Vans
Case Study
About Vans
Under the umbrella of VF Corporation, Vans is the original action sports footwear company, rooted in authenticity and creativity. Founded in 1966, the brand has thrived on a legacy of impacting the greater community through sports, music, art, and street culture.
Their Vans West End Store at the heart of Oxford Street, London, was recently transformed into a global cultural hub. This reimagined space, now the brand’s largest store in Europe, features a permanent skate ramp at its center. It serves as the beating heart of the store, hosting skate demos, live music, and art events, solidifying the location’s role as a community destination.
Objective
The primary objective for this flagship store was to redefine retail by creating a vibrant community hub through innovative design and cultural events. This new approach transforms the space into a flexible, skateable destination and a global cultural center for the skateboarding community, moving beyond a traditional retail model to create an elevated brand experience.
Solutions
Vans – Skate Culture Anthems
The custom music program for Vans captures the brand’s core values: rebellious, edgy, and adventurous. It celebrates youth culture and creative expression while pushing forward with contemporary artists and sounds. The curated offering combines three distinct approaches to create a dynamic program as full of energy and creativity as skating itself. In a Vans store, customers might hear a wide range of music, from classic rock and punk to hip-hop, electronic, jazz, and R&B. The music also reflects key brand moments, offering a complete sonic experience of the Vans ecosystem.
Digital Signage
Mood Media’s digital signage solutions were critical to both the store’s initial deployment and its recent transformation. To attract customers and make a bold statement, an outdoor LED wall was prominently positioned above the entrance, ensuring continuous high-impact visibility.
Inside, the high-brightness indoor LED wall was ingeniously transformed into a mobile solution. This innovative reuse allows the screen to be flexibly positioned in any corner or space, fully supporting the store’s new identity as a transformable, event-driven retail environment. By repurposing this existing hardware, the company delivered a sustainable and operationally efficient solution. All content is scheduled and played via Mood Media’s proprietary signage platform: Harmony.
Systems
To provide the sound quality essential to the Vans brand, Mood Media installed a premium Bose audio system. This robust setup features RoomMatch loudspeakers with full-range quality, combined with additional subwoofers, delivering a superior in-store sound experience. This system is critical for supporting the store’s new identity as a cultural hub, as it delivers high-quality audio not only for consistent background ambiance but also for live music and events.
The system integration included networked amplifiers, sound/zone controllers, LED processors, and a control PC. Crucially, Mood Media maintains full remote access to all hardware, allowing the company to perform remote management in a sustainable and operationally efficient manner. This remote capability is particularly valuable for a high-traffic, event-focused location like the Vans West End Store.
Results
Mood Media’s integrated AV solution was fundamental to achieving the store’s transformation into a cultural hub built on immersive experiences. The custom music program immediately delivers the authentic, edgy atmosphere, ensuring customers feel connected the moment they step through the door. The versatile Digital Signage and mobile LED wall are vital tools, enabling the store to dynamically promote programming and captivate visitors. The premium Bose Audio System allows the store to instantly pivot from background ambiance to high-energy live music and skate events. Crucially, the reuse of existing hardware provided a sustainable and efficient foundation, solidifying the store’s position as London’s premier youth culture destination.
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