9-10-2008
The successful jeans wear group, De Rode Winkel, has recently opened its third flagship store in Houten. The shop, the ninth in a chain, is located in the new shopping mall, Het Rond and is designed by OPERA Amsterdam.
The shop in Houten is the first to offer the new in-house brand, Kinghorn Valley, which features a women and men’s line. Other well-know international jeans labels like Diesel, G-Star Raw, Kuyichi and Pepe Jeans are also available.
The jeans retailer with the slogan, One Store Fits All, has outlets in Amersfoort, Nieuwegein, Tiel, Tilburg, ‘s Hertogenbosch and Utrecht. The larger stores are designed by OPERA AMSTERDAM and include ones in Utrecht and ‘s Hertogenbosch.

Unusual for a mid-segment store chain is their decision to design each flagship store in a distinctly different style. That was the directive from owner, Erik Kuijsten, who gave OPERA carte blanche in designing the three flagship stores. Although very different from one another, the stores all share the same design mentality; they are the result of the mutual trust that exists between Eric Kuijsten and OPERA.

An important departure point in the design of the new store in Houten was the desire to create an environment that distinguished itself from other retailers in the immediate vicinity. It was also important to target a customer profile specific to the location. In contrast to stores located in busy city centres, the Houten customer needs more time when making a purchase and prefers to shop in a relatively clam environment.

The store is deliberately designed without a typical window. Installed directly behind the glass façade are vertical wooden lamellas. These lamellas extend via the façade past the walls into the shop like an enormous folding screen – helping to create the feeling of being closed off from the rest of the shopping centre. The objective being to create an intimate, almost domestic atmosphere, with a theatrical accent. Naturally, the ultimate goal is to persuade the customer to spend additional time in the store, to fit and combine more items of clothing.

A leather-upholstered cashier’s console with a display space suitable for shoes and other accessories, stands in the middle of the store and measures 10 by 20 metres. The other furniture differs in form and finish and can be arranged in any desired configuration. In this way it is possible to alternate elements on an almost daily basis creating suitable displays for new products, special offers, etc. The chosen materials (parquet in a variety of patterns, smoked glass, textile, leather etc.) contribute - together with the innovative lighting - to create a warm atmosphere and a feeling of quality and luxury…