1. Please tell us what’s new at Northbanks and the services you offer to retailers and brands.

Every day is a school day and we’re continually finding new ways to better support retailers and brands.

At Northbanks, we connect brands and people by creating truly memorable experiences that:

• Increase brand loyalty

• Engage with your brand followers

• Help brands Stand out from the competition

At our core we’re a Retail Activation and Brand Experience agency – but we’re more than that…

We support our clients at every step of delivering a physical touchpoint to market, whether that’s a fixture, display, concession, pop-up, full store, windows, VM campaign, event or experiential campaign, tech, experiential events…

We’re also growing our design team to ensure we can support with creative, concept, technical development and engineering, plus print and graphic – meaning we not only offer full turnkey projects, but also standalone projects such as concepts and creative, production-ready drawing packs, value engineering, green design and more!

Impeccable customer service and support are our hallmark at Northbanks, as is our ability to move at speed which is essential in such a competitive space.

Our ability to manufacture is also a plus. But controlling the manufacturing process also also enables Northbanks to maintain our drive to be as environmentally conscious as possible. Our climate positive pledge meant that we have partnered with Ecologi for over 30 months – we also offer our clients the option to match our carbon reduction for their project.

Turnkey services are the strongest way to deliver fit for purpose projects with maximum environmental benefits. 

Along with design & production, our installation service has developed from simply installing fixtures to full Principle Contractor services. 

Our fast reaction time and attention to detail make us a perfect partner for Pop-ups which, due to the increasing popularity (coupled with our design skills), has become a major part of our business, in both stand-alone stores and concessions.

2. In your opinion, how has the role of VM in retail changed over recent years?

I think in essence, the role of visual merchandising remains the same, it’s about enticing and attracting, and creating an experience that showcases the product whilst resonating with the brand and its followers.

We have noticed a few changes in shopper behaviour and values – firstly shoppers are definitely placing a greater shopper emphasis on  brand authenticity. Next, there is the importance of customising and personalising experiences, and lastly connecting with the shopper in more direct and relevant ways.

Physical retail has also had it tough – shoppers now more than ever need a reason to visit physical stores, and we’re working with VM and store design teams to do just this – to create more meaningful and relevant environments that create stronger and more sincere engagement with the consumer, and by doing so it builds and strengthens brand loyalty.

I think in the future it will continue to change… the next generation of VM teams will not only need creativity and the skillset to deliver effective visual displays, they will also need to understand and incorporate tech solutions to increase their productivity and enable them to work smarter, and not longer. There will definitely be benefits of this though.

3. You are exhibiting at the VM & Display Show in London next month. Can you tell us a bit about what you will be showcasing on your stand?

Yes – we’ll obviously be talking about our core services and skills, but we’re also super interested to hear what is of importance to the wider audience of retailers and brands, where they put value and how we can make their lives easier!

4. What do you predict will be the next big trends in store design over the coming year?

Wow – this is a biggie… There’s definitely a few out there.

I think that, coming out of the pandemic, and also the current cost of living crisis people readdressing what they put value on in their day-to-day lives – saving time on the things they don’t like and spending time doing the things they do, and I think this will impact store design, as such we still need to up our game and cater for the individual needs of shoppers.

With e-commerce being so quick and easy, physical retail needs to compete in other ways to draw them back, they should be offering what can’t be delivered in the digital world.

Shoppers are also crying out for better engagement and physical retail experiences, they’re bored of mediocrity.

I think within store design there will be further growth and incorporation of some (or many) of the following: ever more convenience, conscious and generosity, not to mention community, local, play, Mental Health & Wellbeing.

5. You have an impressive portfolio of clients. Are you currently working on any exciting retail projects that you can tell us about?

Thank you – we love working with all our clients, every project is special and it’s great that we have such a diverse range of clients and brands, it means every day is different…

Yes! We’re partnering with a prestigious department store for a permanent pop-up space, some exciting store design and build projects, we’re working with beauty retailer to redesign a large fixture range in a more environmentally, sustainably and cost effective way,  not to mention activations within our Brand Experience sector – so think summer road-trips and experience hubs.

6. What’s next on the agenda for Northbanks?

Even though we’ve been going over 5 years we’re still only scratching at the surface of what we can offer and how we can best support retailers and brands – as such we’ll continue to offer new ways and solutions. We love being problem solvers and solution finders.