Retailtainment: The Ricola Experience Shop in Laufen, Switzerland

(eap) This summer, the family company Ricola opened an experience store centered around its well-known herbal candies, which are exported to 45 countries worldwide. The new store can be visited in the “hometown” of the herbal sweets: Laufen in Switzerland. On the first floor of the experience, customers find a lovingly designed store with special offers such as candy varieties from other countries that are not regularly sold in Switzerland, as well as a Pick&Mix station where guests can put together their own selection of candies in different flavours.

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The “entertainment” part awaits guests on the upper floor. Here, visitors can learn more about the history of the family business as well as about the candy production in an interactive exhibition. Also, guests can create their own candy variety and events and workshops are offered on a regular basis. The in-shop brand experience was designed by the Dutch company NorthernLight, which collaborated with the companies Heijmerink Wagemakers (production) and Yipp (multimedia design) for the implementation.

Besides the new experience store, there is already the Herb Center designed by architects Herzog & De Meuron and the Ricola Herb Garden in neighboring Nenzlingen. Thus, an entire family day can be designed around the world of herbs in Laufen and its surrounding area. ■