FITCH Helps Tesco Launch New Department Store Brand

This week, Tesco launched an exciting new department store brand called My, developed in conjunction with leading retail design consultants FITCH. The opening of the first My department store in Liberec, near Prague, on 26 February will be the first in a series of stores under the new concept with plans to upgrade other sites over the next few years, including Prague and Bratislava, which will become flagship stores for the new brand later this year.

FITCH was appointed in May 2008 to create the new department store concept with Tesco, developing all elements of the brand experience, including brand strategy, name, identity, and environments.

Significantly, a substantial piece of planning work was completed by FITCH in the initial stages of the project to deliver for Tesco a fresh take on the standard "house of brands" approach to department store retailing. These insights into the changing world of how we live and shop helped FITCH develop My's core brand idea of "Accessible Aspiration" and the subsequent creative development of the brand brings this to life instore.

Simon Threadkell, Creative Director at FITCH said "Tesco has always been at the forefront of large-format retail design, and this project brings together a number of key themes we're seeing emerging about the way we interact with retail brands into one successful department store format."



The name My was chosen because of its simple, easy to remember and internationally recognized proposition, but understandable to the Czech customer. It communicates a sense of individual ownership and strengthens the brand identity when used in association with its store location. In Czech the name carries a historical reference to Maj, the original store in Prague.

The brand identity utilizes an apostrophe device to facilitate the dialogue between the brand and its customers and underscores the themes of "suggestion" and "recommendation" that the environment design brings to life instore. A simple monochrome palette is accentuated with bold modern colour applications on each floor to define the collections and help customers navigate the space.

Change will predominantly concern rebuilding of interiors that will be tailored to satisfy the latest trends of comfortable shopping. A single check-out system enabling to pay for any goods at any check-out within the department store shall contribute to customer comfort. Customer will get a clearly organized choice and free movement throughout the sales floor from counter to counter without having to walk from store to store.

The new My stores will bring to customers in the Czech Republic a range of inspiring, fashionable and affordable products which includes classic and trend-setting clothing; a wide selection of beauty brands; children's zone incorporating fashion and toys; electronics and home products. A new format food hall will be introduced and remain under the Tesco banner.

Customers will be able to enjoy a fresh and contemporary 'one stop' shopping experience that utilizes opinion and lifestyle suggestions throughout the design approach to both the brand and environment. My stores have been designed with clearly defined zones that target different customer profiles. "Trend" zones have been created for the more fashion-forward consumer, while "Classic" areas appeal to the more traditional shopper. FITCH's design balances multi-branded concept shops with space dedicated to individual brands.

At My department stores, many international brands will be on offer to the Czech market for the first time. These include fashion brands Cortefiel and Trucco from Spain and French Connection, Simon Carter, Full Circle and Sonneti from UK. New Lingerie brands include Maidenform from USA and Women'secret from Spain. Existing brands include Cherokee, F&F, Steilmann, Wrangler and Lee, among others. The beauty offer will be considerable: My Liberec will include premium brands such as Chanel, Clinique, Estee Lauder and Lancome along with mid-market names such as L'Oreal, Rimmel and Bourjois.

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