Chemist without a Clue ?

East Gardens.  This pharmacy does not appear to have a clue about how to use it's (expensive) high profile windows to optimise effective display.  Makes you feel sick about the lost opportunities but then maybe that's the idea .... ? :/

Back to School at a Price

SDS, East Gardens. I was impressed to see Globe trying this Back To School deal - good on them for being out there (via this surfwear retailer), but I can't see many parents easily forking out these dollars for branded school shoes ?

Shabby display

Priceline, East Gardens.  Not what you would expect from this leading retailer.  The tacky poster on the security bollard looks like an afterthought.  Either there should be a consistent poster on each bollard or they should all be left  blank (which would be a missed opportunity).

Not a Good Start

Events, East Gardens.  Not a good start when you have to offer 30% off 'new arrivals'.  Cashflow is obviously very tight.

Cool Juice

Boost Juice, East Gardens.  Some cool images for the refurbished Boost Juice kiosk, which  show some brand 'attitude'. (apologies for low quality pics).

EVIL FINE PRINT

Zamel's Jewellers, East Gardens.  This type of fine print gives retailers everywhere a bad name.  I wouldn't be surprised if it attracts the regulator's attention.  for the record, or those with poor eyesight it says the offer excludes catalogue items and watches.

The awkward checkout

Target, Hurstville. A strangely 'tight' and awkward checkout configuration for this Target - driven by the specifics of this site. I would imagine shoppers feel 'pressured' by the tight layout.  Great graphics, though.  Note the lolly jar dispenser for last minute temptations...

Crisp with a splash of colour

The Body Shop, Hurstville.  Crisp presentation and a splash of colour on this promotional table.  They could perhaps be criticised for having too many elements on this unit.  

Atmospheric imagery

Sportsgirl, Hurstville.  Striking imagery for summer - even if the merchandise looks a little flat.

Consistency of brand and format

Tree Of Life, Hurstville. I have visited a number of their stores and am quite impressed by the level of consistency in their format and visual merchandising - it is quite tough to make 'exotic' consistent yet flexible enough for the peculiarities of each store envelope.  This store for example, does not have a front promotional table.

Jay Jays does Twilight

Jay Jays, Hurstville. A very good attempt at a Twilight window - presumably without the licensing (?).  Spot-on for the target market.

Endless Summer

Esprit, Broadway.  Evocative imagery.

How Sweet is your Summer ?

Darrell Lea, East Gardens. Kudos to this sweets retailer for trying seasonal product.  Pineapple is clearly a summer seasonal flavour in Australia, but I do wonder how wide the appeal is.

for Blokes with Rugs ?

DecoRug, Moore Park Supacentre.  Not sure of the fit with the target market, but it looks impressive.

Sneakers in the dark

Converse store, Market City.  Cool lighting shows off the product really well.

Concepts that travel

Dotti, Market City. An interesting window concept for a fashion store.  Takes them right into lifestyle territory up against Sportsgirl.

Beautiful summer image

Esprit, Market City. Speaks to their target market.

Wonderfully Colourful and Exotic

Tree Of Life, Broadway.  This retailer stands out with their colourful ethnic and exotic merchandising.

Does Portmans mean business ?

Portmans, Broadway.  This impactful window suggests a greater degree of focus in the Portmans business than we have seen for some time.  It will be interesting to see whether they slant themselves towards the workwear market, as that has traditionally been the domain (albeit with a slightly older focus) of Jacquie E their sister brand also owned by Just Group.

Australia Day cometh

Target, Broadway.  You have been warned .... :)

Bland... yawn!

Sussan,  Broadway.  Technically competent  but creatively bland.

Pink and Black

Forever New, East Gardens.  Great imagery, colours, lighting and display.  Pink and black are clearly 'in'.

BTS Colour

Riot! art & Craft, East Gardens.  I guess these guys represent the fun aspect of Back To School - a great window.

BTS Mayhem

Shoes & Sox, East Gardens.  Busy, busy for Back To School.  Sympathies to long suffering shop assistants and parents.

