Conwy Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was chosen by Cadw (the Welsh Government's Historic Environment Service) as the trial site for a new retail and visitor concept, which has just opened to the public.

The new concept was designed and installed by retail design and branding agency M Worldwide in collaboration with shopfitting contractor Datum Contracts International. M Worldwide developed new and detailed concepts, and the design principles that will be applied to Cadw's properties across Wales and Datum was responsible for fitting-out and implementing the new designs.

The overall aim was to create new shops and visitor centres that reflect the uniqueness of each of the historic properties, contribute to the visitor experience, increase sales and encourage return visits. The new concepts encompass communications, interpretation panels, visitor environment elements, lighting, and a palette of colours and materials that reflect and portray Cadw's ethos, as well incorporating the rich and diverse history of Wales.

The style and design palette take inspiration from a number of aspects and features of Welsh historic buildings. These include references to traditional construction processes; generous proportions; use of honest and natural materials; and fixtures created to make products easily accessible to the public, along with contemporary materials with more highly finished aspects to contrast with the natural raw materials.

David Round, business development director at Datum, said of the scheme: "Special attention was paid to developing a new and innovative low energy LED shelf lighting system that is totally flexible, interchangeable, and functions without any connections to plug or unplug, allowing staff to quickly and easily move the shelves without worrying about cables or electrical connections." From the shopfitting perspective, the concept involved the design and manufacture of a bespoke family of stylish free-standing furniture items and perimeter fixtures, to showcase Cadw’s Welsh product ranges.

Datum was responsible for the manufacture of all the fixtures, which were finished in both solid and veneered oak, with a limed finish to contrast with high quality off-white paint finish and steel.