FAO Schwarz Italy Flagship:

A new destination for the FAO Schwarz ‘World of Wonder’ in the global capital of fashion, Milan

Situated on the famous Piazza Cordusio in Milan, is the new flagship FAO Schwarz store. BDL worked closely with the Prenatal and FAO Schwarz teams to develop a unique experience in the heart of the city. The store is packed with FAO Schwarz signature elements and exciting in-store experiences - the result is a unique leisure and retail destination for adults and children alike. 

Key Features

Spanning 3 storeys, the heritage building presented a new challenge, as we needed to ensure customers shopped the whole space. To create a strong visual link between floors, a void was cut in the first floor slab to create an open stairwell which was then filled with a magical tower of hot air balloons that connect the different floors. Whimsical graphics on the surrounding walls add to this feature with FAO hot air balloon graphics guiding you upstairs and FAO underwater submarines guiding you downstairs to the basement.

The ground floor features the iconic FAO Clock Tower, with its animated clock face creating excitement during its hourly shows. The base of the clock incorporates an interactive game where customers can race each other through a maze.

The first floor is packed with toys for learning from brands such as Sharper Image, Majorette and Lego, and features interactive play tables and customisation opportunities. The Discovery #Mindblown ‘mad scientist’ does experiments and product demonstrations to bring further fun and excitement to the space.

The largest floor is the basement where there is an abundance of fantastic brands and experiences to explore.

The signature FAO Schwarz Grand Piano is located in the centre of the space. New piano-key spirals around the columns and a playful overhead horn display create a unique expression of the iconic piano for FAO Milan.

The basement boasts a variety of signature toy brands, with different interactive and personalised experiences. Barbie, Bunnies by the Bay, Funko, Disney and Wood’n Play among others, all add to the joy and wonder of the FAO Schwarz space.

There is also an FAO Schwarz Baby Doll Adoption Centre where children can adopt a doll, choose clothes, accessories and gain a personalised certificate with their purchase.

The store experience is further enhanced by the fantastic store staff, from the FAO Schwarz soldiers greeting customers at the entrance to the magicians and entertainers instore, they all add to create a truly enchanting visit for all ages.

Results

In true Italian style, the build quality and attention-to-detail within the store, along with the premium signature experiences and feature brands make this a flagship experience to remember: a new retail destination for Milan and Italy. 2 months after the store opened at the end of October 2021 the number of visitors and level of sales continues to exceed expectations with queues often trailing over 200 metres down the street!

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