Case Study: Ensuring Public Safety for High-Impact Retail Displays
Client: Billionaire Boys Club
Location: Selfridges, London
Services: Structural Assessment & Stability Testing
The Challenge When the high-profile clothing brand ‘Billionaire Boys Club’ planned a prominent promotional campaign for their ‘Ice-cream’ brand at Selfridges in London, they needed an eye-catching, oversized sculpture featuring a custom “melting” ice-cream cone. Placed directly on the retail floor of a busy flagship store, we were tasked with the rather fun challenge of ensuring the display was completely safe for public interaction. The structure needed to resist accidental nudges, bumps, or tipping without compromising its aesthetic appeal, to the satisfaction of insurance underwriters.
Our Approach Pineapple Structures was commissioned to carry out a dedicated structural stability assessment. We inspected the 1.25m tall fibreglass unit at storage prior to installation, evaluating both its material integrity and assembly design:
- Assembly Verification: Checked the structural adequacy of the four M8 circumferential bolts securing the upper cone to its base.
- Physical Force Testing: Conducted hands-on stability testing by applying multi-directional push forces at varying heights to simulate real-world impacts from store visitors and staff.
- Footprint Analysis: Evaluated how the broad 0.95m x 0.87m base distributed weight to prevent accidental overturns.
The Outcome Our physical testing confirmed that the combination of a low center of gravity and robust connection points made the display structurally sound. We issued a clear stability report confirming the installation was safe for its two-month campaign, sufficient for the insurance underwriters, allowing the brand to launch their pop-up with full confidence in visitor safety.