At Planters Bretby, Aquaja delivered one of its most ambitious and complete projects to date.
Planters Bretby
A fully integrated retail concept
From initial concept to final execution, the project was driven by one clear ambition: creating a destination store where experience, expertise and animal wellbeing come together.
What sets this project apart is the scope of Aquaja’s involvement. In addition to designing and delivering all animal systems, Aquaja developed the complete store layout, including routing, customer flow and the integration of regular retail shelving.
Scale and execution
A detailed 3D design process formed the foundation of the project, ensuring every element was carefully aligned before execution. The result is a cohesive retail environment built around atmosphere, clarity and a natural customer journey.
The Bretby store brings together aquatics, animals and retail into one unified concept. From extensive aquarium systems to aviaries, small animal enclosures and reptile installations, every element contributes to a consistent and high-quality in-store experience.
A distinctive feature is the custom-designed reptile habitat, allowing children to crawl beneath the enclosure and view it from a completely different perspective, reinforcing the store’s focus on interaction and experience.
Collaboration and client perspective
A key driver behind the success of the project was the close collaboration between Aquaja and the Planters team. From early design stages through to final delivery, there was a strong shared focus on detail, quality and execution.
Mark Shaw, Pet & Aquatics Manager at Planters Bretby:
“We first connected with Aquaja at Interzoo 2024, and after visiting their installations in the Netherlands we were confident they were the right partner for this project.
From the outset, the collaboration was excellent. Communication was clear and responsive, and the team was incredibly supportive throughout both the design and installation. What stood out most was the flexibility during the design phase. Every detail we wanted to achieve was taken seriously and translated into the final concept.
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“A key part of our strategy was to dedicate a significant portion of the store to live animals. In a market where many products are easily available online, we wanted to create a real reason for customers to visit. The focus on livestock brings people into the store and supports sales across all categories.”
“The results have exceeded our expectations. Customer response has been extremely strong, particularly during weekends and school holidays, and the department is now trading at approximately three times the level of our previous setup.
Overall, the project has been a great success for us. Working with Aquaja has been an absolute pleasure, and I would not hesitate to recommend them to other retailers considering a similar concept.”
The result
The Bretby project demonstrates the impact of combining strong retail design with specialist expertise and a clear strategic vision.
By investing in an experience-driven concept, Planters has created a destination that attracts families, increases dwell time and significantly improves overall performance.
