3 of 3 projects
Woolworths
Authentic Community Connection
WOOLWORTHS
HELPING WOOLWORTHS ENVIRONMENTS JOIN THE DOTS
Urbanite, part of the Frost*collective, is helping Woolworths improve local community connection by making use of stronger lifestyle cues in strategic signage and way-finding programmes at the same time as conveying the brand’s core values.
“This project presented us with a unique opportunity to have a substantial effect on how the Woolworths experience is shaped,” says Carlo Giannasca, Head of Environments at Urbanite, part of the Frost*collective.
By approaching each location, for every Metro and full format Super Store, with the community in mind, we set about transforming the 42-store national network by tailoring each environment to the unique needs of individual communities. The core values of freshness, friendliness, provenance and authenticity are now well and truly top of mind.
“This project presented us with a unique opportunity to have a substantial effect on how the Woolworths experience is shaped,”
Carlo Giannasca,
Head of Environments,
Urbanite.
STRATEGIC INSIGHTS DRIVE A LOCAL FOCUS
Urbanite’s strategic insights and sector research steered the tailored designs for each location, injecting each community’s character into the space. By using design more powerfully in the customer-journey, the Metro store format now offers greater relevance to the customer’s experience of convenience store retailing. The full format stores required a strong signage and graphics system that reflected Woolworths’ brand values and its proposition of ‘The fresh food people’.
“The ultimate outcome was a reinvigorated Woolworths brand that connected more closely with its customer base and presented a more relatable image,” continues Giannasca.
DEMOGRAPHIC-DRIVEN DETAIL
The new design concept was piloted in Miranda’s Super Store before implementation took place in the Rose Bay and Bondi stores. To improve the overall shopper experience - materiality, texture, vivid colour palettes, evocative photography, typography, architectural detail, strategic zoning and localised references, were all closely considered along with increased product lines to reflect the sophistication of each demographic.
DESIGNED SPACES CONNECT AND ENGAGE
For the Rose Bay store illustrator James Gulliver Hancock was commissioned to create a bespoke mural that captured unique features in the area. For the Bondi Beach store, now offering a café, the approach was more reflective of the Bondi Beach lifestyle with commissions by Andrew Fairclough. Large-scale illustrations also enhance the retail experiences in Melbourne’s Elizabeth Street and Sydney’s Surry Hills’ stores. Key changes in the full format stores in Miranda and Mount Hutton include art directed content for community activations.
“Collaborating with illustrators such as James Gulliver Hancock and Andrew Fairclough enabled us to inject a certain human spirit into the design solution that elevated the customer experience,” says Giannasca.
The full scope of the implementation included wayfinding signage, department headers, department graphics and informational/educational signage, specification for key interior design elements including bulkhead finishes, tiling and hanging graphics systems.
“The ultimate outcome was a reinvigorated Woolworths brand that connected more closely with its customer base and presented a more relatable image,”
CARLO GIANNASCA,
HEAD OF ENVIRONMENTS,
URBANITE.
