AAD’s Innovative Designs Engineer Financial Success For
Universal Studios, Indianpolis Motor Speedway Stores
And Pacific Sunwear
Scottsdale, Arizona, April 16, 1997 — As America’s retailers jockey for position in a fiercely competitive marketplace, many of the nation’s largest are looking to Scottsdale-based AAD to provide design work that is positively affecting the corporate bottom line. Through the creation of flagship enterprises and the re-imaging of existing retail environments, AAD has steadily risen to the top of the design ranks as specialists in high profile retail design. At a time when retail must rely on more than great product, good timing and comprehensive marketing, architectural and interior design is playing a huge part in determining retail success. For example:
- Since 1991, AAD has been called upon to continually redesign the image of Pacific Sunwear to reflect the constantly changing attitudes of it young demographic;
- Following the huge success of the feature film “Jurassic Park,” Universal Studios Hollywood commissioned AAD to create retail and restaurant environments to capitalize on the film’s success. The completed projects exceeded Universal Studios’ sales projections and resulted in AAD being awarded a contract to create a new environment at Universal Studios in Florida;
AAD’s eye-popping, attention-grabbing design of
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway store in the Circle Center Mall in Indianapolis,
Indiana “actually was pulling people into the store,” as reported by David Moroknek,
Director of Licensing, Indianapolis Speedway Properties, Inc. The main design elements
include an actual Indy car, historically referenced race icons, a wall size video
screen of races and displays that are modeled after Gasoline Alley tool boxes. AAD
designed for maximum space utilization and traffic flow in a specific effort to merchandise
their products to the greatest extent.
For Universal Studios Hollywood, AAD designed a highly themed, “exit store” for the
newly opened Jurassic Park themed adventure ride. Drawing upon its understanding
of retail design psychology, AAD’s task was to move customers through a specifically
structured space in a minimum amount of time while attracting them to purchase immediately
recognizable and affordable themed products. For the totally unique 4800 square foot
retail space, AAD used an array of earthy colors and materials related to the movie.
Themed elements include fossilized walls, heavily stoned floors and an overgrown
jungle. AAD’s expertise did not stop with the overall design; they created merchandising
concepts that helped to drive sales. Of particular interest are the movie prop floor
displays such as a scaled down jeep, stone aged apparel displays, a raptor bone pedestal,
serving as a focal point for apparel; a dinosaur egg incubator doubling as a high
ticket item display and a jungle tree that houses plush toys in its trunk and branches.
For the Jurassic Park Restaurant, AAD also used organic elements to immerse the customer
into the film’s theme. Chairs were covered in faux ostrich skin, the walls are jungle
trompe l’oeil and wall trimmings include bas relief rock fossils and flower vine
chair guards. Jeff Fisher,
Manager of Store Design and Visual Merchandising for Universal Studios says, “AAD
truly succeeded on this project. It was the first time we exited the attraction directly
into the retail store to create the ultimately seamless experience. This concept
generated an incredible revenue for us. In fact, it significantly outperformed the
previous attraction’s specific retail stores.” This project was completed and opened
in June 1996.
Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc., President, Greg Weaver acknowledges AAD for
its role in the growing success of his company. “Since 1991, AAD has helped us to
keep ahead and provide our customer with a look they identify with,” says Weaver.
“We have started fiscal 1997 strong with total February sales up 40%. Our strong
balance sheet positions us well for our planned 40 store expansion.” This year, AAD
is re-imaging 300+ store nationwide Pacific Sunwear stores with a bolder look, which
the client says increases their customer traffic.
For the Indianapolis Motor Speedway store in the Circle Center Mall in Indianpolis,
AAD used authentic speedway icons that reference race history. Bricks, pulled from
the original, pre-WWII, bricks in actual speedway are built into the floor in the
portal. One of the major focal points in the store is a scorekeeper pylon and skid
marks on the sealed concrete floor that lead to the actual Indy car that sits in
a checkered winners circle near the entrance. Some of the displays are built to look
like the tool carts used in Gasoline alley and a historical scoring pagoda is used
to hang apparel. Display cases document the history of the racers helmets and graphics
of the trophies won by drivers can be seen throughout the space. In the right and
left flanks of the storefront, AAD created sandblasted signs with graphics of famous
Indy events such as the Brickyard 500. Blade signs that
resemble the chalked “gasoline left/laps to go” placards point customers to the various
sections of the store. Upon exiting, photographic graphics give the illusion of walking
from Gasoline Alley back on to the track.
For more than two decades, AAD has been providing architectural and interior design
services for a large number of high profile clients in the retail and food service
industries. Headed by Carl Schaffer and Mike Steveson since 1981, the firm has earned
a reputation for creating imaginative environments that attract enormous consumer
attention and generate successes that often exceed the projections of their prestigious
client base. Registered in 50 states, AAD specializes in providing architectural
services to roll out new retail concepts worldwide. Large scale projects for Imaginarium,
Warner Bros. Stores, Planet Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood and Host Marriott
Services are among the more than 400 yearly undertakings that have brought the company
to international prominence. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, AAD has been named one
of the nation’s top ten design firms by Visual Merchandising and Store Design and
one of the top 100 firms in the U.S. by Interior Design magazines. On March 23, 1997,
The National Association of Store Fixtures manufacturers (NASFM) awarded AAD the
Grand Prize for its design of the F.A.O. Schweetz flagship at Watertown Place in
Chicago.
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