Boots to roll out new-look stores

Boots has unveiled a new interiors and facia concept at a Nottinghamshire store which will be rolled out to its 1200-strong chain.

The design involved a three-stage process. Pentagram partner John McConnell, Boots’ design consultant, gave initial guidance on the direction of the brand, Ralph Selby of Derbyshire consultancy Ralph Selby and Associates specified details such as finishes, and Boots’ 12-strong in-house team carried out the design work.

Boots’ new look aims to bring store design into step with its packaging, which has been moving away from its previous “cosy image” into the “strong quality feeling of the nation’s chemist”, according to McConnell.

Selby, who initially worked with Pentagram on a consultancy basis for Boots and now advises the in-house store design team directly, says the brand’s authority is “rooted in the pharmacy”.

The new-look Boots is “more clinical, but with a human face”, according to Selby. The new store expresses the clinical theme, with a wholly white facia replacing the previous blue stripes and “lots of white paint, stainless steel and chrome” inside the store.

“The look is softened with beech flooring and unit sections,” adds Selby. Vehicle livery is white with a blue logo.

Littlewoods catalogue subsidiary Index is rolling out a new interiors concept to all its 125 stores. Design is by Silver Design and Construct. The roll-out will take place over the coming three years.