Thule makes gear for people who want to get out there and explore—whether that's hauling kids to the park or loading up for a weekend adventure. We designed four flagship stores for their Latin American expansion: Santiago, Chile, Mexico City, Mexico, São Paulo, Brazil, and Bogotá, Colombia.

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Design Palette

Our design for Thule's flagship stores draws from the brand's Swedish heritage—clean, functional, and purposeful.

The material palette keeps things simple: black powder-coated steel frames, icy white finishes on furniture and fixtures, and concrete floors. Plain white walls and ceilings with occasional white brick feature walls let Thule's colorful gear take center stage. This Swedish minimalist approach creates stores that feel uncluttered and bright, letting customers focus on the products.

Strategic Zoning

Next, we established strategic zoning based on local customer behavior, allocating 45-50% of floor space to Backpacks & Luggage and 30-40% to Active With Kids across all four locations. Carriers & Racks and accessories completed the product mix.

3D Floor Plan

Then, we developed 3D floor plans to visualize the complete store layout and customer flow before construction. These plans show how different zones connect, where fixtures are placed, and how customers will move through the space.

The 3D format helps identify design issues early and ensures all stakeholders understand the layout. For multi-location rollouts like Thule's, these detailed plans are essential for consistent execution across different markets and construction teams.

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Signature Design Elements

Following the floor plan development, we created photorealistic 3D renderings to show stakeholders exactly how the finished stores would look. These visualizations captured the Swedish minimalist aesthetic, lighting effects, and how all the design elements would work together.

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From Concept to Reality

The four flagship stores launched successfully across Santiago, Mexico City, São Paulo, and Bogotá, establishing Thule as the go-to premium adventure brand in Latin America. Each location creates an experience that gets customers excited about their gear and their next trip—exactly what great retail should do.

Here's a walkthrough of the Mexico City store in action, followed by photos from the completed stores. (Photo/Video credit: Thule)

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Let's Design Your Next Retail Experience

Ready to create a store that connects with customers and drives results? Contact our team to discuss your retail design project.

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