Wickes

Bathroom Development

Due to the ongoing, successful working relationship, we were thrilled to be asked to design and develop another area of the store for the well-known DIY chain.

Project type

Batch production rollout

Process

Stock management and merchandising

Location

50+ stores

Project overview

The brief

Wickes approached us at the end of 2019 to design and develop a new Bathroom Selection Centre area for their showrooms to accompany the already successful Kitchen Selection Centre we had been manufacturing and installing since 2015.

The challenge

Within a couple of months of starting the development and prototyping stage, the world was hit by Covid19 and we embraced the challenge of maintaining momentum through photos and video call meetings. The main focus was to design displays to showcase a vast range of products within a restricted space.

The process

The project demanded a high level of design development whilst focusing on durability, safety and ease of merchandise across the fixture range. The team ensured that all solutions were mindful of the strict budget and the requirement for fixtures to be manufactured in batches with the potential to rollout into the full store portfolio.

The rollout

Following the success of trial stores, we manufactured and merchandised a batch of 17 stores to be retrofitted into their estate. The Bathroom Selection fixtures are also now a part of the refit programme for upcoming stores. Merchandising and stock management play a huge role in the project management of our ongoing relationship with Wickes.

Flexible design development and a quality finish

Detailed checking of store plans for the call off of fixtures and equipment, and the production / modification of any ‘specials’. Often spotting problems and finding solutions before we have even thought about it.
Great on-site delivery and install – consistently and flexibly hitting dates and times for on site installation, and working collaboratively Wickes teams with other contractors on site. Careful management of inventory of all components as we went through the trial phase to roll out phase. We have never been short delivered or been unable to complete a store because of a component shortage.
Flexible and helpful working with other Wickes suppliers for components integrated into the fixtures and displays – managing stock and quality assurance of these as required.
Precise and timely communication throughout to us as clients and third parties.
Overall, I trust the Antone team to do a quality job for all stages from development through to installation and on-going roll out. And perhaps more importantly I trust them to tell me if there ever is a problem, anticipated or actual, and then work through a solution to fix it.

Head of Estate Transformation | Wickes