Premium experience of a café

Specialising in retail and hospitality, from corporate to small business, the company has an enviable reputation for designing and building quality retail, accompanied by a high level of client service. The company has projects in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and America. In India, the company has been working for the past four years with an estimated annual turnover of 100,000USD and an expected growth rate of 15 per cent.

CASE STUDY

Over the past four years Otto Design Interiors have been working with Citymax, the master franchisee of Gloria Jean’s Coffees in India, to create a new concept tailored for the Indian consumer creating one of youth, class and individuality. In India, the first outlet of Gloria Jean’s was opened in 2008.

Premium feeling

The stores have been designed with the feel of international design intent. Otto Design deliberately did not want the stores to look local but it was important that the coffee house looked different to what the local chains were doing although during the design process local influences are taken into account.  The presence of quality product and service are closely associated and reflected in the interior design of the stores.

Layout planning

Gloria Jean’s Coffees outlets are of 65-120 sq m in average. The store’s layout always includes a variety of seating zones and options to mix up customer options and how they want to share their time in the store. Otto Design mixes soft seating with arm chairs and sofas and comfortable timber chairs and banquette seating.

The counter area positioning is key to the customers’ journey through the store; so it is placed close to the entry and near the merchandise offering. It has a visual connection to the seating area so the customer never feels forgotten. The position of the counter area is the main design priority with the seating configuration second.

Smooth service at the peak hours  

The counter and service have a flow pattern which enables customers to view pastry items, order and pick up their order without needing to reverse in their flow direction; this is the way how congestion is managed in the stores.

The benefits received

Design helps a brand grow through ‘signals’, it creates a recognisable appeal which customer associate with; Gloria Jean’s Coffees has signature colours and graphics which makes the brand stand apart amongst its competitors. Gloria Jean’s Coffees in India has grown successfully over the last three years. They opened four outlets in the first quarter of 2008 to test the Indian consumer’s response to its offering. Since then Gloria Jean’s Coffees has achieved great success in the Indian market, under the Master Franchise business model.

A small capital investment on the retail design can save thousands of dollars. It helps the brand positioning in a strategic way.  A good retail designer with rich experience can implement the findings that he has drawn from while dealing with hundred other clients.

Joseph Somma, Director, Otto Design Interiors Pty Ltd, Australia