The Retail Design Institute has honored King Retail Solutions’ design for Fresh St. Market in Vancouver, B.C. in its 50th annual International Design Awards.
The prestigious competition “celebrates outstanding and innovative retail spaces that encourage new techniques in planning, design, graphics, light, visual merchandising and technology.”
RDI International Design Award winners represent the best of the best, regardless of store format or retail merchandise/service classification. Design firms and in-house retail design teams from around the globe were invited to submit projects.
An Urban Grocery Store Design Challenge
Georgia Main Food Group, the parent company of Fresh St. Market, asked King Retail Solutions to create a store design that would not only serve Vancouver residents living nearby, but would become an immersive destination food experience, drawing in customers from the wider area.
The goal was to tap into the quirkiness of the office tower location to add an urban twist to Fresh St. Market’s farm-to-market offer. The design gave a nod to the waterfront area’s industrial roots while highlighting the diverse choices in freshly prepared food and groceries.
Located on the ground floor of a high rise in the trendy Yaletown neighborhood, the 15,000 square foot site presented unique challenges for a grocery store design. The space was an asymmetrical polygon, with exterior walls that were more than two-thirds glass. This rendered a standard case layout impossible.
Instead, the KRS design team used lighting to showcase key sections, including produce and cheese—some displayed in a freestanding cheese humidor—to draw the attention of passers-by on the street. Designers made the most of the quirky space, defining stores-within-a-store, an inviting cafe, and a burger grill.
The interior features dramatic, outsize signage, much of it three-dimensional or downright sculptural. A bold, playful, farm-to-city vibe energizes the interior. The experiential impact of the interior seems to have connected with customers.
“What an amazing grocery store! It feels like you’re going into a marketplace, not a typical grocery store, with all the sections clearly signed,” writes one customer in his five-star review of Fresh St. Market.
An ideal project for KRS, Fresh St. Market utilized virtually every service in the company’s portfolio, including retail concept, design services, engineering and prototyping, and production.
“It’s a testimony to the talent, vision, and execution of our multi-disciplinary team,” says Executive Vice President Farrah Potter. “We’re delighted to receive this recognition.”
-
Fresh St. Market exterior -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Summary
King Retail Solutions was honored by the Retail Design Institute (RDI) for its innovative design of Fresh St. Market in Vancouver, B.C., winning an International Design Award in the 50th annual competition. The project transformed a challenging 15,000 sq. ft. asymmetrical urban space into an immersive, farm-to-city grocery experience. The design incorporated dramatic signage, creative lighting, and experiential “stores-within-a-store,” highlighting freshly prepared foods, produce, and specialty sections like a cheese humidor and burger grill.
Key Takeaways on Retail Design Recognition
- King Retail Solutions’ Fresh St. Market design won a prestigious RDI International Design Award, representing global excellence in retail design.
- The project addressed unique urban design challenges: asymmetrical layout, extensive glass exterior walls, and high-rise ground floor location.
- Lighting and signage were strategically used to draw attention to key areas like produce, cheese, and prepared foods.
- The design creates an immersive, marketplace-like experience, distinguishing it from typical grocery stores.
- The project utilized the full suite of KRS services: retail concept, design, engineering, prototyping, and production.
- Customer feedback highlights the clarity, energy, and playful farm-to-city aesthetic of the store.
- The award underscores KRS’s ability to execute multi-disciplinary, high-impact retail environments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What award did King Retail Solutions win for Fresh St. Market?
A. They won an International Design Award from the Retail Design Institute (RDI) in its 50th annual competition.
Q. What made the Fresh St. Market design challenging?
A. The store was a 15,000 sq. ft. asymmetrical polygon with over two-thirds glass exterior walls, making a standard grocery layout impossible.
Q. How did KRS address the store’s design challenges?
A. They used lighting to highlight key sections, dramatic and sculptural signage, and defined “stores-within-a-store” such as a cafe, cheese humidor, and burger grill to create an immersive experience.
Q. Which KRS services were utilized in this project?
A. The project leveraged KRS’s full portfolio: retail concept, design services, engineering and prototyping, and production.
Q. What was the customer response to the Fresh St. Market design?
A. Customers praised the store for feeling like a marketplace, with clearly signed sections, energy, and a playful farm-to-city aesthetic.
Q. Why is this award significant for KRS?
A. It recognizes KRS’s ability to deliver innovative, multi-disciplinary retail design that overcomes challenging layouts and creates high-impact customer experiences.
