In the run up to Christmas 2021, the popular UK brand Lush organised the Lush Snow Fairy Tour roadshow to boost brand recognition. Its supplier AirClad X turned to UK coatings specialist Peerless Plastic and Coatings who recommended Marlon FSX with their PeeraGuard™ Exterior hard coating as the ideal material for a pop-up pod.

In November 2022, this project was announced as the winner in the Brett Martin iAwards in the category Sign and Display.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Lightweight
• Easy to fabricate
• Abrasion resistant
• Impact resistant
• UV resistant

This was a collaborative project between Brett Martin’s distributor, Peerless Plastics & Coatings, and their customer AirClad X for the Lush Snow Fairy Tour, which went all around the United Kingdom in the run-up to Christmas 2021 to boost brand recognition. Brett Martin supplied the polycarbonate, Peerless Plastics, and Coatings coated and processed it and AirClad X constructed the pod, using the polycarbonate to construct the windows and sliding doors.

Due to the nature of the pop-up pod and the footfall expected to visit, the client needed the materials used to be ‘customer-proof’. i.e. shatterproof, scratch proof and suitable for an outdoor environment.

The UV resistant Marlon FSX polycarbonate sheet with the PeeraGuard™ Exterior hard coating was a perfect choice. It provided excellent strength, very necessary since it was being used by members of the public and could be impacted by people, prams, and shopping baskets. It was lightweight, which was important when moving the pop-up unit around to different locations, thus reducing fuel requirements and the impact on the environment, something that is very important to the Lush brand.

The various outdoor locations meant the pod was subject to sun, snow, sea air and road salt. The choice of UV resistant Marlon FSX as the base material gave protection against these elements.

The customer also wanted a product that was recyclable at the end of its life. Rather than print onto the surface of the polycarbonate, coloured vinyl was applied. Marlon FSX’s smooth surface allowed the vinyl to be applied and then easily removed after the event to allow the pod to be reused.