national geographic store at vivo city in singapore

national geographic opened its first asian store in singapore. ‘in asia, singapore is arguably a country where asians and the rest of the world gather, with many nationalities and cultures living alongside each other. it is the perfect place to start in asia,’ said executive sven thierhoff (reuters).

located in singapore’s largest shopping mall, far from the jungles and volcanoes its magazines typically depict, the store lures in customers with walls lined with national geographic photos.

best known for its yellow-edged magazine, the national geographic nonprofit group opened its first retail space in november 08 on london’s regent street, after four years of planning.

the store feels like a museum … it’s an interesting concept. marketing officials said they believed consumers, particularly those subscribing to national geographic’s magazine and television channel, would still pay for quality products despite a downturn that has pushed us all into recession. founded in 1888, the national geographic is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world that dedicated to bring knowledge and color of the world that will inspire mankind to care about the diversified cultures and natural environments. national geographic said it reaches 325 million people worldwide via its various media. its magazines have more than 100,000 subscribers only in singapore.

the store will be geared toward amateur explorers, travel enthusiasts, adventure seekers and environmentalists. national geographic will regularly organise public lectures by some of its most renowned explorers, authors and photographers, as well as free film screenings at vivo city’s outdoor amphitheatre, providing education and entertainment for young and old and for travelers and armchair explorers.

john fahey, national geographic’s president and CEO, said ‘our goal is to inspire people to care about the planet, and our strategy is to continually find new and exciting ways to reach and engage the public. we’re excited about these new retail environments and see them as a perfect complement to our media expansion efforts, which have been so successfully realized with our local-language magazines and our international channels. as a result of this exciting new partnership, national geographic will be able to reach people in their communities on a more personal level and inspire them with fresh experiences.’

designboom visited the huge store with our local friend, singaporean designer casey chen. he told us that it’s currently his favorite store in town, because of the stunning colorful photographs together with the ambiance of dark interior, soft yellowish spotlights, museum-like displays and the soothing music… (national geographic store should give him a bonus for that ad).

occupying 1,500 square meters, the store features a retail marketplace along with an exhibition area, gallery of photographs and unique experience zones, including a climate control chamber for visitor to try out explorer gear and accessories under simulated freezing condition.

you can step into the chamber with your usual tropical-clothes and see how long you can remain in the freezing conditions that reach 1.5 degree celsius. the ventilator inside the chamber also simulates the wind chill, which is a key component responsible for body heat loss. at the same time, you can see the change in your body temperature on a screen linked to thermo camera. the thermo camera provides accurate radiometric thermographic temperature measurements of your body. the blue color of the image will become darker as the temperature drops.

the retail market place feature unique items produced, sourced or selected by national geographic from different parts of the world. we were told everything you see in the store are for sale. even the display shelves and tables too!

in the singapore store, visitors can purchase antiques such as a balinese-made horse sculpture for 7,500SGD.

key product lines include national geographic’s rugged basic, international traveler and explorer gear clothing lines and accessories; casual and expedition-style footwear; a full range of optics, from eyewear and binoculars to telescopes and cameras; …

… journals, calendars and other stationery products; maps, atlases and guidebooks; watches; home furnishings and dėcor, with a special emphasis on reclaimed wood pieces; and a wide selection of children’s products.

the partnership grants worldwide retail store, a holding company based in barcelona, an exclusive retail license for national geographic stores in more than 80 countries outside the united states and will include flagship retail environments, airport stores and boutique offerings. additional store openings are planned worldwide in 2009.