As is all too common in the current economy, the retail sector continues to be hit resulting in the closing down of many retail units around the country. Whilst the main cities around the country and indeed around the globe are being more resilient, satellite towns and suburbs of main cities are being badly effected.

Two such units to become the latest victims of the current climate were a former Cafe and Indian restaurant in Drogheda town. Both units have been closed since last year and the management company wanted something done with them to help bring life back to the courtyard space and to help let or sell the vacant units. After viewing some of the work we have done around the country and abroad, Fitzwilliam Properties contacted us to see what could be done.

“For us, it was a straight forward project” says our Virtual Shopfront MD, Nicholas Polley. ” We suggested a number of different types of Virtual Shopfronts that could be installed in both units and following discussions with the client it was quickly decided, from digtial mockups produced, that our Virtual Shopfront Cafe and Launderette would be installed. From there it was simply a matter of modifying our window graphics to fit each unit to scale, outputting them at very high resolution, and then getting them printed and installed.  The workflow was very smooth with little to now work on the side of the client”

With both units now fully installed, our client is extremely happy with the results which we are confident will achieve their objective. These are photos of the installed units. (Unfortunately the lovely palm tree impedes the view of our Launderette but you can still get the picture!)

If you have a vacant retail unit or units that could benefit from our Virtual Shopfronts, please contact us to discuss. You can also view our vStock library here and choose a Virtual Shopfront for your vacant retail unit.

Virtual Shopfronts were approached just before Christmas by Jones Lang LaSalle Canada to take a look at the above vacant retail premises.  The vacant units are in a busy retail part of the city and JLL want improve their appearance. However their main goal is to attract attention and ultimately do something that will help let the premises. Traditional methods of letting or selling a vacant retail unit is to have the selling agents logo appear in the window of retail units containing basic contact details. However with the recession still biting hard this form of advertising no longer grabs attention. Something different needed to be done and that something are the Virtual Shopfronts.

Nicholas Polley, our Managing Director of Virtual Shopfronts is very excited with this particular project and what it could lead to. ” We are all really very excited that our Virtual Shopfronts will be appearing in Toronto and we believe that they will be the first of many to appear abroad. These are the first installations outside of Ireland but we never expected them to be as far away as Canada.  That said there is no difference to us whether it is Canada or our nearest neighbour, the UK, because the same processes apply”.

But with selling products abroad comes difficulties and certain logistical issues no matter what the product is. Nicholas continued “Whilst there has been some logistical issues to work out in terms of printing and installation, ultimately the process has been very smooth.  Once we educated the client on the concept and how the Virtual Shopfronts are created, and how they work, it was plain sailing. Our Virtual Shopfronts grab attention and our a unique way to help sell or let any vacant retail premises no matter where in the world they are installed.”

What helps clients greatly is the digital mock-up we do for every Virtual Shopfront we are going to install (see below). Whilst this is not an exact representation of scale or how the installed product will look, it does give our client a very good understanding of the installed product.  This digital mock-up is provided free of charge when we submit a proposal.

For this project, the final graphics are in the process of being signed off and once this happens they will be sent electronically to the client for local printing and installation. It’s an exciting time not only for Virtual Shopfronts but for the client who cannot wait to see the vacant retail units transformed.

If you have a vacant retail premises and you are interested in boosting it’s chances of being noticed and being sold or let quicker than expected, then get in touch with us and we can help. You can view our library of Virtual Shopfronts and the ones we have installed here and learn what Virtual Shopfronts are from watching the video here.

The shopping mall which was opened in the 80′s hasn’t changed much in looks over the years. Whilst it used to be one of the most popular shopping destinations of it’s time, sadly this is no longer the case. With outdated decor and a host of vacant retail units, very little shopping now takes place in the mall. The vast majority of footfall through the small centre is of people accessing Talbot Street from the Luas stop on Abbey Street or vice versa.

