M Worldwide

Having worked together at RPA for a number of years, David Martin and Michael Heanue Co-founded M Worldwide in 2001. Since its inception the consultancy has gone from strength to strength creating compelling customer journeys for retailers in the sectors ranging from banking and grocery to leisure, convenience and casual dining, working with clients including Lloyds, Halifax, NatWest, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Little Chef and Glo Restaurants, as well as a number of Scandinavian brands.

Working with Iceland’s much-loved supermarket Hagkaup, they revisited the retailer’s flagship store proposition in the light of increasing competition. With a strategy to focus on using the square metres ‘smarter’ they reduced the store’s footprint by nearly 50%, yet still managed to increase footfall by 13% and sales by 77% per sq.m. The new store concept focuses on creating retail theatre, by thinking less supermarket and more department store. Curating product stories and creating a buzzing environment, where a sushi bar and rotisserie sit alongside beauty offers from Urban Decay and Chanel, a supermarket where you can pop in to pick up an evening meal, or enjoy a manicure – the offer, mix of brands featured and approach to the store design creates a point of difference for them in the marketplace.

Creating retail concepts with a targeted proposition is where M Worldwide excels, as we can see in their flexible concept for Morrisons, which uses customer segmentation research and space allocation to create a proposition which is appropriate to the locality.

The aim of their concept for Lloyds Bank in Manchester is also to create a targeted, localised offer, that combines face-to-face expertise with technology. The relaxed open plan concept changes the customer journey and provides a variety of semi-private and private spaces which facilitate conversations between customers and bank colleagues. The bank features a barista-serviced coffee bar, catered by a local artisan start-up and Lloyds Bank customer, a business hub, work-spaces and also offers free events and seminars, with all elements designed to support the personal and business needs of the local Manchester community.

Working with Scandinavian Arion Bank they have taken the banking concept further, removing counters from the space, the open and welcoming design feels more like a tech store than a bank with the added flexibility of being reconfigurable. Located in a shopping centre in Reykjavik, the concept helps create focus on face-to-face interactions to engage customers when they need advice or to learn further about services.

Their concept for Scandinavian tea and coffee roaster, Te & Kaffi is an ‘express format’ permanent pop-up which can be fitted indoors or outdoors, where it can be connected to water, drainage and electricity. Transported to site in a shipping container, the kit of parts can be assembled in a few days, with flexible seating areas tailored to the location and clientele.

With visitor attraction clients including Chester Zoo, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and Bath’s Roman Spa, their leisure portfolio expands with a project for The Postal Museum in London’s Clerkenwell. Housing two shops and a café, the materiality of each space provides a nod to the heritage of postal depots and rail transportation and feel like an extension of the exhibition space with lively graphics and colourful window displays to appeal to the diverse range of museum visitors and passers-by.

M Worldwide is adept at creating innovative and commercially successful, customer-centric concepts that push the boundaries in the sector, providing stand out for their clients against the competition.