Watt International's work with Longo's Wins 1st Place in Progressive Grocer Awards The Progressive Grocer Store Design Contest is an annual competition to recognize supermarkets that set the standard in store design and innovation.

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2. WINNERS
Price Cutter Plus, Springfield, Mo.
Best Overall Store Design Conventional Format (new
ground-up construction, over 50,000 sq. ft.)
Store Designer: Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc.
(AWG)/Design and Décor Source Group, Kansas City, Kan.
The Market by Longo’s
Best Overall Store Design/Urban Format (new ground-up
construction, under 50,000 sq. ft.)
Store Designer: Watt International Inc., Toronto Ont.
Bing’s Supermarket, Sedalia, Mo.
Best Low-cost Remodel (less than $2 million) – Communi-
ty-based Format
Store Designer: Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc.
by Meg M a jor (AWG)/Design and Décor Source Group, Kansas City, Kan.
Super 1 Food & Pharmacy, Shreveport, La.
applauds a new collection of Store Design Best Low-cost Remodel (less than $2 million) – Value
Format
Contest award winners, whose innovative, Store Designer: Brookshire Grocery Co., Tyler, Texas
functional masterworks profiled on the fol-
Glorioso’s Italian Market, Milwaukee, Wis.
Best Low-cost Remodel (less than $2 million) – Urban
Format
lowing pages provide a closer look at 11 of the Store Designer: Mehmert Store Services, Sussex, Wis.
industry’s most engaging and inspiring concept Ray’s Apple Market, Manhattan, Kan.
Best Mid-budget Remodel ($2 million to $5 million) –
Community-based Format
supermarkets. Store Designer: Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc.
(AWG)/Design and Décor Source Group, Kansas City, Kan.
Bistro Market by Price Cutter, Springfield, Mo.
Best Mid-budget Remodel ($2 million to $5 million) –
From downtown Milwaukee to a New Orleans neighborhood struggling to re- Urban Format
cover from the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina and various locales Store Designer: Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc.
in between, 11 grocery stores that set the standard for overall excellence are (AWG)/Design and Décor Source Group, Kansas City, Kan.
showcased on the following pages of ’s second annual Lakeview Grocery, New Orleans, La.
Best Mid-budget Remodel ($2 million to $5 million) –
Store Design Contest. Community-focused Conventional Format
Store Designer: King Retail Solutions, Eugene, Ore.
Five categories — including two for new ground-up construction, as well as
three budget levels for remodeling projects ranging from modest to unlimited Runner-Up: Brookshire’s Food & Pharmacy,
E. Fifth Street, Tyler, Texas
— gave operators of every shape and size a chance to be recognized in the Best Mid-budget Remodel ($2 million to $5 million) –
following classes: Community-focused Conventional Format
Store Designer: Brookshire Grocery Co., Tyler, Texas
Best Overall Store Design
Exito del Este, El Tesoro, Colombia
(new ground-up construction, under 50,000-square-feet) Best Overall Store Design – International/Hypermarket
Best Overall Store Design Format (new ground-up construction, under 50,000-
(new ground-up construction, over 50,000-square-feet) square-feet)
Store Designer: Watt International, Inc., Toronto Ont.
Best Low-cost Remodel (less than $2 million)
1st Place: Calgary Co-Op Quarry Park Centre,
Best Mid-budget Remodel ($2 million to $5 million)
Calgary
“Sky’s the Limit” Remodel (more than $5 million) Best Overall Store Design – International/Conventional
Format (new ground-up construction, under 50,000-
Construction of eligible store designs and remodels must have been completed square-feet)
between January 2010 and December 2010. Store Designer: King Retail Solutions, Eugene, Ore.
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3. Best Overall Store Design/Urban Format
(new ground-up construction, under 50,000 square feet)
The Market by Longo’s ToronTo
I
ncorporating all of the fresh departments and offerings of its
traditional stores within the reduced footprint of a 7,800-square-
foot urban model, The Market by Longo’s builds on the success of
its evolving urban-concept store strategy that reflects a new genera-
tion of Longo’s stores designed to meet an increasing demand for a
superior shopping experience, while providing downtown customers
access to a wide variety of quality foods.
Working closely with Longo’s to develop a solutions-based store
format that placed less emphasis on center store in favor of fresh
foods, store designer Watt International Inc.’s finished product skill-
fully incorporates a streamlined offering of grocery, dairy, bakery and
frozen foods.
To ensure a seamless, fluid floor plan to shop, the design team
prioritized working with a footprint that was familiar to shoppers and
similar to a full-shop grocery store. A rectangular shape was chosen
to accomplish this goal, offering shoppers the perception of a more
familiar store layout, and therefore making it easier for them to find
everything they need.
The design placed produce in a familiar, favorite front-of-store
location to highlight Longo’s fresh, healthy offerings while further
reinforcing that the store is a condensed grocery store rather than an
upgraded convenience store. Watt’s design team also incorporated
custom lighting that elevates the space and takes advantage of the
high ceilings.
»
The round silver lighting employed throughout, meanwhile, 22
PriCe CUtter PLUS
role in giving each department its own unique
ambiance, as did the selection of the light fixtures,
the foot-candle contrast in each department, and
the sleek use of graduated ceiling planes in several
of the departments.
Another challenge the design team successfully
tackled was the floor plan, which created a rela-
tively narrow walkway between the deli and organic
area. Task lighting was added above the service
cases, but a drywall soffit would have visually closed
off the space. An astute solution was devised in the
form of a custom-designed, narrow structural band
placed above the deli that allows for well-placed
accent lighting without overwhelming the area with
an overhead soffit.
In addition to its innovative and attractive
interior, the store also has a number of sustainable
features, including a system that reclaims heat from
refrigeration units to warm the building.
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4. the Market by Longo’S
trains a warm spotlight on merchandise while adding
an upscale feel to the urban store, which also conveys
a more boutique feel to create a warm and inviting
shopping experience.
Among the challenges confronted by the design
team was a slight elevation of the front door, which
prohibited customers from easily seeing it from
street level. To solve this issue, a large amount of
appetite-appealing exterior photography and clear
signage communicating savings and specials was
installed to entice customers and capture their
attention.
Interestingly, due to recent street beautification
regulations enforced by the city of Toronto, Longo’s
and Watt were also challenged not only to redesign
the inside of the new store, but also to refresh the
exterior, while adhering to various city policies. And
here again, the end result is an exterior that’s as
inviting and visually stimulating as the interior of the
gourmet compact grocery supermarket.
Another challenge that needed to be addressed
and surmounted was the harshness of the concrete
that surrounds the store. Working with Longo’s, Watt
created exterior applications that covered most of the
concrete around the store. Further, by using Longo’s
brand colors strategically on the exterior of the build-
ing, the store designers were able to soften the harsh
exterior and bring the brand to life at street level.
Yet one more challenge was maintaining the
brand essence of Longo’s between its suburban and
urban stores. By using similar building materials and
finishes while simultaneously communicating its
core underlying messaging that conveys comfortably
familiar layouts like those in its suburban stores, The
Market by Longo’s has been able to maintain its own
unique brand essence while expanding into a new
and exciting market segment.
Since its grand opening in March 2010, Longo’s
Hudson Bay Centre store’s first-year performance
was strong, reaching 90 percent of its projected
estimates. Even more promising are sales for the
first half of 2011, which are currently trending at
more than 30 percent over last year’s, reflective of
strong customer and neighborhood acceptance and
approval, as well as an excellent combination of loca-
tion, design and offerings.
Store DeSigner Watt International Inc., Toronto
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