The queue for self-service

BIG W, East Gardens.  I was surprised to see the length of the queue for the self-scan checkouts (Tues approx 2pm).  Then I noticed very few of the 'full service' checkouts were open.  I hope retailers understand the 'new' technology needs to have a net customer benefit - which seems to be missing at this particular store.

Digital window that sells

Smiggle, East Gardens  
digi window from Stephen Saunders on Vimeo.
.

Down and Dirty

Wittner, East Gardens.  Disappointing to see this rough and ready promotion from this usually very professional footwear chain.  Needs, want, must ?  Makes it very difficult to ultimately sell full-priced product, damages the brand's credibility.

Banks that Listen ???

NAB, East Gardens.  Funny, if not that credible.  The 'Listener' didn't seem that interested in my minor deposit transaction - I didn't even get the time of day ... surprise.  You can't fix a culture with a few signs.

Getting the Basics Right

Target, East Gardens.  Out of stocks in the hosiery dept - a recipe for shopper frustration.

Personalising your Locker for Back To School

Smiggle, East Gardens.  Clever promotion with digital signage, good positioning at front of store, cross merchandising and use of colour - sure to be a hit amongst the BTS set.

The Path to Markdowns

Angus & Robertson, East Gardens.  A clear indication of the need to stick to core business.  What do USB fans and books have in common ?

The Sale Stripped Bare

Queenspark, East Gardens.  Clever concept, with 'legs' (in all senses).  This shows what a little imagination can do.

Tacky

1001 optometrist, East Gardens.  Tacky and unimaginative sale materials and decorations.

Smiggle's cloning calendar ?

Smiggle, East Garden (from a week or so ago).  For those who want to build their own calendar for 2010 - although mine would probably end up looking like a cloning experiment :)

Forever New The Same ?

Forever New, Bondi Junction.  Their windows are always impressive  - but I wonder whether this imagery is wearing thin, impressive as it is. They seem to use the guitar icon quite frequently, although to their credit it is always delivered really well.  What do you think ?

Showing the Way

Angus & Robertson, Chatswood Chase.  Clear and attractive departmental and category signage.  Good use of colour.

The Romantic Lifestyle

Simply Perfect, Balmain.  A great example of boutique merchandising- using props, accessories and lifestyle products to create the French romantic effect.  (apologies for low quality photo). The merchandise was surprisingly affordable too.

Pharmarcy Merchandising in Good Health

Terry White Pharmacy, Chatswood Chase.  I thought this was a tidy and shopper-friendly display with good use of category signage and good sized price tickets.  The ticketing at floor level is an improvement on what I have seen elsewhere, although a tricky area to get right.

The Self-Checkout

Coles, East Gardens.  Spotted at the self-scan checkout. Does YOUR child have a barcode ?  :))

Retail Landscape

An Epiphany ?

Epiphany Jewellers, East Gardens. A very old school approach by this jeweller - closed door.  Obviously not very welcoming to shoppers - makes it more of an effort to browse.  Maybe they will have an epiphany ?

Age no barrier

Diva,  Broadway.  Their $5 sale section clearly appeals to all ages - one of the busiest stores in the mall.

Fresh

L'Occitane, Broadway.  A stunning window display.  Good use of props, colour, lighting and imagery.  Note the intelligent use of height as well.

Clever Smiggle

Smiggle, Broadway.  Clever cross-sell concept for this retailer of social stationery: 'Smiggle your locker' - speaks directly to the Back To School audience.

Too Much Stimulation ?

Boost Juice, Broadway.  There just seem to be too many stimuli for the senses to handle in the compressed time (and space) available to place an order at this juice bar.  Too many options, too many promo offers, too many prompts - so I ordered my 'usual'.  Safe and sound, inertia rules when put to the test ?

Exotic

Tree of Life, Bondi Junction.  Good use of props and colour to create an exotic look and feel.

Wonderful Brand Imagery

David Jones, Giorgio Armani, Bondi Junction.  Classic directional imagery, but which does not say much else.