ELC kids chain learns from Warner Bros

Two Early Learning Centres refurbished in a “Warner Bros-style” have opened this week with interiors, graphics and logo by New York group Mansour Design.

The children’s chain’s biggest store on London’s Kensington High Street reopened on Tuesday, following the reopening of a smaller shop in Bromley.

A roll-out across all 200 sites will depend on the success of the two pilots, says Early Learning Centre chief executive Ian Duncan, while the new brand identity will become the corporate identity if the concept is adopted throughout.

The repositioning brings entertainment value to the chain, says consultancy president James Mansour, who was approached by Duncan on the strength of his work for the Adams Childrens- wear chain in Milton Keynes.

Interiors now include a family of characters created by Mansour Design, murals and interactive video walls. “It all has an educational value but makes it fun,” says Mansour. “It’s almost more on the level of a Warner Bros.”