WMZA created the design concept for Foodtown, the flagship supermarket brand owned by Progressive Enterprises.
Based on this concept, a number of high-profile Foodtown stores were opened between 2005 and 2009, in locations such as Quay Street, Howick and Sylvia Park in Auckland, St James in Hamilton, and Queensgate in Lower Hutt.
The Foodtown concept reflected the brand’s market positioning and aimed to provide a rich shopping experience. To differentiate the stores from mainstream supermarkets, the design concept developed a ‘shop in shop’ approach, breaking large retail spaces into a number of smaller shopping zones.
Each shopping zone in the supermarket draws on aspects of boutique store design where customers can meander through characterful sections devoted to Produce, Bakery, Wine and Beer, Fish, and other service zones. Human scale and variety of material selection add yet more visual interest and enrich the shopping environment.
The Foodtown design concept also explored ways to blur the traditional line between the customers and the supermarket staff, making the shopping experience more relaxing, direct and personal.