”Deco“ means design and “leisure” of course refers to leisure time. The two English words precisely indicate what the German company from Wesel in the Lower Rhine area does. It designs rooms for retail, the hotel and restaurant industry and the leisure industry. When Gerhard Pennekamp became Managing Partner in 2003, furniture manufacturing and interior design were the company’s key aspects. Today this also includes international project management.
Technically, you are a furniture manufacturer. How did deco leisure come to be?
Many furnishings and fittings for shops and restaurants are also needed in theme parks, but they are very sophisticated when it comes to design. Since we realize the requested design ourselves in our facility, we can completely meet the demands of theme parks. Today 40 associates work at our headquarters in Wesel, who annually serve about 250 projects for international customers. deco leisure was started in 1995 within the Deco Group, established in 1932, and focuses on convenience and leisure.
What significance does traditional shop fitting have in your company?
Classic shop fitting still has great significance. It has more of a “chain store” character. In contrast, the furnishings and fittings in recreation centers should be seen as individual projects.
Today the main focus is on international project management. What do you do and where?
We work all over Europe for many different companies. Our main countries are England and France.
What are the special requirements for shops at theme parks?
Theme park shops mostly sell merchandise articles. These are often showcased on slatwall panels to achieve the largest possible flexibility. The range of products in theme parks is oftentimes very similar; there are key chains, baseball caps and T-Shirts.
How do gift and souvenir shops turn into experience stores?
Generally, an experience store has a specific theme. For example, this could be a shop designed after a comic strip – for instance Sponge Bob or Disney – or a medieval-themed restaurant.
Museum gift shops oftentimes look more like bookstores. How is the museum theme reflected in the store?
One example of practical experience: Madame Tussauds Shop in London. Many interesting items are vividly displayed and sold here for instance. The shop design is correspondingly elaborate.
Which materials do you recommend for the hospitality industry in recreation centers?
Natural materials always look authentic. Great decoration is also important. The ambiance in the gastronomical establishments should reflect the experience and the theme of the recreation center, respectively.
Which hospitality design do you take special pride in? And why?
I would love to mention KLM Catering Schiphol Airport Amsterdam. This is a simple and yet very harmonious design project that aims at selling high quality food creations.
How do you avoid royalty arguments in shop and restaurant design? Sponge Bob costs money. What is permitted?
You can only avoid license fees, if you create your own characters. Small theme parks have their own icon characters, which are specified in the corporate identity.
Is the U.S. still the trendsetter in the leisure industry? What is happening in Russia for example?
The U.S. is still No. 1 in the leisure industry. Theme parks like Disney and Universal continue to be unmatched in terms of what they offer. Other countries very often attempt to copy these qualities.
Which projects are you currently working on?
Presently we are working for a very large wellness provider among other things, as well as on themed furnishings for cruise ships.
At the EuroShop 2011, you received the AIT Innovation Award by the AIT architectural magazine. What has become of it?
That is correct; in collaboration with the LEaD Light Company, we won the award in the “Architecture and Presentation” category for our jointly developed product “DayLEaD”. Lighting is a fundamental topic for every furnishing manufacturer. LED is the technology of the future and can be very well incorporated in our décor projects.
