking the jurisdictional weight off their shoulders and allowing them to test for viability, grow brand awareness, or trial a target demographic in a short amount of time with an efficient investment approach.

Along with a fixturing package designed to flex and modulate to accommodate individual merchandising and storytelling needs, each curated brand has access to a local marketing company and a best practices playbook. The space itself—a glass building on a corner lot—acts as a billboard, creating a truly unique, hyper-accessible, out-of-the-box pop-up solution that both brands and the community are already benefitting from.

For its unique consumer experiences and experimental turnkey platform that allows for brands of all sizes to test the brick-and-mortar waters in downtown Seattle, Periodic: A Popup Shop was honored as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Retail Designs of 2021.

Press Coverage

消费者体验

杰科

设计适合所有季节的高雅商店

Seattle Chocolate的jcoco系列将融合了全球风味的高品质巧克力与高时尚的形象和对社区的坚定承诺结合在一起。 MG2的Peter Stocker在生产线的早期与jcoco紧密合作，以开发其独特的品牌概念和包装。有了这种见识，Stocker和MG2团队在他们的第一个独立地点成功地将jcoco品牌带入了生活。

MG2设计的位置反映了一家快闪店的灵活性和互动性，但其永久性实体的高端细节与时尚的jcoco品牌相得益彰。 MG2设计的商店在七个月的运营中经历了三个完整的转变，每个设计概念，店内活动以及从季节性巧克力中汲取灵感的商品。

jcoco弹出式窗口清楚地表示了端到端品牌讲故事的影响以及仅在实体店中才能发生的沉浸式互动体验的类型。