Cadbury, Birmingham

Now for something entirely different we head to the Midlands where one of our much loved household brands has opened a phenomenal store. Think deep purple, chocolate and add a touch of Willy Wonka. This new shop is totally over the top, super indulgent and almost entirely coloured purple. If you love Cadbury chocolate then you’re going to love their new retail endeavour.

140 years after the first ever Cadbury Easter egg was launched (in 1875) Cadbury has opened its new flagship store, located at the entrance to Cadbury World, Bournville near Birmingham – its original birthplace. Initially, merely a by product of its popular cocoa essence, the chocolate bar was born in the late 1800s. Since then it has changed beyond recognition. The crucial element, milk, was added in 1905 and Cadbury Dairy Milk hit the market and it hasn’t looked back since. Cadbury has continued to expand and develop into a multitude of chocolate bars and other chocolate products (we all have our favourites) to become one of the UK’s leading culinary brands.

The new store is testament to this. It truly embodies the spirit and feel of the brand. It is a chocoholics paradise - a brand experience store, where you actually purchase (and eat) the product there and then. This out of town shop is beautifully branded, colour coordinated and exceedingly well designed. It’s big, bold and most importantly fun. All the store fixtures, fittings and displays are heavily themed in Cadbury colours and styles, and lead you through the store on your journey to the till, or tour beyond.

The perimeter walls are covered in chocolate; ultra large chunks of chocolate, with the Cadbury logo emblazoned on each square, look real enough to eat. The chocolate squares frame the sunken merchandising shelves and hooks in between, which display many delicious delicacies. Purple swirls decorate the bases of all the freestanding display units and also adorn the ceiling enlarging on the Cadbury theme. An enormous purple swirl twirls overhead surrounding the main display unit; a massive chocolate fountain, which appears to suck up chocolate through the ceiling via an oversize chimney. The chocolate then flows out over the cascading shelves of the fountain and in between the enormous quantities of merchandising displayed on its layers below. Behind this an enormous open box of Roses forms another fabulous merchandising stand with larger than life chocolates spilling over the top of the box. Shelves are discreetly sunken into the sides of the box to display the real items in all their glorious colours. Purple and white striped candy canes that reach from floor to ceiling mark the entrance to the factory tour behind the store. The cash desks are situated at the back of the shop and are kept simple in design and white in colour. Some are branded with the Cadbury logo and tree symbol but have relatively little merchandising in comparison to the overflowing store. They fulfil their function standing out from the colourful interior and therefore being easy to locate. The flooring is also kept plain; light oak to allow the experience store maximum impact.

This is not a minimal masterpiece. There is nothing subtle or elegant about this shop. Yet it is a really well designed, cleverly thought out concept that will appeal to the masses and bring them flocking back again and again. Retail designers, Design 4 Retail worked closely with Cadbury to create an emotive feel to the store so that customers are on a fun chocolate journey from the moment they enter the building until they leave. It is sheer unadulterated pleasure, especially if you love chocolate!