Safeway Convenience Supermarket Design, Planning & Branding

CampbellRigg was commissioned by Safeway UK, a leading convenience store and supermarket operator, to deliver a strategic retail design and branding solution that elevates the in-store experience, strengthens brand perception and supports long-term commercial growth across neighbourhood retail formats.

Overall, Safeway’s convenience store format aims to blend fresh, high-quality food offerings with an accessible and pleasant shopping environment, addressing the needs of busy customers who seek both convenience and quality.

In collaboration with Safeway’s store development and marketing team, we designed and implemented convenience food environments for two key locations: the 30,000 sq. ft. store at St. Katharine’s Dock and the 11,500 sq. ft. store on High Street Kensington. Safeway aimed to tap into the growing demand for home meal replacements and top-up shopping for London’s busy convenience shoppers, with a focus on reinforcing their "fresh fast food" credentials. By expanding the store footprint and enhancing fresh food departments, Safeway saw a significant sales increase of 20% to 30% week over week.

The Challenge:
Safeway required a fresh retail design approach that reflected its heritage while remaining relevant to modern convenience shoppers. The existing store identity and interior environments lacked consistent visual language, intuitive circulation and cohesive messaging. Safeway needed a unified retail brand presence, smarter store layouts and standout visual communications that improve shopper navigation, increase dwell time and drive sales performance.

Strategic Retail & Branding Solution
CampbellRigg’s approach combined strategic brand positioning with thoughtful interior planning and retail environment design, including:
1. Retail Interior & Store Layout - Store layouts and merchandising systems were redesigned to enhance shopper flow, make popular categories more discoverable and reduce visual noise.
2. Visual Communications - Integrated signage, graphics and messaging were developed to reinforce key brand stories and aid intuitive wayfinding.
3. Shopper Experience Design - We ensured balanced circulation paths, clear product zoning and compelling visual cues, enhancing every point of interaction.

Consumers expect more from retailers, including health-conscious options, personalized choices, on-the-go consumption, and premium convenience products. To meet these needs, the store is organized into four zones: Fresh to Go, Personal Indulgence, Everyday Essentials, and Browser, each with a unique atmosphere.

The Fresh to Go zone, covering 25% of the store, features fresh perishables, Hot Wok, Pasta, Hot Rotisserie, Pizza, a Sandwich Bar, and Patisserie and Bakery, offering high-quality, freshly prepared meals for both home and on-the-go consumption.

Every merchandising design solution was informed by shopper behaviour insights, in-store performance analysis and collaborative workshops with Safeway’s leadership team. 

What We Delivered
We created a distinctive and adaptable visual identity that differentiates Safeway in a competitive convenience retail market. Core brand elements included:
1. Retail Interior Framework and Merchandising System Design Solutions for every Category
2. Optimised Store Layouts that improve circulation and product discovery
3. Branded iconography and graphic language
4. Messaging frameworks that communicate convenience, quality and value 

Our design structure featured:
• Merchandising Strategies aligned to customer needs and category behaviours
• Interior Graphics that amplify brand presence across departments
• Consistent Signage & Wayfinding for seamless navigation 

Together, these elements fostered welcoming, organised and intuitive shopping environments capable of increasing dwell time and average basket size.

Our Proven Process:
1. Consultation - Free strategic call to assess goals
2. Bespoke Briefing - Co-create a tailored plan
3. Fast Execution - Deliver creative work efficiently
4. Commercial Growth - See uplift in sales, loyalty, and brand performance

Partner with CampbellRigg to Transform Your Store.

Book a complimentary consultation with CampbellRigg’s retail branding and design specialists and unlock more value from every square metre.

Smart Value, Outstanding Quality:
Our fees are structured to be competitive while delivering exceptional impact, creativity and design excellence.

Fast, Focused Delivery:
From strategy through rollout, our agile team works efficiently to deliver high-quality outcomes on schedule.

Cross-Disciplinary Expertise:
Brand strategists, architects, interior designers and graphic designers collaborate seamlessly to shape cohesive, end-to-end retail brand environments.

International Perspective, Local Relevance:
We combine global project experience across Europe, the Middle East and Asia with deep sensitivity to local market dynamics.

Flexible, Scalable Implementation:
From flagship urban supermarkets and convenience formats, we deliver projects of every scale with precision and efficiency.

Results That Speak:
We transform store networks from transactional spaces into engaging brand destinations that strengthen relationships, enrich experiences and drive measurable commercial growth.

Integrated Creative Partnership:
From brand repositioning and campaigns to spatial design and rollout, we offer a fully integrated service aligned to your commercial ambitions.