At Carré Blanc, we were excited to recently unveil our innovative new store layouts. A unique design that highlights Carré Blanc’s bold creativity, our new boutiques reflect our passion for the world of art and design. Carré Blanc Head of Merchandising Clémence Boudaud Vannier takes us behind the scenes of this exciting new developed
How did the redesign come about?
Our old stores had been the same for over a decade, while our product offer continued to grow. We needed a new concept that felt more modern, that would allow our customers to truly visualise our products at home.
Can you walk us through the project?
We started by making a list of our main objectives, before moving on to drafting store layouts. Next, we decided on the materials we wanted to use and adapted the plans to each boutique, which allowed us to plan the merchandising and display.
So, what’s new?
Everything’s different! Our stock is more visible and easier to reach, the packaging is displayed more clearly, and our plain collections are displayed in a palette so that customers can mix and match shades easily. The checkout section has been replaced with a worktable so that our advisors can really help our customers to visualise the new collections.
As Head of Merchandising, what were you looking to bring with this new design?
I wanted to display our collections as though they were works of art, so we decided to frame them. Each boutique has different spaces assigned to different trends or looks, which is brought to life by our styling team. For example, we used wood to create warmth, while adding a modern touch with metal and white.
How would you describe the ideal homeware boutique?
Home decor is a very personal thing, so the products should be displayed in such a way as to highlight colours, textures, smells… And of course, it’s important to delight customers with little extras, such as personalisation and in-store delivery.
How many Carré Blanc boutiques have been redesigned so far?
22 of our boutiques have undergone the design upgrade, including our recent opening in Saudi Arabia.