The spark for Longo`s stunning new downtown

GROCERY ›
A beautiful
design
COURTESY OF WATT INTERNATIONAL
O
The spark for Longo’s stunning new
downtown Toronto store started with
a look back to its roots BY ROB GERLSBECK
n an especially warm Wednesday afternoon in
March, people from office towers and condos
around Toronto’s Air Canada Centre headed out
to shop. It was a perfect day for sidewalk shopping, but many went straight into the ground floor of a
brand new 54-storey high-rise complex and down a set
of elevators into the basement. There they encountered a
sparkling new food experiece—the latest Longo Brothers
grocery store.
Elegant, beautiful and attracting visitors from all over,
the 48,000-sq.-ft. store took about four years to develop.
It’s a full grocery-shop supermarket across the street from
the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Raptors. Among
its features: a demo station where shoppers can sample a
full-course meal, then get a printout of the recipe to make
it all; a stunning bakery counter, and–wait for it–a cosy bar
that serves local beer and wines.
Creating the store was not without its challenges. There
are 60 fat pillars inside that hold up the condo building
above. And the shape of the store is a jutting angular letter
C. It means customers follow a circular route rather than
a square up-and-down the aisles pattern, says company
president, Anthony Longo.
Longo’s also used the new store as a launch pad to revamp its brand image and private-label lines. “This wasn’t
just a new store opening. I think it’s really a defining moment for the new vision of the business,” says Patrick
Rodmell, president and CEO of Watt International, Longo’s
agency that worked on the design and rebranding.
Turn the page to see inside this remarkable grocery store.
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‹ GROCERY
Longo’s new Toronto
store: “Fresh” with a
hint of tradition
A good tip for any retailer is to never
forget what made you successful. For
Longo’s it started with a single fruit
market 55 years ago.
Last year, when the company decided to open a big new grocery store in
downtown Toronto, it took the opportunity to do some subtle rebranding
as well. After discovering its tag line,
“Adventures in Food,” had low consumer recall, Longo’s worked with design
firm Watt International to find a new
one. They didn’t have to look far.
Longo’s has always been known for
amazing produce and a proud grocery
heritage. The new slogan, therefore,
became: “A Fresh Tradition.” To emphasize the switch, the company logo
was tweaked. Two bright green leaves
now sit where the apostrophe in the
word Longo’s had been.
A Fresh Tradition also became the
centrepoint of the new store’s design.
“We asked ourselves, How do we create a store that reflects what this brand
stands for?” says Glen Kerr, executive
vice-president of creative and client
services at Watt, who led the store’s
design. The result is a fabulous new
grocery store environment.
The way in
Most stores have one main entry
point so grocers can control traffic flow. But this Longo’s store has
two in separate areas: an escalator down from the main floor of the
condo building that takes shoppers
into the supermarket’s centre; and
an elevator along one wall connected to a parking garage. The
elevators enter the store near the
produce department, emphasizing
that the store is a full grocery shop.
“The experience should start early
for the consumer,” says designer
Kerr. “It should set up expectations
and drive home that message of
fresh and tradition.”
As shoppers ride down
the escalator they can
scan the store. They’re
also presented with up to
three promotional messages on a digital reader.
The old-style grocery
door facade on elevators is a reminder of
Longo’s heritage.
Where’s the beef?
“In meat we asked, how is
this area of the store going to
demonstrate the brand proposition of fresh tradition?”
says Rodmell. The solution:
a traditional chalkboard cutout of various cuts of beef and
how best to prepare them.
Easy-to-read product
info on chalkboards.
Service areas such as
meat, deli, cheese and
bakery all have this black
porcelain tile flooring that
gives the appearance of a
dark wood-grain floor.
Private label
As the new store was opening, Longo’s
relaunched its private-label lines. Bold
photography drives home the fresh
position of the national-brand equivalent line (left), while a new premium
Signature line has a more upscale look
with a Longo Bros. seal that draws on
the company’s heritage (right).
Cool treats
Deep in the aisles, lifestyle
photography gives way to
product promotions. In this
case, the ice-cream cookies
advertised on the wall are
available in the freezer
directly below the billboard.
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Poppin’ produce
There’s little signage among the
fruit and veggies. Why? “Because
we wanted to let the produce
speak for itself,” explains Kerr.
A subtle design element is the
framed seagrass.
The ceiling, which ranges from
8 to 22 feet in height throughout,
was painted dark to keep shoppers’
eyes on the products.
Tackling those towers
The biggest design obstacle to the new
Longo’s was the 60 columns holding up
the building above. The solution was to
use columns as navigational aids, says
Kerr. Each one is esthetically pleasing
and draped with adjectives to describe
the foods in that department.
Columns are filled with
savoury cheese terms
such as aged, bold,
creamy, firm and sharp.
Dining in
Shoppers who head to the buffet for lunch or dinner can sit
down in a cosy dine-in area,
or afterward have a drink in
a one-of-a-kind Longo’s feature: Corks beer and wine bar.
Some patrons come to have
a drink before watching the
Toronto Maple Leafs in action
across the street.
Low lights set a relaxing,
intimate environment,
says Rodmell.
At the
checkout
Sweet solutions
for chocolate
The bakery service counter
mixes old-style merchandising
with new and delightful elements.
An 16-foot high
fake chocolate
bar wall is the
department’s
focal point.
Traditional
barrels work
well below ultramodern stainless
steel light fixtures.
A living wall of
plants gives shoppers a burst of
nature as they
exit the store.
“Checking out is
stressful, so
here’s something
calm to focus on
during the last few
minutes of their
grocery trip,” says
Rodmell.
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