eCommerce agency revisits FAC51!

Respected eCommerce design agency and consultancy drivebusiness has launched a new microsite with clothing retailer Bench. Created to coincide with an international clubland tour of the legendary Haçienda brand from the early 90′s, the project hopes to honour the spirit of a pop culture legend.

Manchester’s Haçienda, or ‘FAC51′as labelled by owner Factory Records at the time, pioneered the superclub culture subsequently made mainstream by the likes of Cream, Ministry of Sound, and Pascha. By allowing local DJs to spin the emerging rhythms of New York House and hosting gigs for bands like The Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses, the Haçienda remains a mecca for those who acknowledge its influence. Teaming up with fashion brand Bench, a synonymous label of the day, is an obvious move to keep the brand alive and well over a decade on from when the venue closed doors forever. Visitors to the new site will recognise the iconic industrial imagery popularised by designer Peter Saville, alongside videos from the hallowed dancefloor and photographs of the recent tour nights.

Bench’s first brand site and eCommerce store was launched just four weeks ago and is already receiving over 30,000 visitors a day. The Hacienda microsite can be accessed through Bench’s brand site, www.bench.co.uk.

Alastair Brodie, commercial director at drivebusiness, said: “This is the first microsite we have created for Bench and it’s fitting it should be for The Haçienda tours the brand is strongly associated with.

“The site uses a lot of different technologies and we’re proud to have worked with the team at Bench on such a fun and exciting project.”

Tara Chandra, senior marketing manager at Bench, continued: “The site is a fantastic addition to our brand site which continues to grow its customer base every day.

“We have such strong links with the Haçienda and its Manchester routes and this dedicated site allows us to provide a really cool space for all the exciting news and events we have coming up, not to mention the videos and pictures of the recent tours.”

You can visit the site at www.bench.co.uk/hacienda and check out an exclusive Q&A with drivebusiness in issue 153 of Web Designer…