Call of Adventure and Nature

We have planted over 7 lakh trees and will continue to do so. Almost everything in the store is recycled or can be recycled. We are removing solvent based adhesives from our products and we use 100 per cent recycled shoe boxes. These are the lines that are prominently written on an ancient piece of huge wooden log present inside the Timberland store, the company that is known across the globe for making comfortable yet rugged boots, shoes, clothes and gear along with the kind of CSR initiatives they indulge in. With Timberland opening its first store in New Delhi’s Ambience Mall, and with plans of two more stores in Kolkata and Chennai all the adventure lover and the nature enthusiast are in for a treat.

Store Designing & Layout: A brand rooted in heritage, craftsmanship, and performance while remaining truly eco sensitive, Timberland, located on the ground floor of the mall, each and every aspect of the store designing goes with the true nature of the brand. The new Timberland store has gone whole hog with green building strategies, and is built with reclaimed wood, salvaged brick and other recycled and environmentally friendly materials. The store here has almost the same touch and feel as compared to their international counterpart. The designing blueprint comes from their international designing team and Timberland’s Indian team carry out the work.

The shop window has been done with a total of 6 mannequins with 3 each on the both sides of the entrance, showcasing the men apparel. The boots and shoes are kept separately with hanging soft lights over them. The exclusive store features a product line that spans across footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children.

The store which has a retail space of 1350 sq ft, is designed into two halves. The flooring of the first halve is all wooden with the wood procured from a wrecked ship from the Kutch region. The lighting is energy efficient and is mostly provided over the product rather than keeping the whole store bright. These measures show how seriously Timberland is about the environment and nature and there are ample of instances available at the store. The merchandise and the shoes are kept on the wooden tables with heavy trunks kept over them. The shirts are displayed interestingly on a wooden structure similar to a swing with a black metal railing on it. The fixtures in the first half of the store give a feel of a Puraani Haveli. The stands and the displays have been all brought down from London, Spain and Germany especially for the store. The point of sale desk is carefully constructed out of layers of timber and leather off-cuts and is set against a backdrop of reclaimed doors.

The second half of the store has footwear across all category on display. The concrete floor here was polished down to the aggregate using a specialised dust-collection grinder that added a densifier to the floor substrate. The result was an attractive floor with no chemical finish that requires virtually no upkeep. Delhi’s  Green Space  map was customised out of recyclable, hot rolled steel to display parks and green areas in Delhi, most notably in a sliding door system behind the three step boot bar and cashwrap, where key styles of footwear inventory are housed for quick accessibility from the other side. The ceiling is constructed with 100 percent reclaimed wood joists and hand-forged connector points. The wall on the right here are clad in Timberland original boot leather with large scale seasonal graphics depicting the great outdoors. Although the first half is done keeping adventure in mind, the second half is more nature centric.

The trial room is very spacious with a very heavy timber door and leather flooring in burgundy colour. There is apt lighting and outside the room you can find a cardboard hanging, which has samples of 9 components pasted on its body, from which the entire store has been made.

Products and Merchandise:  Timberland started as a boot company and then gradually ventured into apparels and merchandise as well. Timberland designs compelling products that articulate core brand equities and resonate with the consumers. The key lines of the brand are:Classics, Earthkeepers, City Adventure and Mountain Athletics.

 The store has a well stocked collection of men footwear, with variety of boots and flats to choose from. The yellow iconic boot from Timberland still forms the heart of the store. The boots range starts from Rs 7000.The boots though heavy are very comfortable and stylish and worth the price.  The brand targets the youthful and urban consumers aspiring to an outdoor lifestyle and seeking adventure anywhere.

Although the store is for men, women and kids, one can find very little for the last two categories. At the time of our reviewing the store, the stocks for women footwear were still to be displayed, but the bellies in red and mauve colours were exciting. The store has got a handful of kids footwear, which were never justifying the cost and the designs were disappointing.

The apparels and merchandise for men were trendy and were available in adventurous colours of military green and khaki. Belts, caps and chappals are all smart but they are on the higher side of the scale. The shorts were fashionable with a safety pouch to protect your wallet and mobiles while taking a dip during your adventurous trip. The store has a total of 5 very well trained staff, who have decent knowledge about the companies value and the products. They are all very helpful and are willing to help the consumer to help them with their purchase.

Having said and done everything, Timberland scores a bonus for the refreshingly new store designing, with so much of care been taken to make a difference to the community and the environment. So all you nature and adventure lovers as well as not so adventure lover, Timberland is a store to be in, to fill your wardrobe with refreshingly new offerings.

Quick Facts:

Every shoe now carries a ‘nutritional label’ to inform consumers about climate impact, chemicals used and resources consumed in making each pair of shoes.

Became LEED Gold certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for its Peabody, MA retail store and by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED Silver certified for its Salem, NH retail store.

Earthkeepers range of footwear is made with recycled rubber soles, organic canvas linings and leather from a silver-rated tannery.

The company has volunteer program that gives everyone in Team Timberland 40 hours a year to make a difference in their communities.