Outsiders Store: a sustainable retail story

For retailers under increasing pressure to reduce their environmental footprint, the Outsiders Store in Liverpool offers a compelling example of sustainable retail design in practice. The project demonstrates the impact that can be achieved when sustainability is embedded into the design process from the outset, rather than being added as a secondary consideration once the scheme is complete.

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Why sustainability must be designed in, not added on

Retail fit-outs generate significant waste and carbon, mostly through short-life materials, energy-hungry lighting and store concepts built to be ripped out in five years. Outsiders Store was different from the brief stage. Material choices, lighting specification and construction methods were all assessed against environmental impact before a single fixture was built. The result is a space that performs commercially while reducing the footprint retailers are now expected to account for, whether that pressure comes from head office ESG targets, landlord green lease clauses or customers who increasingly shop with sustainability in mind.

What independent assessment adds

WDC Spaces worked alongside BRE, the UK's principal building science centre, to document and verify the sustainable design decisions across the project. BRE's involvement matters because it moves sustainability from marketing language into measurable evidence. For retail brands managing ESG reporting or responding to investor scrutiny, that distinction is significant.

The Outsiders Store is now used as a live case study: a documented record of how design decisions made at specification stage translate into real environmental outcomes.

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The design decisions that made the difference

Sustainable retail design isn't one choice - it's a sequence of decisions, each with compounding effect:

• Material specification - low-embodied-carbon materials were prioritised from the start. This reduces a fit-out's environmental impact before the store opens and typically extends the lifespan of the interior.
• Lighting strategy - energy consumption in retail is dominated by lighting. The Outsiders Store lighting scheme was specified to minimise energy load without compromising the visual experience customers expect from a premium retail environment.
• Design for longevity - a store designed to last ten years is categorically more sustainable than one designed for five. WDC Spaces built the Outsiders scheme around durability, reducing the frequency of refurbishment and the waste that comes with it.

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Watch the full project story

The film below follows the Outsiders Store from design brief to completed interior, covering the material choices, construction approach and sustainability rationale behind the finished space.

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Planning a retail fit-out?

If sustainability needs to be part of your next project - not a box to tick at the end, but a design principle from day one - talk to WDC Spaces.