Image Credit : Thomas Dalhoff
Project Overview
Service stations are ready for a renaissance and Caltex Australia are leading the charge. A sector of the retail market undeveloped for over 20 years, where little to no advance in customer experience or product offer has taken place in Australia, or indeed around the world. Changing consumer lifestyles, growth of on-line retailing and increased efficiency of modern vehicles, have all impacted the existing fuel focused business model.
Mima Design were engaged to develop the next generation retail store for Caltex Australia as part of their Freedom of Convenience strategy, which is aimed at creating a new growth platform, by leveraging their national network of 800 plus service stations. As well as being a refuelling stop for motorists, ‘The Foodary' offers a quality range of healthy and fresh food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, barista-made coffee, chilled beverages, a core convenience grocery range and services such as dry-cleaning, parcel collection and meal kit deliveries. Fresh food partners include Sumo Salad, Boost Juice and Guzman Y Gomez, for selected sites across Australia, including a drive-thru format that will open later in the year.
This project offered Mima Design the opportunity to approach a traditional retail format with a new and entirely fresh perspective, where incumbent company systems and methodologies would be analysed and re-invented to create a concept vision that exceeded customer expectations.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Mark McConnell- Design Director
Micheline Li Yoo Foo - Managing Director
Dave Green - Creative Lead
Katy Evans - Senior Interior Designer
Danielle Bennett - Interior Designer
Lizz Olmos - Interior Designer
Houston Group - Branding and Graphics
Project Brief
Mima Design were briefed to develop a re-imagined Australian retail convenience hub to replace an existing fuel station environment, introducing new services, products and payment methods that would provide a glimpse of what is achievable now and into the future. A key element of the design brief was to elevate the customer experience and challenge pre-conceived ideas of traditional service stations.
Sydney’s inner western suburb of Concord was selected as the first pilot location to sport the new brand name ‘The Foodary’, created in collaboration with Houston Group. The project scope included the design of the fuel forecourt and canopy, convenience store interior and external facade, back of house areas and signage components throughout the site. With a multi-site application in mind, the design had to be scalable and suit various retrofit and new building situations, to be implemented nationally.
Houston Group developed the brand identity with associated signage, uniforms, packaging, price points and ticketing, to complement the new customer environment and create a highly recognisable retail destination.
Project Innovation/Need
Establishing a local design element into what could be considered a rather typical retail format was important to capture in this project. Alfresco dining experiences are part of popular culture in Australia, especially for consumers of coffee who love to stop and watch others, or in fact, be watched. To achieve this, fold-up windows were integrated into the shopfront, creating open views into the store from the forecourt and activating the barista station, a key feature in the new retail offer.
With consumers generally pressed for time, the path to purchase was an important aspect of the store design, and integration of technology in-store, at the pump and a new mobile app enables customers to refill and pay for fuel on-the-go, or pre-order coffee and food for pick-up in-store. Prototyping of order point touch-screens at the pump were implemented to test customer uptake and engagement. In-store digital signage has been seamlessly integrated within joinery to maintain focus on the message rather than the hardware. Each digital element has been considered through the design process, extending to integration of digital screens within the shopfront glazing to capture customer attention on entry.
Design Challenge
To bring ‘The Foodary’ brand to life as a food and services convenience hub, the design concept was focused around stimulating the senses, where customers can see, taste, smell, hear and feel the new offer.
The store design has been developed to create a contemporary, authentic and inviting retail environment that conveys freshness, is instinctive for customers to navigate and optimises staff operations. Customer dwell time was encouraged through the inclusion of seating zones along the shopfront windows, highlighting a cafe destination to stop and rest. As you enter the store, custom designed merchandising tables and a ‘grab-and-go’ display unit plays centre stage. With confectionary and tobacco products deliberately ‘dialled-down’ to ensure fresh products were hero to the overall concept. Adjustable LED spot lighting provides flexibility to highlight mid-floor displays, whilst lineal LED accents along the counter and building facade, add depth and detail without being too harsh. Digital screens, custom fixtures, signage and lighting have all improved POS communication opportunities and overall visibility throughout the store.
The design process had an inherent layer of complexity to manage and resolve, due to the competing interests of key stakeholders from operations, marketing, IT, procurement, logistics and construction. With additional site restrictions for security, safety, RMS and local planning controls, delivering the client 'wish list' was a constant challenge. Caltex Australia had an aggressive timeline to launch the new concept store to market, and in just 5 months, 'The Foodary' was conceptualised, documented, built and trading.
Sustainability
Careful consideration in the specification of materials and finishes for their intended use, is the most effective way to be environmentally friendly in the design of retail environments.
External products for the retail store have all been selected for durability, life expectancy and ability to be recycled after use. As natural timber is a potential fire risk in a petroleum environment and would discolour too rapidly, an alternative material was required to clad the building facade. Aluminium extrusions were sourced as a viable solution, with a specialty timber look powder coat finish for optimal appearance, lifespan and recyclability. All internal and external illumination were manufactured locally and utilise environmentally friendly LED technology, exceeding minimum energy use requirements. Custom joinery units were all made locally and built with E0 boards, with counter tops fabricated from recyclable solid surfaces allowing easy modification in the future or a second life.
Continual optimisation of the retail environment has been developed across several pilot stores post the launch of ‘The Foodary’ in Concord, incorporating new learnings from customer feedback, staff operations and stakeholder review, to ensure the design has longevity and flexibility for implementation across Australia. A key part in creating a sustainable retail environment.
Sales at ‘The Foodary' have surged 20-30 percent for the first four pilot stores, giving Caltex Australia the confidence to expand a $30 million pilot program, which is testament that success is driven by design.
Interior Design - Hospitality - On the Go
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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