SM Department Stores
Cubao and Fairview, Philippines
Design
Point Design, New York, NY/Makati City, Philippines
Creative Director
Diego Garay
Principal in Charge
Leandro Artigala
Design Team at SM Cubao
Project Management
Catalina Rojas
Designers
Gwendolyn Flores, Akinori Okada, Ignacio Cristofori,
Marina Cristofori
Design Team at SM Fairview
Project Management
Leo Lotopolsky, Brigida Squassi
Project Coordinator
Cecilia Cambeses
Designers
Marina Cristofori, Ignacio Cristofori, Cora Garone,
Daniel Nazareo
Graphic Design
Clemenyina Koppmann, Dolores Arenaza
Photographer
Lito Lopez
As we have in the past, when we receive a job description for a project that makes for interesting reading, we
present the material with very little editing for our readers to enjoy. We were truly delighted when the people at
Point Design of New York City and the Philippines sent us this project and the following information about its
genesis. We hope you find the text illuminating and educational.
Romancing the Store
SM Department Stores Get More than a Usual Face-lift
Let’s face it, there’s much more to shopping than just the our lives. But where you shop — what seduces you spe-
simple act of making a purchase. In truth, it’s like a game cifically, and how that becomes part of your day-to-day
of seduction, one that involves attraction and flattery. life, says a lot about who you are.
And in our consumer society, shopping is such a routine Retailers recognize this fact. They spend lots of time
activity, it is deeply ingrained in our consciousness. In and money identifying their customers’ desires and aspira-
fact, there’s really no boundary between it and the rest of tions, and figuring out how they can satisfy them. Of
course, this comes down to mer-
chandise and to environments that
create shopping experiences that
appeal to particular customers. As
in any game of seduction, the most
attractive and engaging player wins,
and this fight for consumer atten-
tion and loyalty extends across the
board, from small concept shops to
established retail giants.
When Merchandise Was King
Department stores of the 19th
and 20th centuries capitalized on
their role as one-stop shops —
places where customers could find
a great variety of merchandise in
different categories and price
points all under one roof. In those
days, the choice of goods was
enough to attract customers and
keep them loyal.
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Fast forward to the present. The novelty of the large Originally a shoe store founded more than a half-cen-
retail hub faded long ago, yet department stores persist. tury ago by Henry Sy, SM eventually developed into a full-
Shoppers still look to them for all-in-one service and con- line department store. Today the chain encompasses 40
venience. But they also look to the vast numbers of spe- branch stores and malls strategically located in Manila
cialty retailers that have appeared, and these relative and in key cities around the Philippines. Long years in
newcomers (in every shape and size) have drawn sizable the business have made SM a significant player in the
market share from their venerable, trusted forebears. country’s mass-market retail arena, catering largely to a
What are department stores to do? lower-middle-market clientele. With the revitalization pro-
Clearly, they can no longer rely on their variety of mer- gram, management has set its sights on a slightly higher-
chandise alone. They have to stay relevant and responsive level customer, without wishing to alienate its existing
— which means they’ve got to meet consumer demand for base. To address these complex issues, SM brought in
something new, fresh and attractive. At all times. To suc- Point Design Inc., the New York-based retail-design firm
ceed, department stores have to invest in creating shop- headed up by Diego Garay, AIA, a well-known architect
ping experiences that speak to their clientele. No longer is and designer. Starting with the Ortigas store (SM Mega-
it enough to remodel stores every four to six years — the mall) in 2005, Point’s team set out to redesign the stores,
norm for many stores in Asia. They’ve got to move much giving them a more fun and sophisticated look and feel.
more quickly than that.
Point’s Big Design Appeal
Breaking New Ground in the Philippines SM knew what they were getting when they chose Point
In the Philippines, where shopping is considered a form of to help them energize their brand. Teresita Sy-Coson,
recreation and entertainment, department stores and SM’s president for retail, was familiar with the firm’s
malls are gathering places. People listen to the buzz, and award-winning work in TSUM’s Moscow flagship store,
go to the venues that offer the most fun, excitement and one of the highest-end department stores in Europe, and
distinctive shopping experiences. When Shoe Mart (SM), a leader in the hot Russian retail market. “She liked the
the country’s largest department store chain, recognized simplicity of the design and thought the fixtures were
this new reality, their stores hadn’t been updated in more beautiful,” says Allen Felsenthal, Point Design principal
than five years. But rather than simply modernize interi- and managing director for Asia. “However, she also
ors, SM jumped at the opportunity to revitalize their knows that SM is in an entirely different market from
brand, using the shopping environment itself as a critical TSUM,” adds Diego Garay. “She was basically inspired by
element in appealing to customers new and old. the design’s simplicity, efficiency and sophistication. It
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was done with great taste in a minimalist manner.” paid to flooring, which can play into a customer’s sense of
The challenge for Point was, in part, to adapt high-end whether a store is good or bad. Designs called for pricier
solutions to suit the developing Philippine market. “Filipi- ceramic and glass mosaic tile in the aisles, which are
nos are value-seekers and are very aware of trends. The most visible to customers. Color and pattern make them
majority may not be able to afford them, but they know interesting and help minimize both their monotony and
what a good buy is. Plus they always aspire to more,” Di- length. In the merchandise departments, Point used more
ego explains. To create a whole new experience for cus- economical vinyl tiles — a material that has improved
tomers, the new store design offers a sophisticated shop- dramatically in the last decade, in a dark wood finish,
ping environment and a line of fashionable, yet affordable which contrasts nicely with the light-colored aisles and
merchandise aimed at making Filipino shoppers feel and makes the departments pop.
