Kohler launches Experience Center retail concept
Kohler Co. is rolling out a new retail concept called the Kohler Experience Center (KEC), a merchandising concept the company says will offer a "global immersion" into its products.
"Our Kohler Experience Centers build upon the success of our Signature Stores and will uniquely provide a deeper immersion into our product offerings for trade professionals sourcing and selecting the best products for any project, wherever it may be in the world," said David Kohler, president and chief executive officer of Kohler Co.
The first KEC is opening Wednesday, May 24 at 6 West 22nd Street in New York City. The 10,000-sq.-ft. facility will feature fully-functioning displays of Kohler's global product line, allowing trade professionals to test and source Kohler products, as well as letting customers experience the true differences in performance and design.
The space will include more than 20 kitchen and bath vignettes, an Artist Editions Gallery, art displayed in the storefront window, and an Experience Center, which includes a private bathing space where guests can exclusively experience products like Real Rain, the DTV+ digital showering system, VibrAcoustic hydrotherapy, and a range of showerheads and intelligent toilets from Kohler.
The KEC will also offer a new Kohler global specification service, giving professional architects and designers working on international projects to have instant, hands-on access to all products across the entire Kohler global portfolio. A Kohler team of experts will be stationed on-site to help source and resolve complex plumbing projects both in the United States and around the world. By-appointment videoconferencing will also be available, connecting customers with the full network of Kohler product experts across its international markets.
"We recognized a tremendous need across the industry for a deeper knowledge and insight into how our products work," says Larry Yuen, Kohler Co. president of the global Kitchen & Bath Group. "From a plumbing perspective, the products that work in a bathroom in Milan are acutely different from those that need to work in a hotel in Dubai, for instance. Our goal with the KEC is to provide design professionals with both the ability to source and resolve all plumbing needs on a global scale from any KEC location."
The KEC will also feature dedicated space for the Kallista and Robern brands, as well as an art exhibit space for select pieces from the permanent collection of Kohler Co. and its Arts/Industry program through the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
There will be a total of nine KECs launched over the next year, including one in London, followed by Los Angeles, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, New Delhi and Taipei.
