Dolcis aims for Parisian chic in Leicester pilot

Fashion footwear retailer Dolcis has unveiled a Parisian-style concept to appeal to a broader age group. Interiors are by Mansour Design in New York and identity is by Coventry group Haywood Design.

“The brief was to create a casual French style without being pretentious,” says consultancy president James Mansour. “We did not want it to look like a chain store,” he adds. The interiors at the Leicester pilot site feature authentic props sourced in France.

Haywood Design revamped the 1980s logo, creating a bespoke typeface called Christian Chaussure, and worked with typographer David Quay on the lettering.

If successful, the new concept will roll out to 120 Dolcis sites, says British Shoe deputy managing director Chris Onslow. It replaces the previous Dolcis concept designed by 20/20, piloted only a year ago, which “narrowed our target market to under 18-year-olds”, adds Onslow.

Leicester is home to a second British Shoe pilot redesign. Haywood Design has created a new identity for Shoe Express (pictured) which is currently being trialled in The Shires shopping centre.

British Shoe has opened a new design centre at its Leicester head office, headed up by Belinda Blackwell, previously a designer with Next. The centre is currently 20-strong, but “we are looking to grow that”, says Onslow.