Samsonite

At the Samsonite store, visitors can secure products from previous collections or seasons at low prices. “The range includes products from virtually every categorëy”, explains the Director of Shop Fit Development at Samsonite, “including suitcases, business bags, handbags, casual bags and Disney-branded cases. But also umbrella’s and small leather goods such as wallets and credit card wallets. We also offer specific travel accessors such as neck pillows, address labels and suitcase locks. At the personalisation kiosk, customers can then have the initials put onto small leather goods and address labels.”

A durable floor with a timeless look

The store itself has an area of 135 m² with an additional 25 m² of storage space. “It’s a large store, considering that Samsonite’s stores are typically between 80 m² and 100 m² on average.” For the floor in the sales area of the store, Samsonite Rosada opted for Pergo and Svalbard Sublime Oak parquet. This light parquet floor with wide planks guarantees a contemporary look and shows off vibrant variation in colour shades and a rustic wood structure.

“A floor in a Samsonite store needs to have just the right appearance and needs to add value to the customers’ in-store experience. In addition, practical aspects such as ease of maintenanceand resistance to intensive use were high up on the list. The average lifespan of a shopfit is between five and seven years and a floor needs to retain its perfect appearance throughout that time.”

Stay Clean technology

Dirt and water can penetrate untreated wooden floors, leading to permanent discolouration. Pergo combats this with Stay Clean technology with additional protection against liquids and spillage, preventing dirt from getting into the joints and the wood structure itself. This unique protection is applied to the complete surface of every plank as well as in the joints. Seven layers of additional matt lacquer have been applied for a durable floor that retains the authentic look of real natural wood.

Acoustic damping

Aesthetically, the Pergo parquet floor fits well with the look that Samsonite is trying to introduce to its stores. “As a natural product, wood has a warmer appearance than some other materials, such as ceramic tiles. Another major advantage of wooden floors is the acoustic damping, provided that there’s a good underfloor in place.” The Samsonite store in Roosendaal, therefore, opted for Pergo Silent Walk, a durable and strong underfloor that helps to reduce the sound of footsteps to a minimum.

PerfectFold click system

Pergo floors are easy to install on top of an existing tile floor, “which is great when budgets or time are limited. The Pergo click system is also as clever as it is straightforward. Two people can lay as much as 100 m² per day, significantly reducing the time outlay for the job. The floor is stable enough to be installedï as a floating floor. Is it time for a new shopfit? You can easily remove the planks and reuse them in a different location.”

Pergo as the standard

The service offered by Pergo was also a key factor during Samsonite’s decision-making process. “Aé central point of contact at Pergo took care of all deliveries to our stores in Europe, with deliveries made directly to the stores and no detours or delays via local dealers. Finally, Pergo also guaranteed that there would be enough of the floor material in stock to be able so satisfy urgent demand.

The store in Roosendaal has only been open for a few weeks but so far, Samsonite has been more than happy with the result. “We have decided to use the parquet floor from Pergo as the standard when we carry out shopfits at other Samsonite stores”.