The Vatana. What started as a studio where Willy Put created bags and suitcases, after 40 years has become something of an institution in Belgian Limburg. After opening its first shop in Paal, Vatana expanded to Genk and later Overpelt. The new 2000-square-meter store in Overpelt is where we, the happy people of Creneau International, got to do our thing. How that turned out? Read it here.

Vatana is a family business and the bulk of its customers are... families. A new sports outfit, a schoolbag, shoes, toys or underwear – Vatana is a one stop shop. Their USP’s? Big brands (think Nike, Only, Samsonite, Lego, Barbie) and high-quality goods at sharp prices. Vatana offers a massive product range; there’s something to like for every generation.

Still the retail landscape changes quickly and continually. Consumers are too busy during the day and online shopping has become a real convenience. How does one attract customers to their store these days? By creating an experience, positive energy, customer loyalty and great service. Vatana believes in a personal approach, proximity, a maximized product range and sharp prices. It was up to us to bring all these elements together under one roof in Overpelt.

While designing the Overpelt store there was only one thing that we could not overlook. Vatana remains a store for the entire family. No to luxurious gimmicks or high-end materials, yes to an accessible look. With 2000 square meters, we designed 11 departments:

- Women’s lingerie
- Men’s underwear
- Children’s underwear
- Men’s
- Women’s
- Teens’
- Denim
- Children’s
- Swimwear /ski wear (seasonal)
- Play corner
- Sports

The challenge was to give each department its own unique look and decorating the space with warm materials. To Vatana, creativity and innovation were a must, no department could look like another. Another challenge was the huge amount of brands and products that were to be displayed in each department.

In a store with such a large product range, the communication begs for clarity, cohesion and unity. That’s why we chose a clear font, typographing a language that is easy-to-understand and down-to earth. The communication is only supportive or indicative, as if an employee were pointing something out in a short message. Those messages vary from small compliments in the fitting rooms to round logo panels in the lingerie department and colored wooden flags for the smallest visitors.

Give a woman beautiful lingerie and she’ll take on the world. Choosing the right set of undies is an intimate affair that can be time-consuming. The Vatana lingerie department is an intimate, secluded area where women may take their time. There are even phones in the fitting rooms to ask a shop-assistant for another size. How convenient!

Vatana’s target audience consists of families with children. The children’s department is easily recognized from afar because of its soft pastel colored flags. The same colors are used on the display blocks, in the fitting rooms and in the enormous play corner.

At Vatana the children’s department is not a dull affair. Such joy! The shopping zone, fitting rooms and play corner are all suited to the world of children. The play corner is not a bench with a counting frame and half a puzzle. Instead, it is one central space that speaks to the imagination. Talking tubes, a mini mirror palace that totally twists your reflection, optical illusions… An area where children will entertain themselves for quite a while. After all the playing and shopping, you and your family may regain your strengths with a nice drink and pastry at Yummi, the Vatana coffee bar (also a design by yours truly).

The sports department plays a big and important role for Vatana. The company also acts as a local sponsor for several soccer teams. The range of brands in the sports department is impressive to say the least. We challenged ourselves here as well to present everything, in all its multiplicity, in a nice and cohesive manner. And it worked! All the brands are over the moon about the new Vatana concept. The sprinting lines on the floor invite you to make a run for the checkout immediately!

The denim department stands out right away. A floor with dark colors and herringbone pattern, rusty clothing racks, concrete and wood give the whole a rough edge. Between the clothing racks there’s lots of decorations and plants. It’s all about the details baby!

Teens are eagerly searching for an identity. Their social media accounts are jam-packed with selfies and hashtags. We decided to incorporate that in this department: hashtags, self-esteem boosting quotes in the fitting rooms and identifiable visuals. The department draws attention by using different patterns and their contrast with the clothing.