A little over a year ago the Ustor team visited the largest retail exhibition in Europe, Euroshop 2020. One of the key trends that we wrote about in our review was the growing trend to create biodegradable and ecological elements in the design of retail spaces. Natural textures, rough shapes, natural materials — all this was implemented in our “quarantine” project for a loyal customer “Vsi. Svoi”.

About company

The project “Vsі. Svoi” was founded six years ago, and at first it was a multi-brand store of clothes, shoes and accessories made by Ukrainian manufacturers. Now the company has six different kinds of stores: 

• - Clothing and Shoes;
• - Home & Decor;
• - Ceramics;
• - Gastronomy;
• - Children's goods;
• - Jewelry and gifts. 

A year after the launch, the company had opened the world's largest store of Ukrainian brands, featuring more than 250 manufacturers. In 2018, it opened a neighborhood store on Kreschatik, 34. It gathered 150 home decor and interior makers, whose products were presented on racks and equipment produced by Ustor. 

Since then, we have continued our productive cooperation. 

During all this time the company has been growing rapidly, and now it is one of the leaders in the Ukrainian multi-brand trade, which is opening more and more outlets, as well as actively developing online sales. 

Collaborative openings in 2020

The quarantine affected the retail market, but many companies took the limitations not as a problem, but as an opportunity for re-equipping and new openings. In September 2020, for example, the company opened a new store in Retroville.

The Ustor team produced and installed the equipment for this store based on the brand book from idnt. Our task was to create functional and durable racks, which will help to properly divide and present product groups, as well as express the free spirit, philosophy of “Vsi. Svoi”.

The emphasis was on eco-friendly trends: all elements are made of recyclable materials. The concept designers chose plywood combined with a rough metal frame as the basic texture.

For front-facing racks, there was a perforation that makes the background more interesting in terms of design, while not being a distraction to the presentation of goods. 

Stylistically, it was important to combine eco-friendliness with loft elements, so the resulting constructions fit harmoniously into the interior of the retail space. 

The Ustor team worked hard to produce retail equipment that can be repositioned if desired without losing the overall design idea. This is relevant in the case of changing the assortment or the general concept of zoning. 

A few project insights

There are several obvious conclusions that can be drawn from the project "Vsi. Svoi" [2020]. First of all, it is important that the commercial equipment should help to sell, rather than distract the attention of potential customers. There should be some unusual elements, but they ought to emphasize important areas rather than distracting the audience. 

Flexibility and usability are essential characteristics of any retail facility. It optimizes the budget and gives enough space for marketing tests. Also, they are not locked to a specific location, and can be reused in case of expansion, renovation or relocation.

Sustainability is a new ethical reality for social life and business that is finding more and more followers. According to the surveys, more than 38% of respondents in Western Europe evaluate the consequences of consumption and prefer recyclable materials. This trend is actively growing in Ukraine as well: consumers increasingly prefer reusable shoppers, eco-friendly packaging and other elements of smart consumption.

And don't forget to be harmonious: create space, not racks.