In mid-April 2008 Karo was awarded two new projects involving rebranding, signage and wayfinding for two prominent shopping malls in Calgary and Vancouver.
Park Royal, West Vancouver
Karo will undertake the re-branding and complete Wayfinding & Signage for Park Royal Shopping Centre, one of the first shopping centres in Canada. The owners want to emphasize the centre’s premium retail offering and new master plan. The first phase will be launched as part of a new Fall campaign. Subsequent phases will feature new development from entertainment to a boutique hotel as Park Royal expands into a major regional urban centre.
Southcentre, Calgary
Over the past two years Karo participated in planning and some initial work on the site, and has now been selected for the complete wayfinding and sign program for Southcentre, a 33-year-old mall in southeast Calgary. Southcentre is in the midst of a major upgrade, including a new food court on its north side.
Southcentre is our fifth major project for Ivanhoe Cambridge, following Karo’s re-branding, wayfinding and signage work at Metropolis at Metrotown, which started in 1999.
That project continues to this day with the ongoing refinement of site wayfinding, development of a third office tower, and inclusion of a seasonal entertainment centre.
Understanding how shoppers navigate from store to store, and creating a pleasant shopping atmosphere for them is how Karo helps strengthen a mall’s brand. We know the customer experience is the brand. With that knowledge, we’re able to revitalize two landmark malls in two major Canadian cities.
“When we acquired the mall adjacent to our existing property (Metropolis at Metrotown), we knew the two had to be brought together under one powerful and cohesive brand. The new brand identity and retail wayfinding program Karo created was so well conceived that it is one of the reasons our revenues have increased significantly.”
Brian Castle, Senior Vice President, Ivanhoe Cambridge