Amsterdam is and always has been a very international city full of design and innovation. Biking and walking are the modes of transportation here so street visibility is key. Cheese is in their blood and we saw it showing up in new ways this visit.
Here’s what we saw on our LSMTours: Amsterdam.
CHEESE EXPERIENCES
The Netherlands is known for cheese and you see it everywhere in Amsterdam. This visit we saw two new concepts all about cheese.
Henri Willig has been demonstrating the craft of the wooden shoemaker, the cheese maker and process of cheese making at his farms (Hoeves) and at his Cheese Factory to more than a million visitors annually for over 35 years across the Netherlands. Now they’ve launched Cheese and More retail stores in Amsterdam carrying the cheese products and a collection of Dutch wine and accompaniments. It’s also a great example of clean store with minimal signage…they let the product speak eating for itself.
Old Amsterdam Cheese is a brand you find around the world in grocery stores. Now they have a flagship store on Dam Square in Amsterdam. The Westland Family successfully produced a secret recipe for their cheese decades ago and are still making it the same way today. When fully matured, Old Amsterdam cheese is smooth, rich, robust and easily sliceable. You can taste for yourself with their sampling stations throughout the new store. It’s a great example of being an expert in ONE product and bringing it to life through flavors, pairings and packaging.
SIGNAGE
Signage is critical to driving awareness of your location. These examples literally caught our eye.
Product Signs
There’s no mistaking what these places serve when you see them from the street. These signs are still working the way they did centuries ago.
Easy to read font, big windows, simple signage…it all catches your eye from the street. And the interior design is small enough you can see the white brightly interior signage from the outside too. Made us want noodles!
The ‘mmm’ caught our eye (actually ‘mmm’ as a crow), but what really drew us in was the strong scents of chocolate wafting onto the street. And the contents delivered!
DISPLAYS
Showing off your ingredients and products front and center is the best way to draw customers in.
This “health concept based on fresh fruit and healthy dark chocolate in any form and combination” showed it first hand with these exterior displays on the sidewalk.
Bakeries
Europen bakeries do it so well…abundant display cases with delicious products.
NEW CONCEPTS & TRENDS
These were worth remarking about and sharing.
Also a Cultural Embassy, The Lloyd Hotel is the first 1-to-5 star hotel in the world and has rotating exhibits worth of even non-guests checking them out. While we stayed there, they had the first ever post office in a hotel. In addition to their great bar and restaurant, they’ve made themselves a destination for all AND worth of word of mouth buzz. We told people about where we were staying because of its offerings. You don’t often to that.
Rood
Everything in this little retail spot was rood, or red. That’s certainly a way to focus your offerings.
We’ve seen pie shops popping up in the US now but this UK concept started in 2002 with the goal to bring the very best pies to the UK. With their very clever British name, they’re now offering their sweet and savory pies in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is a great city for inspiration. The Dutch are extremely innovative and design forward…even with their cheese. Their creativity can inspire all of us in our businesses.
