Bershka Vittorio Emanuele | OMA - Office for Metropolitan Architecture

The rise of online shopping has not brought about the anticipated demise of the brick-and-mortar store. On the contrary, it exalted its relevance. No longer merely displaying and stocking merchandise, the store emerges as a space of rediscovered architectural quality in which online and in-person shopping find a mutually stimulating coexistence.

Amidst the challenges faced by the retail industry under pandemic restrictions, AMO took on the task of rethinking Bershka’s retail strategy. The question was how Bershka could evolve from a typical fast fashion store to an omnichannel hub. Our answer centered on three main goals: 1. Accommodate diverse visitor journeys as shopping becomes a more diverse activity (some buy online and pick up in- store, others try in-store and buy online, and many return their online purchases); 2. Redefine the special layout around services rather than products, shifting the services from the periphery of the store to the center in the form of ‘islands’ with a strong visual identity; 3. Increase and diversify the services, enabling shoppers at different paces, whether it be a quick visit or a leisurely, engaged exploration.

The Bershka Flagship Milano is the first to embody these ideas. It also presented the challenge to apply them to an existing space in a historical building. Occupying the first three floors of a former cinema along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the store has maintained a rather unremarkable presence over the last decade in an area oversaturated with retail. The new design establishes a new interface with the city, opening up the store to the street and the adjacent Galleria del Corso. Inside, its redefined services are hosted by an array of structures scattered not only in plan but also in section, from freestanding objects to dedicated corners.

*

Partner: Ellen van Loon
Associate: Giulio Margheri
Project Architect: Aleksander Zinovev, Valerio Di Festa, Lina Jaidi
Concept Design: Giulio Margheri, Lina Jaidi, Camille Filbien, Valerio Di Festa, Aleksander Zinovev, Eleni Varnavides, Philippe Le Quellec, Alicja Krzywinska, Mateusz Kiercz, Aleksander Zinovev, Alex Tintea, Giada Zuan, Mingda Zhang, Caterina Solini, Theodora Gelali, Eugene Kim, Giorgia Castelli Store Design: Giulio Margheri, Valerio Di Festa, Aleksander Zinovev, Jacopo Bellina, Miguel Herreras, Assem El Cheikh, Federico Taiariol, Luisa Carvalho Punchirolli, Lina Kostoff

*

Project: Bershka
Status: Completed
Client: Inditex
Location: Milan, Italy
Site: Corso Vittorio Emanuele II Program: Retail

Retail Area: 1872 sqm Total Area: 2634.55 sqm