Barber in Cannes – and Sherwood Forest
Last week we had a few exciting developments as some of our team headed to Cannes for the TFWA Conference, whilst back here in Britain the £5m Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre – featuring our retail design work – opened in Nottinghamshire.
Barber in Cannes
Three members of our Barber Design travel retail team headed to Cannes to meet with both new and existing airport retail clients at the TFWA Show.
A great week was had by all and it was exciting to see some new and innovative retail technology solutions at the event. The airport retail industry is becoming very engaged in providing a holistic retail experience in order to surprise and delight passengers.
In his closing speech at the conference, TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen revealed that the travel retail industry is continuing to grow and that members and associates of the TFWA should be very pleased at what they have achieved:
“This is very heartening considering the uncertainty of markets across the world. Despite these and other challenges, people are travelling and spending.”
Our trip finished on a high note when our clients at Mumbai Duty Free won a well-deserved award for ‘Best Marketing’ at the Frontier Awards ceremony – the much-coveted Oscars of the Global Travel Retail industry. Congratulations to all of the shortlisted nominees and we hope to see you in Cannes next year!
New Visitor Centre Opens in Sherwood Forest
Meanwhile, back here in the UK the brand new visitor centre opened in Sherwood Forest with a special opening ceremony, ahead of their annual Robin Hood Festival.
The centre’s shop was designed by Barber and we were really delighted to see how the finished build looks within this amazing setting. The structure of the brand new £5m building aims to complement the forest with prominent curves, which reflect the leaves and natural forms in the surrounding woodland.
The building is split over two levels, covering 558 square metres with a range of useful amenities including our Barber-designed retail space, a café, toilets and a section for seasonal displays and events. The curve of the building guides visitors on a journey through the information, retail and exhibition spaces and out into the forest.
We’re glad to see the autumn weather was so good for the opening and almost as warm as Cannes – if you pay a visit to the Forest then do let us know what you think of the design and share some pictures with us.