Melissa's brief to Intevi, the Digital Solutions Provider, was to blend their artistic designs with suitable technology to bring their creativity to life. Commenting on the project, Tom Scott, managing director of Intevi said: "We had previously worked with the contractors on another retail project and they knew we could deliver on the very distinctive brief Melissa had produced. In the large entrance hall, visitors would be surrounded on three sides by floor to ceiling LED screens. These screens would feature anything, from psychedelic art installations to fashion shows. The screens would be mirror backed so that they could be turned off to provide a reflective surface around the art installations."
Intevi chose technical distributor PSCo to supply the super high resolution LED for this project, due to the exclusive portfolio of LED by leading manufacturer Absen and their UK servicing and support offering. The requirements of the display products were to be scalable, offer clear resolution, operate independently displaying different content and be set behind bespoke glass installations. To ensure the LED displays delivered these requirements, Intevi visited the PSCo Assessment Centre to evaluate the displays, resulting in their specification of Absen AI06 6mm for the larger display and Absen AI03 3mm for the unique three-sided display. Once the technologies had been chosen, the Assessment Centre provided the shop fitting team the opportunity to test the LED behind the glass before delivery, ensuring there were no nasty surprises on site.
Intevi chose Absen AI03 and AI06 super high resolution LED displays as they provide features ideal for retail including low pixel pitch to display high resolution content, slim depth, high refresh rates and contrast levels and low power consumption and running costs.
The total 109 panels of LED would create two bespoke in-store displays. A show stopping 44 panels of AI06 in an 8 x 3m formation provides the creative backdrop to a range of shoes by leading designers Vivienne Westwood, Jason Wu, Gareth Pugh and Karl Lagerfeld.
In the store entrance is the immersive zone created from 65 panels of AI03, the first installation in the UK of a sub 4mm Absen LED product. This three-sided display created from one 3.75m wide wall and two 3m wide walls delivers on the Galeria concept, creating a shopping experience unlike any other retail store.
For retail displays, if the screens need repair or maintenance, it is important for the store to know that that they wouldn't be out of action for too long. This was a particular concern for the team at Melissa with the size and location of their LED installation.
Liam Norris, LED Product Manager at PSCo explains how the post-sales offering was an important factor in the partnership with Intevi: "We were able to support Intevi on this project, removing any of the risk and uncertainty of dealing with a Chinese manufacturer. We handled the entire procurement process on their behalf, sourcing the screens required from China and managing the supply chain back in the UK. One of the key benefits of quality LED screens is their long life cycle, making a full UK service and warranty contract essential. As all LED sold through PSCo includes a UK warranty serviced from the PSCo Service Centre, Intevi can ensure the displays are never out of action for long periods of time."
(Lee Baldock)
