Fenwick / Colchester
Department store group Fenwick commissioned HMKM to provide the masterplan and interior concept for the refurbishment of their Colchester store, as part of a £35 million-pound reconstruction project which increased the floor space by 30,000 square feet. In a location which is both Britain’s oldest recorded town and its fastest-growing contemporary population centre, Fenwick wanted to create an experience which would retain the store’s loyal existing customer base, whilst simultaneously appealing to a new generation of customers across the region.
The renovation has rationalised the warren of existing historic structures into a coherent, vibrantly contemporary retail experience. For inspiration, the HMKM team looked both to Fenwick’s core values - as an independent, aspirational, fashion-led British retailer - and to local architecture, to enhance the store’s sense of individuality and character. The retail masterplan simplified and rationalised the store’s many levels, flooding it with natural light and creating a series of key focal hubs. A palette of elegant metal, warm timber and pale lacquer alternates with graphic frames and jolts of soft colour to create a sense of refined modern glamour. Combined with a vibrant brand offer and splashes of dynamic theatre throughout, Colchester sets the template for the Fenwick group as it continues to evolve its family of stores.
