• by Larissa Faw , August 17, 2018

Those typically seeking to purchase $1,000 vacuums usually want to test the product -- which is why Germany's Miele turned to WPP's Fitch agency to open its first retail experience.

The Toronto-based storefront serves as a series of "playful, interactive spaces" where visitors can test the brand's kitchen, laundry, and floor-care appliances in the context of a contemporary family home.

The Active Kitchen, for instance, changes through the day, providing demonstrations of products to showcase their benefits. There's also a live herb wall that visitors can use when testing the cooking abilities of some appliances. 

In the Laundry zone, participants can glimpse “inside” each wash cycle, courtesy of a digital washing machine. The M-Touch wall highlights the integrated technology that sits behind Miele’s range of built-in appliances to illustrate the company's pitch that customers can operate them as easily as they can with a smartphone. 

Fitch has been involved from the initial sketch, right through to the creation of all digital content created for the experience.  

The client is using the retail experience as a blueprint for other in-store formats, including Miele Exclusive Care boutiques and shop-in-shops, says Mario Brown, design director, Fitch.