Les Hiscoe, president of Shawmut Design and Construction, wouldn’t disagree that the store construction process can sometimes be fraught with surprises, from delays to design revisions to hidden costs.
“Construction historically has had that bad rap,” Hiscoe acknowledged. “But our customers will tell you they had a good experience.”
To mitigate money concerns, “We are very proactive about budgets,” Hiscoe said. “When a customer wants to change something we tell them in advance how much money. Particularly in high-end retail, they are designing up to the last minute to have the latest, freshest, hottest, coolest thing. We have grown accustomed to dealing with customers, to hitting a date. You’ve got to let them continue to evolve their design while you are under construction, yet still give them some budget predictability and schedule predictability. It is definitely a skill of our firm. There’s a bit of an art to it.”
Despite the rapid growth of the Internet and proliferation of store closings, Hiscoe said Shawmut expects another growth year across the company’s sectors, which include retail, hospitality, academia and sports venues. Revenues are projected to be up 12 percent in 2014 to $960 million. Among Shawmut’s clients are Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Apple, Kate Spade New York, Uniqlo, Major League Baseball, Le Bernadin, Harvard University, Yale University and Columbia University. The company has offices in New York; Boston; Providence; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; North Haven, Conn., and plans to open another in Miami in 2015.
Here, Hiscoe discusses the company’s work, challenges ahead, and trends in brick-and-mortar design.
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