Shopping centres, high street stores and independent retail outlets profit from British Turntable movement all year round, but none so much as at Christmas, when, thanks to creative thinking, stunning Christmas displays transform the retail environment into an inviting, exciting and desirable place to be. From revolving animated Christmas trees, Santa grottos and merchandise presentation, British Turntable’s customers are particularly creative when planning their seasonal displays.
John Entwistle, Managing Director of British Turntable, comments: “Movement increases awareness, particularly at Christmas, when competition for shoppers’ attention is high. Children love it – it’s exciting and stimulating – and the general public still love a classic revolving Christmas tree. Bentalls of Kingston have celebrated Christmas with a 12 metre high revolving tree, as have the Metro Centre in Gateshead and the Arndale Centre in Manchester, and they can be just as effective at one or two metres high for the individual store.
“Wherever and however it’s used, movement will draw attention to less interesting areas of the store or venue, and it’s inexpensive, too, in many cases costing less than a 20 watt light bulb to run.”
Ceiling-mounted revolves are also very popular and effective in seasonal display as they do not take up valuable floor, counter or shelf space, leaving the sales area free for shoppers to mingle in comfort and for the all-important merchandise displays.
KD Decoratives have been using ceiling-mounted animated displays to bring Manchester’s Trafford Centre to life, changing the theme every three years to maintain interest and using British Turntable rotary units to turn giant glitter balls. KD’s Matthew Kitchen-Dunne says that movement has been central to their designs. “It really lifts the display, creating a magical setting that will attract shoppers and encourage them to linger,” he says.
David Aldridge Animation Ltd has also used ceiling mounted revolves to create a special Christmas atmosphere at Houghton Hall Garden Centre, the rotary movement adding impact to the individual animated displays. “Although all the individual characters within our displays were animated, there is no doubt that having individual displays revolving added significantly to the visual impact and success of the scheme,” says David Aldridge.
As well as being used to create an attractive, eye-catching seasonal ambience, ceiling-mounted revolves are ideal where space is tight as they allow products to be displayed without taking up valuable floor, counter or shelf space. They are particularly effective at increasing footfall to a particular part of the retail or supermarket environment because of their high visibility and movement, particularly when incorporated into signage.
In addition to the ceiling-mounted range British Turntable’s standard display movement range includes PoP oscillator and pendulum movement, rotary units from 12 cm up to 10 metres in diameter with optional extras such as slip rings, static centres, positional or timed hesitation, variable speed and oscillation. Many can be hired for short term use, and most standard models are available off-the-shelf.
