China’s most popular spirit distilled to its distinctive essence

GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing

Nanjing / 2020

China’s most popular spirit distilled to its distinctive essence

GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing

Nanjing / 2020


GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects

Though still a young brand, GUIJIU wishes to conquer both its home market and expand into international markets. This is only possible with the very best baijiu. Its elaborate distilling process, treasured ingredients, high product quality and exclusive batch volumes are the brand’s core values that encounter visitors to the store. Our brand experience in Nanjing builds on these values, allowing visitors to experience GUIJIU’s identity as a formidable premium segment player. A brand space that is a whole lot more than just a retail space.

Tradition meets lifestyle
The Chinese cult drink baijiu is gradually taking over the world. With GUIJIU, the Guiniang Group has moved with the times and created a premium spirit that, after conquering the regional market, is now gaining in international relevance. After already successfully designing several experience stores for the Guiniang Group, we have once again translated the succinct brand world of the ‘white alcohol’ into an interior design for Nanjing, which combines tradition with a modern lifestyle at the very highest level. An unmistakable, immersive brand experience embodying the standards that GUIJIU expresses with its noble bottles: superior quality and elegance.

The essence of its origins
Baijiu originates from Guizhou, a province in southwest China, which for a long time was considered almost inaccessible to the outside world. Guizhou is a mountainous region, blessed by cascading waterfalls and possessing a mysterious atmosphere – fertile ground for our creative approach that is inspired by water, the source of life and the soul of every good spirit. What is more, it refers to the history of baijiu that stretches back over centuries. GUIJIU combines this essence in a taste experience that is traditionally celebrated in five steps: see, smell, taste, savour and enjoy.

Customer journey as pleasure ride
As a high-quality spirit, GUIJIU is like an urbane and sophisticated friend, whom you would be happy to meet for a drink. Located on the fourth floor of a high-rise building, the brand experience is an oasis of pleasure that captivates visitors as soon as they exit the lift. On entering the brand experience, you are guided toward an impressive round stone table, upon which the story of baijiu is told via a video projection. The craftsmanship and knowledge that go into the spirit can thus be experienced at first hand. Straight away, an atmosphere is generated that is elegant, saturated and luxurious at the same time. The spatial narration leads over to the hero product, positioned on a golden pedestal: the brand thus rises up from traditional values to an international level.

From there, a catwalk entices visitors to immerse themselves fully in the sensual world of baijiu. While a landscape is created from colourful variations of the iconic GUIJIU bottle on the outer walls, the journey through the tunnel becomes an impressive immersive experience thanks to a digital floor that can be personalised for any occasion. The catwalk design plays with the elements and reminds us above all of water as the primordial source. The ideal selfie spot, certain to enrich any guestbook, especially when the space is rented exclusively.

The aim of the passage is an emotional compression of brand, origins and production process. It leads out into the tasting area, a large space equipped with private niches that introduces visitors to the world that makes GUIJIU so special: the balance between private intimacy, the eccentricity of the effect and the outstanding taste. To fully experience this, you can participate in the entire tasting ritual at a circular bar in the centre. The lounge establishes a relationship with nature through the use of colour and light, and makes you forget the bustle of the outside world. In a special customisation area with dancing ceiling mirrors, a baijiu can be created to suit your own tastes. Finally, the sales rooms provide a route back to everyday life.

Brand experience for all the senses
Our concept translates the extraordinary care that GUIJIU invests in its production process into a world of sophisticated materials: The execution of the interior design is precise, warm and of high quality. The lighting mood reflects the colours of nature and serves as an elegant guide through the brand experience. For GUIJIU’s high-quality creations and its exclusive brand experience, we have employed truly unique forms, layers and materials – as unique as the taste of a fine baijiu.

Categories

Awards

  • 2022 / iF DESIGN AWARD
    Winner – Interior Architecture/Shops, Showrooms
  • 2021 / Global Habitat Design Awards
    Merit Award – Interior Design: Public Space

GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects

The journey through the tunnel becomes an impressive immersive experience thanks to a digital floor that can be personalised for any occasion.

GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects

GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects

GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects

GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects
GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects

GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects

GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects
GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects
GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects

GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects

GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects

GUIJIU Brand Experience Store Nanjing, Nanjing. A project by Ippolito Fleitz Group – Identity Architects
Client
  • Guiniang Group Ltd.
Location
  • Nanjing
Status
  • Completed (2020)
Categories
Photography
  • Sui Sicong
Team
  • Arsen Aliverdiiev
  • Ruth Calimlim
  • Halil Dogan
  • Timo Flott
  • Peter Ippolito
  • Dora Latkoczy
  • Leo Luo 罗怡
  • Charlotte Scheben
  • Simranpreet Singh
  • Wenso Yang 杨文硕
  • Dirk Zschunke
Copyright
  • Ippolito Fleitz Group
Publications

Books