Candy coral terrazzo from Forbo’s Modul’up range distils Edinburgh Gin brand identity.

When Edinburgh Gin announced its latest pop-up store in Edinburgh city centre, they tasked Exhibeo VM to design a destination which reinforced the company’s branding, whilst creating a lasting visual impact on customers.

Using a colourful, textured look to elevate the customer experience and entice shoppers into the store, Exhibeo VM specified Forbo Flooring Systems’ adhesive-free Modul’up range in the Coral Terrazzo colourway, to bring the vision to life.

After being based at the nearby Frederick Street, Edinburgh Gin decided it was time to go all out and form a brand new, flagship-style destination shop, which prompted a move to the nearby Hanover Street.

Arantxa Garcia, Creative Consultant Designer at Exhibeo VM, said: “We wanted to create a pop-up store similar to the existing premises on Frederick Street, but almost step it up a bit, moving more towards the feeling of a flagship store. It would be a place where people could go for an experience. We added a mini tasting area too – a space where customers could come in, sit down and enjoy some of the amazing gins on offer. We also wanted to display the products in a zoned fashion to make purchasing easier for customers.

“In line with Edinburgh Gin’s brand guidelines, it was important that the shop was colourful and that the colours used helped to evoke thoughts of the botanicals used in the gin distilling process.”

With the bottles of Edinburgh Gin lining the walls, Exhibeo VM opted for a candy pink theme to run throughout the shop, with brightly lit wall-mounted shelving and extravagant designs in the glass windows.

The glossy pink theme is aided by Forbo’s adhesive free Modul’up flooring solution in the contemporary Coral Terrazzo colourway – a pattern and texture that is slightly reminiscent of the ingredients used to distil the gin. Arantxa commented on the design choice, saying: “We really liked the finish of the Modul’up sheet - it has this amazing Terrazzo pattern which goes nicely with the candy aesthetic that runs throughout the shop itself. The flooring definitely pulled the design together; it gave us the continuity we wanted. We had specified coloured LEDs to be placed behind all the shelving, to really enhance the colours of the gins and the flooring brought that whole colour palette together.”

Forbo’s Modul’up range wasn’t only chosen because of the contemporary colourways it is available in, but also because of how easy the installation is. Typically, flooring is the first port of call for most projects, but Forbo’s Modul’up was installed last on this project, thanks to its quick and easy installation. Arantxa explained: “We actually did the installation in reverse; usually flooring is the first thing installed in a project, but in this case, it was the last thing we put in. It took a team of four installers - recommended by Forbo – just five hours to install in the morning of the grand opening, as it is installed using Forbo’s unique double-sided tape – another big reason behind the choice of floor covering.”

Forbo’s Modul’up range can also be easily removed and is immediately ready for recycling via Forbo’s Back to the Floor scheme. The ease of removal also allows the flooring to be reused if needed, reducing waste further. And with no adhesive used, the substrate remains clean meaning the flooring can be replaced without time consuming and expensive subfloor preparation.

The Edinburgh Gin shop on Hanover Street was awarded ‘Commended’ in the Forbo Escapes 2021/22 competition.