look good. The new store designs also played with graphics for
Point Design introduced three major improvements to added color, pattern and visual texture at manageable
revamp SM’s shopping environment and shoppers’ experi- cost. “We picked patterns from the 1950s and 60s associ-
ence. First, they revisited the basic layout of merchan- ated with high-end design, and digitally converted them
dise. While categories were thoughtfully grouped and laid into wallpaper and graphic stickers for the walls and ceil-
out, the distance within individual departments from aisle ings,” says Leandro. “Where possible, we chose less ex-
to back wall was too deep. “The problem with deep sec- pensive materials like vinyl and wallpaper in place of fab-
tions is that customers can’t immediately see the mer- ric or real wood to make the store look chic without
chandise from the aisle. This creates a boomerang effect, breaking the bank.” And the finishes definitely appeal to
with customers turning back to the aisle from the middle the Filipino love of color and texture.
of the department, and missing a good deal of merchan-
dise on offer,” explains Leandro Artigala,
Point Design principal. “With the new plan,
we made departments shallower, the aisles
wider and the merchandise much more vis-
ible. Shoppers can find the items they’re
looking for.”
Second, a more dramatic lighting scheme
replaced flat, bright fluorescent lighting.
While Point was aiming for a more theatri-
cal effect — employing an interplay of light
and shade, the design team had to make
sure the stores would be bright enough.
“When we started the project with SM, ev-
erything looked flat mostly because the
lighting was flat,” Leandro continues.
“When it comes to lighting these stores, we
were challenged to find the right balance
between a compelling composition with dra-
matic lighting, and the Filipino shopper’s
general preference for bright spaces.” Point
solved this with ceiling coves and recessed
downlights that provide general lighting and
add powerful lines and patterns to the ceil-
ing. The design also provides spotlights and
directional highlights to guide customers to
featured areas and items. For dramatic ef-
fect, LED chandeliers by the escalator well
provide a visual attraction to the open, ver-
tical space. The mix of highlights and low-
lights adds dimension and texture and
makes the merchandise look appealing.
Finally, the new stores made the most of
interesting materials in an array of forms,
patterns and colors, offering creative solu-
tions that worked within a very tight bud-
get. Leandro says, “Presented with the bud-
get, we immediately saw an opportunity to
think outside of the box in terms of the ma-
terials we could choose and how we could
use less expensive finishes to achieve an
exciting, smart look.” Special attention was
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Environments that Sell For Point, the design process for SM was unlike others,
Point Design’s newly conceptualized SM Department as they tended to work backwards on these projects.
Stores now sport a fresh, sophisticated and exciting de- “Normally, a client would say, ‘I plan to sell Prada or Gu-
sign that offers a hard-working platform for merchandise. cci or Ray-Ban.’ In response,” explains Diego, “we create
Bright colors combine with dramatic lighting to give the an environment suited to sell that type of merchandise.
stores’ wares greater appeal, and attract customers to ex- But with SM, we moved the design to a higher-end look
plore and spend time in their vibrant spaces. Though de- while maintaining the same merchandise lines. Because
signed primarily to move goods, SM’s playful, fashionable the environment is telling customers they can spend
environments also, importantly, make customers feel more, high-ticket items started selling more. As lower-end
good and the shopping experience enjoyable. And while items began selling less, SM started bringing in better
customers can feel excited about the new design, they’re brands. The store observes how people respond to the
also reminded that SM remains the store they’ve come to new look, and follows up with higher-end merchandise.”
know and count on all these years. Since work on the first store, Ortigas in SM Megamall,
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Point Design has gone on to renovate several other sites, easy feat. “Retail design is complex, and perhaps more so
including SM Cubao, SM Fairview and SM Pampanga. than any other design discipline,” Diego explains. “As Ken
Though elements of the design are prototypical, employed Walker, founder of retail design firm Walker Group/CNI
in each location, each store is different, featuring colors, where Allen and I came from, would say, one can compare
decorative details and lighting to suit its specific market. retail design to a hamburger wherein all the ingredients
The Point Design team is proud of the fact that their de- need to be right for the experience to be right, simply be-
signs for SM not only look great, but also make shopping cause you eat them all at once. If one of the ingredients is
easier and more fun for customers — and have increased bad, the hamburger is bad. In retail, if you miss one
sales. “We are a firm that understands retail very, very thing, the project won’t be right. Each element has to be
well, and that’s why we are able to solve design problems done correctly because one element cannot compensate
with precision, whether the store caters to a high-end mar- for any other.”
ket like TSUM or to the mid-market like SM,” says Diego.
And succeeding in retail, be it design or sales, is no
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