Content area
Full Text
Soft hues and silhouettes provide a hard competitive edge for Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop.
What drives a food retailer to rethink its decor? In the case of Stop & Shop, the answer lies with its customers, who have changed significantly over the years, according to manager of interior design Joyce Minassian. An increasing number are working mothers who walk in with a list and are looking to get into and out of the store quickly while supplying as many of their families' needs as possible.
While the Quincy, Mass.-based grocer addressed these needs from a product standpoint by adding more general merchandise items such as linens, toys, and housewares, it wanted to add another crucial element-the ability to get its shoppers to slow down enough to take in all of these new features.
Instead of doing this with aggressive signage and displays aimed at interrupting the fast-moving shopper's pace, Stop & Shop took another tack: It created a shopping environment that invites customers to take their time, enjoy the atmosphere, and even do a bit of casual browsing.
The chain was able to accomplish this through interior design. "Our goal was to create an environment that takes that...