Plastics firm takes luxury retailer by Storm

A luxury department store and a West Country upcycling company have teamed up to show how everyday plastic waste can be reformed to make an imaginative impact in the retail industry.

The Protomax Plastics production company Storm Board, based in Frome, Somerset, has provided Harvey Nichols’ flagship store in London with boards made from waste plastic items, including bottle tops and coat hangers, and these have been turned into window displays to showcase the store’s fashion and beauty products.

The boards, called Storm Board, are a hardwearing and weather-proof material, which is becoming widely recognised as an alternative to MDF, chipboard, or plywood.

Nick Stilwell, founder of Protomax, said: “We were approached by Harvey Nichols to provide them with samples incorporating eye-catching splashes of colour after they heard about us at our display at the International Eco Mondo Exhibition in Italy last year.”

“They subsequently ordered several boards which their design team have turned into imaginative window display which are on show for the next week or so.”

“Our boards are already used for hoardings in the construction industry and to see them now being applied by such a high-end retailer is a real boost and shows the versatility of Storm Board.”