Modern Grocery Stores

What makes a grocery store a cool place to shop? Rephrased in another way, what are the components that need to be present in a retail store that would make me want to come back again and again to do my food shopping, a task that is repetitive, monotonous and sometimes outright annoying?

I was pondering these questions earlier this week when I noticed that the grocery store down the street changed (upgraded) the refrigeration units that hold the store’s meats.  It appears that the store installed a modern glass refrigeration section to enhances the look and experience of shopping for the rather unexcited and dull packaged (sometimes mystery) meat.

I wish more food retailers would ask and execute on the same questions to make food shopping a more pleasurable experience.  As a customer, you may be focused on your shopping list and grocery mission but it does not mean you can’t also enjoy the experience at the same time.  These two things are not mutually exclusive.

There is nothing I like more when I travel than to visit grocery and specialty stores and see how food is merchandised and sold in different cities around the world.  There is something special about discovering (and shopping in) a grocery store that has clearly worked with an interior designer or an architect to plan, design and execute its food retailing concept.  My favourite concept which I am sure will continue to evolve is the restaurant, market, retail store concept-

Here are some of my favourite modern grocery stores around the world.  Where do you like to shop?  What stands out for you in a store?  Any interesting food retailing concepts you would recommend?

Three Sixty (Hong Kong)- The Whole Foods of Hong Kong.  It offers lots of organic products spread out over two floors, spacious aisles, natural light and soft interiors. I enjoyed shopping there when I was living in Hong Kong.

Photo Source: 1, 2

Pimlico (Paris) Organic epicerie, local, specialty food shop.  Love the white walls with exposed bricks.

Photo Source: 1

Mpreis (South Tyrol, Austria) Super trendy, industrial, spacious, modern store which I hope to visit in two weeks when I go skiing in Austria.

Photo Source: 1, 2

 Unpackaged (London) You bring the bags, containers and cartons.  It reminds me of a hipper farmer’s market meets, Bulk Barn (a bulk food store in Toronto).

Photo Source: 1, 2, 3

Kochhaus (Berlin) A gourmet chef’s delight.

Photo Source: 1, 2, 3

Hong Kong apartment

Look at how beautiful this apartment is in Discovery Bay (HK) that I found on interior design website, Homedit?! I love the white walls and natural materials used that look to contrast to the bursts of colour around the room from the panels on the walls and the carpet.  The space was done by Head Architecture and Design.

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sift dessserts HK

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Sevva Hong Kong

Look at this beautiful cake store in Hong Kong!  Only in Hong Kong can you find a dessert store so over the top in decor and design.  I am off to Hong Kong this week and have been doing a bit of research into spots I want to visit and this is one is high up on the list.

The shop that caught my attention is called Ms. B’s Sweets and it is part of Sevva (pronounced Savour)  the 13,000 sq ft space restaurant/club, located on the 25-floor penthouse of the Prince Building in Central in Hong Kong.  Sevva is divided into four areas including the  Bank Side, Harbour Side, Taste Bar and the Terrace and Ms. B is part of the complex.   

The picture below is the home of Ms. B’s Sweets where confections are decoratively displayed in glass display cases.  The most stunning part of the store is the huge chandelier, originally designed for the British embassy in Rome in the 1950s illuminates the chamber.

Ms. B’s owner, and the creator of Sevva, is  Bonnie Gokson.   If you are not familiar with this name, look her up.  Her CV boasts a long line of successful creative endeavours in the fashion and luxury goods industry including a stint as Chanel Asia Pacific’s former communications director which has certainly helped Sevva gain lots of attention not to mention her sister is Hong Kong fashion guru Joyce Ma, who brought European style to Asia when she founded the upmarket Joyce Boutiques in the 1970s.

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Cool Product: Luxe City Guides

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myhkwedding.com

I lived in Hong Kong for a year and there is no shortage of parties and event resources in the city.

Should you ever have the opportunity to plan a wedding or party in the city that never sleeps, I would recommend checking out www.myhkwedding.com 

The site has tones of resources on flowers, venues, dresses, gifts and anything else you should need to pull off a successful party.

I would recommend looking at the florals from Kim Chan Flowers and Gary Kwok Flowers.