Building a Bridge Between Brands and Retailers [Case Study]

The annual advent of “sunglass season” in the retail industry triggers a tremendous amount of planning, coordination and creativity between sunglass brands and the retailers who sell them to the consumer.

Of course, there is one other essential player in this equation — the people who make the retail displays that invite shoppers to engage with the sunglasses, see how they look in the mirror and then pop them into the shopping cart.

This retail case study offers an inside look at how an experienced custom fixture manufacturer that has built decades-long relationships with top U.S. brands and retailers brings a truly unique approach to a complex project that involves:

• Designing and manufacturing an eye-catching new optical center to showcase a major brand (Foster Grant – FGX International) in-store at a major retailer (BJ’s Wholesale Club)
• Delighting the brand and the retailer with beautiful, functional, retail-ready sunglass displays, seamlessly shipped to the right stores, on time and on budget

An Experienced Trusted Partner for Top Brands and Retailers

The challenge facing Visual Creations/Rose Displays (VCI-Rose) was similar to those they have successfully executed countless time over the past 40 years, functioning as a high-quality provider but also as a trusted advisor for many of the nation’s leading brands and retailers.

As is often the case with VCI-Rose’s biggest and most complex projects, they were chosen for the project because they have successfully done similar work for the companies involved, and because they know the value of cultivating long-term relationships by consistently delivering a top-notch customer experience.

In this case, the project benefited from both an existing connection to BJ’s and a 35-year relationship with Foster Grant/FGX, as well as successful collaborations creating displays to showcase the Foster Grant brand at its absolute best in other major retail environments.

The project required both design and manufacturing expertise, but also a keen understanding of both the Foster Grant brand and the BJ’s retail environment. VCI-Rose leverages its decades of experience and its focus on listening and learning as part of an ongoing discovery process to become a trusted advisor to customers. The company strives to understand the goals, design aesthetics and public-facing identities of each of their clients, whether they are well-developed, multi-decade connections or newer business relationships.

Based on these factors, VCI-Rose was uniquely well-positioned to deliver the desired outcome for both of the key stakeholders — a smartly designed, visually appealing, well-manufactured optical center display with a 4’ x 8’ footprint to invite shoppers to engage with Foster Grant products at 200+ BJ’s locations.

Design, Manufacturing and a Turnkey Experience

The solution VCI-Rose created (pictured here) met all of these objectives and was well-received by the retail giant.

“VCI has been a pleasure to work with on the new Foster Grant Reading and Sunglass displays we just launched in January of 2021. VCI’s collaboration and expertise in design have been instrumental in this launch,” said Bryan Linhares, FGX International Sr. Director Club. “Our new displays give a fresh curb appeal to our merchandising strategy. The display layout and graphics have simplified the consumer shopping experience by highlighting our new innovation items such as Blue Light Readers, Sun Readers and highlights our new sunglass merchandising hang cards.”

All in a day’s work for Visual Creations/Rose Displays would be an oversimplification of the multitude of factors that go into a retail design and manufacturing project of this scope and complexity.

“As a long-term collaborative partner with Foster Grant, “we have a consultative relationship with the FGX team and have supplied many of the displays that you see in the market” said Jay Long, the longtime president/CEO of Visual Creations, who oversees a company culture focused on “expertly managing all project details for seamless execution from start to finish, on time and on budget.”

Expressing his deep appreciation for VCI’s longstanding relationships with other household names like CVS, Timberland, Rite Aid, Staples, Dick’s Sporting Goods and many others, Long added, “But you still have to go win the projects!”

Long credits the company’s long-term and ongoing success to several important factors:

• VCI-Rose’s unique position as a display and fixture provider that functions as a design, engineering and manufacturing house that also offers third-party fulfillment services, to deliver that turnkey experience to clients who need it
• The company’s flexibility to meaningfully engage with any client at any level, whether they need specific individual services or all of the above, including consultative services
• Their special ability and proven success at working as a “bridge” connecting brands and retailers

“Because we have 10-, 20-, 30-year relationships with some of these retailers, it gives us a better chance to help the brand get traction,” said Long, a feature that is particularly appealing to new and emerging brands seeking to get their products out to the masses.

Jay Long and his team love to talk about projects like this and other client stories, and they’re always available to have a conversation about how VCI-Rose might help with your next project.