Longo's Takes Grocery Grand Prize at NASFM Retail Design Awards
LAS VEGAS -- Community-based independent Longo Brothers Fruit Markets, Inc., headquartered in Mississauga, Ont., took the grand prize for grocery design at the National Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers (NASFM) 26th annual Retail Design Awards, which were presented here earlier this month during an awards ceremony at the Venetian Hotel, following the end of the first day of Nielsen-owned design event GlobalShop.
The store, The Market by Longo's, designed by Toronto-based Watt International, is a new prototype aimed at urban convenience, and occupies a 4,000-square-foot footprint with floor-to-ceiling shelving, built-in bakery baskets, strategic placement of fixtures, minimal colors and signage, and custom fixtures wrapping around support columns.
Natural materials such as rich woods, river rock, and cultured stone were incorporated into the design to complement the products' freshness, and grab-and-go meals are merchandised at the front of the store to boost lunchtime sales.
In total, 52 awards were presented in recognition of the inspirational design of retail environments. During the event, 14 projects were awarded grand prizes onstage. In addition, Fixture of the Year was awarded to Lily Simon for its elegant fixture grouping, one of two Store Fixture awards earned by the store in the competition. Shu uemera, submitted by NASFM member High Country Millwork, was named Store of the Year. Fifteen Outstanding Merits, two Special Installation awards, three Visual Presentation awards, and 16 Store Fixture awards were presented in the Winners Circle following the presentation.
This year's judges included design experts, retailers, and editors of design publications -- including DDI magazine's Roxanna Sway -- reviewed 1,173 images of 186 projects. (DDI is a sister publication of Progressive Grocer.) Winners were selected from projects submitted from around the world that were completed between January and December 2006. A complete list of winning projects and the companies that contributed to them, including photos and descriptions, is available online at www.nasfm.org and in a special supplement in the April issue of DDI magazine, the presenting sponsor of the NASFM Retail Design Awards.
The store, The Market by Longo's, designed by Toronto-based Watt International, is a new prototype aimed at urban convenience, and occupies a 4,000-square-foot footprint with floor-to-ceiling shelving, built-in bakery baskets, strategic placement of fixtures, minimal colors and signage, and custom fixtures wrapping around support columns.
Natural materials such as rich woods, river rock, and cultured stone were incorporated into the design to complement the products' freshness, and grab-and-go meals are merchandised at the front of the store to boost lunchtime sales.
In total, 52 awards were presented in recognition of the inspirational design of retail environments. During the event, 14 projects were awarded grand prizes onstage. In addition, Fixture of the Year was awarded to Lily Simon for its elegant fixture grouping, one of two Store Fixture awards earned by the store in the competition. Shu uemera, submitted by NASFM member High Country Millwork, was named Store of the Year. Fifteen Outstanding Merits, two Special Installation awards, three Visual Presentation awards, and 16 Store Fixture awards were presented in the Winners Circle following the presentation.
This year's judges included design experts, retailers, and editors of design publications -- including DDI magazine's Roxanna Sway -- reviewed 1,173 images of 186 projects. (DDI is a sister publication of Progressive Grocer.) Winners were selected from projects submitted from around the world that were completed between January and December 2006. A complete list of winning projects and the companies that contributed to them, including photos and descriptions, is available online at www.nasfm.org and in a special supplement in the April issue of DDI magazine, the presenting sponsor of the NASFM Retail Design Awards.