case studies
Magners
Location:
5th Floor, 48 Leicester Square, London, W1
Value:
£Undisclosed
Size:
4,400 sq ft
Duration:
6 weeks
Area Sq carried out the design and fit out of Magners GB's new 4,400 sq ft London office at 48 Leicester Square.
Magners is part of the C&C Group plc - a leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded beverages in Ireland and the UK. Magners is made in Clonmel, Ireland, for export to the United Kingdom, the United States and Continental Europe. C&C recently acquired The Gaymer Cider Company which produces a range of branded and own label cider for the on and off-trade in the UK. In bringing the Magners and Gaymers brands together, the new Magners GB business was keen to have a London presence - right in the heart of the West End, in Leicester Square.
Magners GB's brief was to create a client facing office which would promote for their products and marketing material. The display areas had to be adaptable so the client could change them as their product and marketing campaigns evolved.
Lauren Daw, Lead Designer at Area Sq, worked closely with the Magners branding team to create the right look and feel. She comments: "We created a blank canvas through minimal finishes and decorations which gave the client the flexibility to adapt the office in-line with changing marketing campaigns. The carefully selected colours and finishes within the feature walls complemented the Magners branding and included digital wall coverings as well as an oversized ice cube manifestation on the silicon jointed glass."
The Area Sq team had to work hard to overcome the challenges of the building at 48 Leicester Square. Through a clever partitioning design, Lauren was able to lose many of the columns which originally broke up the space. In addition to this, the new office space required an additional fresh air supply. With nowhere to fit an external condenser the team designed and installed an internal condenser concealed within a joinery piece which was then vented through an external wall.
In reference to the layout of the office Lauren comments: "The layout of the space was designed to integrate both the client and staff environments. We created synergy between the front of house and back of house by combining a client mock-up bar with the staff breakout area."
Magners also requested an 'off-trade' area in order to view their products at the point of sale in a supermarket setting.
The office was finished with contemporary furniture supplied by Area Sq's sister company, Sketch Studios.
Gordon Johncox, Managing Director at Magners comments: "Area Sq created an office which is both practical and functional but above all is an environment that our people are proud to work in."
Jonathan Davis, Head of GB Finance at Magners adds: "I am highly impressed with the end result and feel that the design concept really works!"
