Topline: Store Exterior Promotion

Topline core message mark on store exteriorOver the past four years Topline have successfully enhanced a large number of its members’ stores. This involves devising new store layouts, maximising product range per square metre and implementing the brand identity system through signage and point-of-sale in each store.

However, Topline came to us with a problem – the revamped store exteriors did not reflect the in-store experience. Members’ stores are large cladded retail units, often with a limited amount of window space and are located on the outskirts of towns. The exteriors needed a coordinated approach that could effectively promote the full range of product and expertise available within the stores.

Research boards of competitors and high street storesTo begin our process, we researched key competitors as well as high street stores to get an overview of current best practice in store exterior promotion. We then held a brainstorm session, with the Topline team, where we explored a variety of ideas and approaches. This formed the brief for a suite of new visual elements we designed and developed to help Topline member stores achieve strong impact in the competitive retail market.

We designed a core message mark which is a promotional device specifically designed for store exteriors. The words Maintain, Renovate and Decorate represent the core activities a customer will look to do when visiting a store. The Right Here arrow directs the customer to the store entrance and also acts as a call-to-action. This message mark is designed to support the Topline brand mark and uses the purple and green from the main palette.

We created a set of fun illustrated characters to add personality to the exterior windows and to promote many of the key product categories available within Topline stores. We chose illustrator Steve Simpson to work with us on this aspect of the project, under Marie’s art-direction. These unique colourful characters further differentiate Topline’s stores from their competitors.

Topline Burtons in Kanturk is the first store to implement the new exterior elements. The revamped store opened on the third of December with a completely revitalised interior and exterior to entice customers to visit the store.

Topline Burtons revamped store with exterior promotional elements

Topline: Comprehensive Online POS System

Overview of Topline Standard POS rangeTopline asked BFK to completely rethink and redesign their point-of-sale (POS) system for use throughout their member hardware stores. Topline members had difficulty in creating impactful and consistent POS items for product pricing and product information. Their existing system was limited by being restricted to a small number of pre-printed base stocks. BFK developed a new POS system that is visually impactful, could communicate a range of offers, have a consistent family-feel while also having flexibility to allow members to customise their own POS items.

Click to read more ...

Topline: First Rebranded Store

Following on from our recent brand development work for Topline, their first newly branded store has opened in Longford. The new store interiors have a lifestyle feel through the introduction of colour, vibrant imagery and key product information points. Customers can now navigate the stores with clearly differentiated department signage.

Click to read more ...

Topline: Brand Identity

BFK developed the new Topline retail brand identity system for the Amalgamated Hardware group. Originally established as builders merchants, member stores are moving to also being hardware and homeware retailers In the current changing and competitive hardware sector, the Topline brand identity system has been developed to position the groups members with a more competitive edge.

Click to read more ...

Topline: Research and Brand Strategy

Topline is the consumer retail and trade brand of a hardware buying group Amalgamated Hardware. Market trends, reinforced by the decline in the construction sector, meant that builders' providers needed to improve their retail positioning in support of traditional trade business. The objective of our research project was to identify perceptions and experiences of the Topline brand and its communications across three key stakeholder groups – individual member store owners, trade customers and light DIY retail customers. Based on the research findings we recommended a brand development strategy.

Click to read more ...