Towards the tailend of last year, management at the shopping mall had had enough and decided that it was time to finally do something to perserve what is left there, to try and enhance the look of the place and to even attract new business.  As of the start of 2013, the Irish Life Mall ceases to exist.  A new lease of life has been breathed into the centre. A complete rebrand now sees the establishment of the ‘Talbot Mall’ and the inside of the shopping mall has been transformed thanks to Virtual Shopfronts.

When we were first contacted by the shopping mall’s management company we immediately new that this was a project where we could truely make a difference. Over the past year and a half we have seen our Virtual Shopfronts transform deteriorating vacant retail units, entire shopping malls and retail high streets by bringing positivity and life back to what were once ghost like retail premises.  On first inspection of the centre however we were confronted with an almost impossible task. We were immediately faced with numerous challenges due to the layout of a number of the shop fronts and the fact that the vast majority of them had shutter fronts and were not modern style designs.

However it wasn’t long before we came up with solutions and not only for the vacant retail units. A complete rebrand of the mall was proposed along with the injection of a little bit of history of the surrounding area. Following numerous discussions with management, Virtual Shopfronts got to work surveying the empty units of the shopping mall and putting a plan together to reenergise the space. With unattractive closed shutters addressed, old Irish Life Mall signage revamped, new Talbot Mall signage installed and our Virtual Shopfronts now proudly appearing throughout the small centre, the shopping mall has been given a new lease of life.

Nicholas Polley founder of Virtual Shopfronts was extremely proud of the work that was carried out. “It’s not often you get to make a difference in the work you do, but I think we have done just that with the new Talbot Mall. It’s also great to see the immediate transformation that our Virtual Shopfronts have made to what were once unattractive vacant retail units and a deteriorating shopping amll. We have received hugely postive feedback from the client which is very satisfying. We have installed our Virtual Shopfronts all around the country but this project was particularly pleasing due to its challenges and the fact that the entire mall needed changing.  It’s one thing installing our Virtual Shopfronts in modern retail units, it’s quite a different story installing them in a shopping amll that contains very old style shop fronts.

So what next for Virtual Shopfronts? Well word has it that Virtual Shopfronts are going West. ” It’s true. We are in the process of preparing a number of Virtual Shopfronts for Kings Street in Toronto Canada. They are almost complete and will be winging their way there to transform the vacant retail units on a popular retail district in the city. Who knows where they will pop up next” – N.Polley

Is this the image that the Dublin Docklands Authority want to be portraying?

Well we think not. The potential for Virtual Shopfronts in this area is huge and combine that with the interactivity we could introduce to them there is great scope for making these vacant spaces come alive, inspire new business and ultimately let or sell the premises.  To prove what a difference we could make we have very quickly mocked one up for you.

Yesterday morning we met with Brenda Donohue from RTE Radio 1′s afternoon talkshow The Mooney Show to talk about our Virtual Shopfronts and the positive impact they are having across the country.  They also wanted to know what the public thought about our innovative business initiative,  how the Virtual Shopfronts work, are they helping to sell and let premises quickly and where the concept came from.

To listen to the interview between Brenda and Nicholas Polley, simply click on the link below.

Virtual Shopfronts on RTE Radio 1 The Mooney Show

For those that may not have seen the article on Virtual Shopfronts last Sunday here it is in all its glory. You can simply click on the image to enlarge and read.

On the back of this we have received a large number of enquiries about vacant retail units around the country. We also had an interview with LMFM (www.lmfm.ie) during the week and we will also be appearing on RTE’s Mooney show next week. We will keep you posted.

We were commissioned by Spain Courtney Doyle to look at what could be done with the ground floor glazing. Inititially the idea was to have one bespoke design across the entire ground floor but after a couple of discussions it was felt that 3 separate units would work best showing the potential of the building and to inspire new business. In the end our Virtual Deli, Coffee Shop and Newsagents were chosen for the 3 windows.

(click on photo to enlarge)