Benoit Niant Ginza

This is "Benoît Niant Ginza" created by Kaneka Corporation.
This store is the first flagship store in Japan for the chocolate brand "Benoît Niant," which was launched in 2005 by Benoît Niant, a former engineer and cacao craftsman from Belgium. It serves as a place to acquire new fans in Japan, as well as a base for promoting the brand for Kaneka.
Benoît Niant is known for its single-origin chocolates, made from "single farm" and "single variety" cacao, and produces everything from roasting to the finished product in its own workshop. The spirit and philosophy of "CRAFTSMANSHIP," born from the desire to be a "cacao artisan" before being a chocolatier, has been reflected in concept design of this new shop. concept design elements were extracted from the scenery of Belgian workshops, and colors and textures such as the blue of the conching machine and the bronze of the scales were incorporated as concept design elements, setting new key colors for the brand in Japan.
In addition, Kaneka's product "Kaneka Organic Light Emitting Diode (Kaneka OLED Lighting)" has been installed in the store, adding a role as a showroom. Kaneka OLED Lighting is characterized by its soft light emitted from a surface and the fact that it is less likely to cast shadows on objects.
We concept design a space that serves two purposes: as a chocolate shop and a lighting showroom.

・Create an original concept design for the first flagship store in Japan
- To create a place that embodies Benoît Niant's philosophy and passion for chocolate making and serves as a base for disseminating information.
・Increase customer contact points and gain new fans
There were some challenges, such as:

Additionally, there was a request that the space function not only as a Benoit Niant store, but also as a showroom for Kaneka OLED lighting.

Based on the theme of Benoit's philosophy of "CRAFTSMANSHIP," we constructed the store's worldview using elements extracted from his Belgian atelier. Located in Ginza, where many famous chocolatiers gather, we were able to differentiate the store from rival stores and create a unique Benoit Niant feel by expressing the brand's worldview while incorporating concept design elements and materials based on the concept.
In order to provide a showroom function for Kaneka OLED lighting, the first floor used LEDs for direct lighting and Kaneka OLED lighting for indirect lighting that creates soft shadows. The basement floor is entirely equipped with Kaneka OLED lighting, creating a space with soft, floating light from surface emission, creating a feeling closer to natural light shining in through a skylight, something that LEDs do not offer.
With an eye on Benoît Niant's future store expansion in Japan, we created an original concept design that will be the core of the brand, and further concept design the space to take advantage of the characteristics of the light from Kaneka's OLED lighting, creating a place where customers can experience the light and appreciate the appeal of the products.