Online optical retailer, Clearly, has opened its first store in New Zealand, on Auckland’s Queen St. The opening follows two month after the launch of Clearly’s first Australian bricks and mortar store in George St, Sydney.
Geoff Henshaw, MD of Clearly, said the Clearly model has been working successfully in New Zealand for the past five years. “The brand is the fastest growing online optical retailer in the region. Building on this success, we decided it was time to take our operation here to the next level,” said Henshaw.
The New Zealand store is designed by RCG and was delivered in five weeks, from the securing of the site, to design, and three weeks of fit out
John Lenihan, director of RCG, said the Clearly brief was to secure a suitable location and develop a state of the art store design with a powerful presence that creates a 24 hour, visually compelling brand statement.
A key design feature of the store is a seamless product display wall, based on the convex shape of an eye. With dimmers and programmable LED lights in the display, the wall can be transformed to create various moods and showcase eyewear 24/7. “Traditionally, backlit eyewear displays look clinical and are typically modular, wall mounted light boxes with clear acrylic prongs to hold the product in place,” said Lenihan. “We reconsidered the aesthetic experience, while still harnessing key functional aspects of traditional display systems, namely the ability to backlight, showcase and allow ease of access to products.” The customer service bar is crafted from American oak and acts as a digital touch point where customers can be informed and make a purchase.