Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/513366
The displays invite visitors to "touch, turn and tinker with faucets, shower- heads, basins and baths, all of which are hooked up to plumbing, as well as an array of ranges, refrigerators, grills and more," said CEO Jeffrey Sears. "It's all in service of a very simple philosophy: h E I n h E r E n T S E x a p p E a l of refrigerators, showerheads and washing machines — this might not be immediately apparent to most people. Certainly, it may not be to anyone who has never visited a pirch showroom. nevertheless, pirch is "romancing" the home-improvement market, and has been since 2009. Its showrooms are designed to evoke a sensual and im- mersive shopping experience, in a bid to change the way people view these rather utilitarian prod- ucts, observers say. The wares are displayed in "beautiful, inspira- tional settings [that] create almost a mouth-watering quality," wrote Wendy liebmann, CEO of WSl Strategic retail, in a report titled "Shaking It Up." We believe you should be able to expe- rience firsthand, rather than be forced to solely rely on your imagination, how a given product might behave in the real world." (Indeed, visitors may even shower in a closed-off room — if there be any bold enough to try it.) In the kitchen department, pirch even employs full-time chefs to dem- onstrate the equipment. "Tricks of the trade, tips and tastings are shared with visitors liberally and freely; there's never any charge," said Sears. pirch operates eight showrooms now, having made its northeast debut in March, at Westfield Garden State plaza, paramus, n.J. On deck for 2016 is a show- room for new York City's trendy Soho neighborhood. The others are located in California, Georgia, Illinois and Texas. The pirch expansion is well timed: It T plumbing new heights Pirch brings function and beauty to the kitchen and bathroom By Barbara Thau r e T a i l i n g T o d a y 26 S C T / J u n e 2 0 1 5