Refurbs, revamps, remodellings (call them what you will) are relatively frequent occurrences, but instances of retailers changing several fascias at one go are thin on the ground.
This, however, is what Mr Price Group, a South African retailer with more than 900 shops, has opted to do.
Launched in November 2011, the retailer’s new identity extends across its core Mr Price format, from which apparel is sold, and extends to the two other fascias that use the name: Mr Price Home and Mr Price Sport.
In spite of the considerable difference in product categories that each format offers, the similarities, both in terms of the interior architecture and the brand identity, are very much greater than the differences.
Externally, all three are united by the redesigned red cap, an outline of a baseball cap that acts as a totem for the retailer. This is meant to serve as a reminder of the hats worn by staff in the stores and is familiar to all South African shoppers.
Internally, supermarket-style checkouts, but with differences, are also common across the formats, with each having a long counter featuring multiple tills, but each designed with the customer for that format in mind. The shops are easy to navigate owing to low equipment heights and floor-to-ceiling perimeter displays, and Mr Price has not fallen foul of the temptation to overcrowd the mid-shop – density has been carefully controlled.
The three fascias have been redesigned courtesy of UK design consultancy Dalziel + Pow and were created for the opening of the extension to the Sandton City Mall in Johannesburg. Their contemporary ambience is indicative of the developing retail landscape in the southern part of Africa.
No comments yet