Who designs the Mamas and Papas nursery stores interior?

Mamas & Papas interiors are designed by Four IV of London in line with my own vision to present the collections. Four IV have worked on all the store interiors including our award winning flagship store on London's Regent Street as well as our international stores in the Middle

Work on a new Nottinghamshire store is well underway. How large is the space and how far along is the work from completion?

The Nottingham store will be a top quartile store, so it will be on the same scale as our Liverpool store which ranges the full collection over two floors. Work on the site will not begin for a few more weeks as the site is still under construction but design ideas are being realised now. We hope to complete this storein Autumn 08.

In terms of design, lay-out, feel, how much input does M&P have and how much do you leave to the contracted shopfitting company?

The design and lay out of the store is managed and agreed by me and nothing is left to the contractors to realise on their own. Every  detail from door handles to display areas is scrutinised in depth to make the customer experience second to none.

How do you ensure that the shop maintains it's modern feel? Are there materials you feel age well?

Light is vital to give a sense of space and calm, so high gloss finishesand contemporary textures maintain that feeling for the customer. We have used the most modern of composites alongside luxurious and classic materials such as marble.

What practical aspects of pregnant women and people with young families shopping do you bring into the planning?

This customer experience is the epicentre of all our thinking. Mamas &Papas was the first nursery retailer to wide aisles to accommodate the movement of pregnant women and parents with puschairs. Our dressing rooms accommodate two as we offer one to one style advice and the style advisor needs to be with the customer in the dressing area to help her with fittings. Mamas & Papas is also one of the only retailers that has separate feeding and changing facilities. No woman wishes to breast feed in a toilet area and we responded to that with large rooms dedicated to her needs and they feature comfortable designer nursing chairs. Our store planning is award winning and this is what has set Mamas & Papas apart from every other nursery retailer. We are now being copied for our ideas and they do say that imitation is the best form of flattery.

For smallers retailers who do not have anything like the space of M&P stores, can you offer any clever devices to appear bigger?

Mamas & Papas is not only a retailer but also a long established wholesaler going back over 27 years. Wholesale customers such as the hundreds of independent retailers around the UK are the backbone of our business and we look after them in a number of ways. In terms of their visual merchandising, we have our design teams create point of sale as well as visual merchandising case studies so that they can recreate the Mamas & Papas experience in their stores.

Has M&P ever altered the layout of a shop after completion and if so why was this and how did this improve the shopper's experience?

The only element of change in Mamas & Papas stores is how the ranging sits within the existing space. We may change the position of display supports and we always redecorate our interiors rooms sets each season to refresh the look and feel of the collections but the fundamental principles and design of the space changes very little.

Which is your most successful store and how much foot fall does it have on an average week?

Our most successful stores in terms of sales are our Dublin store in the Dundrum area of the city and our flagship store on Regent Street. Regent Street is unique in terms of sales and footfall due to its position in the centre of Europe's busiest fashion district, but also due to our own unique restaurant we have created within the store. Cibo is one of the few truly family-friendly eateries in Central London and offers all the feeding services required by a parent of babies and infants alongside an organic children's menu. The space really is a triumph and is often hired for baby showers as we offer a dedicated hire packages as well as a gift list and gift wrapping service to friends and family for a stress free way of giving the perfect present.

When designing a store layout it is important you have a clear analysis of your yearly sales and the gross margin contributed by each merchandising group. For example high value prams, pushchairs, cots and car seats should be located near the entrance or where there is high customer flow. It is crucial that smaller sales items are placed together in product groupings and displayed clearly on shelving around the edge of the store or in aisles. This will give maximum sales floor space for the larger items and also avoid making the store look untidy.

If your store has an upstairs sales floor or further room it would be a good idea to theme the area for example; create a bedroom/nursery theme and display cots, bed linen, changing bags and clothing.

The choice of flooring is important. Hardwood or hardwearing vinyl is the ideal choice for flooring as it is easy to clean and more hygienic. Especially as young children often like to crawl around the floor whilst their mothers compare products.

Display cabinets ideally should be wall mounted with adaptable shelving. Avoid glass at all times. White faced timber cabinets with built in lighting will highlight key product areas. Counter areas and displays should be curved if possible to help mothers push prams more easily around the store an also to avoid small children hurting themselves on sharp edges.

A safe and secure play area for small children is a must. This will help the parents relax and ultimately maximise the opportunity for you to make a sale.

Advice from Apple Display and Shopfitting Ltd, founded by Gordon Hutchinson in 1983 in Denton, Manchester where they have remained at the forefront of shop fitting and display for over 24 years.