Cod Steaks, an award-winning Bristol-based creative design and build team, has worked with Reliance Brands Limited (RBL) on a new play and retail concept called Hamleys Play. The first such venue is now open at the new Jio World Drive in Mumbai, India.
Mark Pyrah, Cod Steak’s development director has a lot of experience with the Hamleys brand, having worked with Hamleys for 8 years before joining Cod Steaks. During this time, he worked on the design and build of the Hamleys World format in the Czech Republic, Russia, South Africa, China and the USA.
As a result of this experience, Pyrah saw an opportunity for a more play centric opportunity and, under the new ownership of RBL, Darshan Mehta, president and chief executive asked him to explore the possibility further.
Enhancing retail with play
RBL wanted to explore new possibilities, and for Cod Steaks, this passion and fresh approach to the brand, as well as their ability to bring operational theatre to the concept, was exciting. Cod Steaks was commissioned to conceive a new 80% play and 20% retail concept that would both work in a rollout and franchise format and also be much more accessible and open than the pure retail format.
Due to the physical distance, the pandemic and build economies the project was built locally. RBL also worked with local brand, marketing and graphics companies to put a cultural enhancement over the design.
This was a different project for Cod Steaks, a company that usually focuses on realising projects through the creation and build process. In this case, thanks to its understanding of how to enhance the retail experience with play, as well as its understanding of the Hamleys brand, it was able to work collaboratively with local companies to support RBL at distance and bring a unique concept to life.
Further brand penetration
“I hope Hamleys Play becomes a firm ingredient to the Hamleys offer moving forward and becomes a platform that allows further brand penetration into malls that otherwise could not support a full Hamleys retail store,” says Pyrah.
Over the last four decades, Cod Steaks has grown from a small Bristol-based model-making company to become a leading creation agency in the UK. It offers design and project management, 3D scanning, graphic design, engineering, electronics, joinery, metalwork, textiles, model Making, CNC, GRP, vac-forming and polyurea spraying.
It has produced over 2000 projects for animation, film, museums, exhibitions, brand centres, retail, immersive attractions, theme parks, science centres, aquariums, zoos and art installations around the globe.
Earlier this year, Cod Steaks developed and built all the courses and the show lighting for Pop Golf at BOXPARK Wembley, a new social play experience for crazy golfers and pop music fans alike.
