Snow Peak MATRO Department Store by KiKi ARCHi: A Hybrid Retail and Café Experience in Suzhou

Legendary outdoor lifestyle brand Snow Peak has unveiled its latest multifunctional retail showroom in the historic heart of Suzhou, China, designed by KiKi ARCHi under the direction of lead architect Yoshihiko Seki. Covering an area of 628 m², this 2025 project seamlessly merges retail, leisure, and café experiences, redefining the concept of urban outdoor lifestyle spaces.

Situated on the ground floor of a luxury commercial complex, adjacent to the mall's central walkway and elevator hall, the site posed design challenges including maintaining spatial integrity, organizing circulation, and expressing a distinct brand identity. KiKi ARCHi approached this through the concept of “elevation shift,” a creative interpretation of changing landscapes. A sculpted man-made concrete hill introduces vitality and a sense of discovery, inviting visitors to reconnect with nature even within an urban context.

The showroom integrates Snow Peak’s signature outdoor gear, camping equipment, hiking tools, and apparel with a cozy café corner, creating a hybrid environment. The design employs a minimalist, abstract narrative, inspired by natural topography, hills, and forests, blending the indoors with the feeling of the outdoors.

Wood is central to the display strategy, reflecting the warmth of forests and campfires. Timbers of varying heights function as display platforms, seating, and structural elements, piercing the slope vertically to link visitors, products, and space. This configuration encourages subtle interaction while offering an immersive retail experience.

The intersection of “slope” and “wood” divides the showroom into two experiential zones: the aboveground area for shopping and leisure, and the underground gravel landscape. This duality resembles a geological cross-section, exploring contrasts of texture, tone, and the interplay between human intervention and natural forms.

Operational flexibility is another key feature. A non-fixed display system allows staff to rearrange products along the slope, columns, and walls, keeping the experience dynamic. Seating on flat floors evokes the metaphor of “climbing for the view, resting at the base,” blending the ritual of outdoor exploration with urban retail. Visitors enjoy the scent of coffee, the tactile warmth of timber, and the ambiance of camping, fully immersing themselves in Snow Peak’s outdoor-inspired aesthetic.

All photographs are works of Ruijing Photo Beijing