About the project

Museum Nieuwe Instituut, together with New Store, has opened an experimental retail environment that rethinks both the idea of the product and the economy surrounding it. This Pop-up 3.0 in the museum’s foyer serves as a living lab for locally designed, circular, and potentially regenerative objects.
Visitors are not just customers, but co-researchers. By actively sharing feedback on the products and the overall shopping experience, they help shape future-proof forms of retail.

New Store & Blue Blocks

In the first test phase, New Store is exploring not only the product Blue Blocks but also how its own retail concept performs in practice.
Developed by Blue City, Blue Blocks are sustainable panels made from seaweed washed ashore and the stems of tomato plants. The material is dried, pressed, and colored into sturdy sheets comparable to plywood — but fully circular and even soil-enriching. The panels have no expiration date and can be returned to nature after use. Their subtle seaweed scent and natural curvature are characteristic features of this bio-based material.
With Blue Blocks, Blue City demonstrates how marine and agricultural residues can be transformed into raw materials for furniture and interior applications. At the same time, under the guidance of Innofest, New Store researches how visitors respond to both the product and the retail experience. The insights gained help further develop and refine both the materials and the store concept.

The role of Innofest

We are developing a compact validation methodology for New Store, allowing us to collect and analyze data on product use and visitor experience. These insights help measure the impact of circular products and improve the overall shopping experience.
By applying our method, we provide New Store with practical tools to further professionalize its experimental retail environment and better understand how visitors experience circular products.

Since our founding in 2016, we have supported SMEs, startups, and research institutions in bringing their impact-driven innovations successfully to market. We use festivals and other real-life environments as test locations, giving innovators the tools and feedback they need to improve their prototypes.
With our proven methodology, we have already accelerated more than 350 innovations — directly contributing to their growth and positive societal impact.

Would you like to know more about this project or learn how Innofest can help your innovation?
Our Community Lead, Neeltje, would be happy to tell you more: oc.ts1776003462efonn1776003462i@ejt1776003462leen1776003462