Founded in 1925, Loacker is a Northern Italian confectionary company with distinct Austrian roots. Resonating well with consumers on both sides of the border, Loacker manages a number of branded cafés and stores. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of its iconic hazelnut wafer, the brand has dramatically revamped its existing store in Heinfels, a town just across the border in Austria. Now aptly rebaptised Loacker Galaxy, the retail space aims to be an immersive playground, comprising not only a store and café, but also a pastry workshop and a brand new service pavilion with an adjoining outdoor seating area, all created by Italian architecture practice MoDusArchitects. The ground floor is home to a café and store, two distinct spaces unified by a coffered wooden ceiling, which is a playful nod, albeit a abstracted one, to the wafer pattern.
At the entrance, the café welcomes visitors with a sculptural stainless steel counter centre piece, setting the tone for the shop’s steel furniture pieces. The retail space is concepted as a ‘galaxy of flavours’, meaning that ten stainless steel totems have been installed which serve as displays for the wide array of Loacker merchandise. Each display totem is mounted on pivoting steel columns 30 cm (11,8 inches) above the ground, and which can rotate freely, while enticing large visuals atop further boost the shoppers’ sense of choice and abundance within the store. Right behind the totems sits a pick & mix display with vertical compartments brimming with sweets. One floor up, in a similar design-led space, a full-fledged pastry workshop can be found.
Here, visitors can get their hands dirty crafting their own wafers in a unique setting, one that’s shaped in the signature ‘pill’ form that echoes the outdoor service pavilion and the café counter below. The work tables with metal tops are dipped in a bright red, and so is the tile flooring, balancing out the predominantly grey and black-hued surroundings. The elevated location, combined with an oversized disc-shaped light fixture, adds a visual dynamic to the setting. As said, there’s a new annex and in comes in the form of a glass vestibule which connects the café outdoors to the future Hazelnut Garden and children’s playground. As part of the outdoor intervention, the service pavilion acts as a threshold, separating the parking area from the open-air café. © superfuture
Loacker Galaxy
Panzendorf 196
9919 Heinfels
Telephone +43 4842 6060
Daily 9am-6pm
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