Value Retail Macaron Props

Macaron Props

The brief

We were asked by a regular client of ours, Value Retail, to make lots and lots of macarons so that they could use them in 11 of their retail parks worldwide to Europe for a spring/summer merchandising campaign in and around the numerous retail outlets on the parks.

They are super great…so happy with them…very well done and thank you for doing this…can’t wait for summer now to put them in the windows!

Gilbert Menassa – Deputy Director Retail Merchandising – Value Retail PLC

Prop process images

  1. Macaron retail display props in a window with suitcases.
  2. Macaron props  in window display with shoes and bags.
  3. Giant macaron display prop in a window with ladies pink handbags.
  4. Macron props in window display for mens wear.

The Process

To make the 6000 mini versions we took a silicone mould of actual real life macarons and cast them in a pigmented plaster to produce five coloured macarons. We made masters of the small, medium and large versions and made moulds of these too. In order to achieve the fluffy edges of the macarons as efficiently as we could we poured a 2-part polyurethane foam into the moulds to take on the shape of the edges, and used a fast casting resin to cast the shells.

Because there were a number of processes we had to go through, as well as the different materials and working conditions we had to be careful to make sure each macaron was done perfectly.

To control the temperature to make sure certain parts of the process would work efficiently, we had to build polythene rooms to regulate temperature and keep out any dust. Each part of the process had an element of danger to it that made it quite a volatile project.

Because of the amount we had to do, in a relatively short time, we had to get them primed and painted as quickly as possible so our spray booth was full for a few weeks and stacking the finished macarons became quite the logistical challenge, but we made the deadline, as always, on time. The finish on the macarons was a deep glossy colour and we achieved this with our cellulose paint system. Each macaron had two shells with a cream filling. The ‘cream’ of each macaron had to be painted a different colour to the shell so we made these separately, painted them and fixed them in between the two shells. Our spray painters were painting nothing but macarons in the spray room for days. Each macaron had to have both shells painted on 2 sides each, and painted with more than one coat, so those of you who are good at maths can work out that there was a lot of painting to be done.

Project Image

Shop window display with macaron props and cookware.

The Result

We made a total of 6000 x 40mm diameter macarons and almost 1000 small, medium and large versions and our client was very happy with the result. Our workshop was completely filled up with finished macarons all waiting to be wrapped and packed. Once they were all made they were individually wrapped, placed on pallets and shipped out to different corners of the UK and the rest of the world. Some of our macarons were used in a promotional campaign for Style Studio.