Supermarket Branding, Design & Marketing Strategy for Retail Excellence for 2026.

Explore how Whole Foods and Tesco achieve growth, strengthen brand loyalty, and differentiate in the market through format-efficient retail planning, shopper-centric design, multi-format innovation, and data-driven predictive solutions tailored for food retailers. This global perspective draws on benchmarking insights from projects including Whole Foods Market in New York (Thread Collaborative) and Tesco Extra Hypermarket in Lancashire (CampbellRigg).

Format efficient retail, drives growth, band loyalty, & differentiation.

As European supermarkets evolve through 2026–27, retailers must adopt alternative future strategies across food, homewares, and textiles to remain competitive. Multi-format approaches, including compact urban, convenience, and hypermarket stores, are becoming essential for addressing fragmented shopping missions, urban density, and changing customer expectations. Shopper-focused layouts, experience-led zones, and fresh visual merchandising enhance engagement, dwell time, and basket size, while digital intelligence and predictive analytics support operational efficiency and inventory optimisation.

Investment in adaptable, scalable formats allows retailers to balance capital efficiency with emotional and cultural relevance at local levels. Brand leadership teams must prioritise cohesive identity frameworks, omnichannel marketing integration, and experiential design to strengthen loyalty, differentiate offerings, and increase ROIC. Across the sector, the convergence of design, technology, and marketing will define winners, enabling consistent growth in a landscape driven by customer-centric, phygital experiences. The CampbellRigg Agency supports retailers in translating insights into tangible commercial results, optimising performance per square metre and reinforcing brand equity across diverse supermarket portfolios.

The image below: Whole Foods Market store environment is designed to be inviting, with a strong emphasis on quality and fresh produce, as highlighted by the large "NATURALLY" and "QUALITY PRODUCE" signs, location in Eugene, Oregon USA.

Local is a focal point of the newest Whole Foods Market in Washington, D.C.’s historic Walter Reed development, which features an array of certified organic, conventional and sourced for good produce.

The Problem:
Retailers face increasingly fragmented shopping behaviours, rising operational costs, and pressure to differentiate across food, homewares, and textiles. Traditional standardised store formats fail to capture local relevance or optimise shopper engagement.

Digital innovation often adds complexity without clear ROI, while poor visual merchandising and in-store experience can lack cohesion. These challenges hinder sales per square metre, reduce basket size, and dilute brand impact, creating a gap between investment and commercial outcomes. Retailers require a unified strategy linking format, brand, and customer experience to drive sustainable growth and operational efficiency.

The Strategic Solution:
Winning supermarkets integrate multi-format strategies with predictive technology, flexible layouts, and scalable investment. Brand leadership, loyalty platforms, and omnichannel marketing are aligned to measurable KPIs, sales uplift, and ROIC. Experience-led store designs enhance dwell time and emotional connection, while data-driven merchandising optimises product placement and basket relevance.

Capital is deployed efficiently through modular, adaptable formats, balancing operational performance with local relevance. Strategic planning combines store concept innovation, visual identity, and digital infrastructure, ensuring retailers achieve consistent growth, stronger brand equity, and competitive advantage across fresh produce and grocery retailing.

Whole Foods Market butcher counter, highlighting the store's commitment to specific animal welfare standards in Washington, D.C.’s historic Walter Reed development. Below: Whole Foods' Manhattan West meat cutting department.

Customer Experience Trends (Phygital):
Next-generation supermarket experiences are phygital by design: seamlessly integrating digital intelligence with human-led service. AI personalisation, predictive availability, and frictionless checkout operate invisibly, while physical spaces deliver emotion through food theatres, interactive zones, and community engagement.

Shoppers expect relevance, clarity, and trust at every touchpoint. Convenience, efficiency, and immersive experiences coexist with educational and experiential elements, driving longer visits and incremental spend. Localised assortments, fresh visual merchandising, and digitally-informed layouts are critical to enhancing emotional connection and loyalty in multi-format retail environments.

Whole Foods Market Daily Shop location, specifically highlighting the fresh produce section. The slogan "Eat Colorful Everyday" is a prominent part of the store's design concept, which emphasizes the variety and health benefits of colourful fruits and vegetables. Located in the Lenox Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City

The baked goods section at a Whole Foods Market, highlighting the store's "We Believe In Real Food" philosophy and quality standards. The text emphasizes the use of specific ingredients and the avoidance of common artificial additives.

Whole Foods Market restaurant located in the Glover Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C., at 2323 Wisconsin Ave NW. The distinctive interior with the black brick wall and yellow text is part of the store's unique design, which was the first Whole Foods to feature Amazon's "Just Walk Out" cashierless shopping technology.

Our Focus and Expertise:
CampbellRigg Agency partners with supermarkets to deliver high-impact branding, store design, and retail marketing solutions across food, homewares, and textiles. We specialise in multi-format strategies, experience-led layouts, visual merchandising, and omnichannel campaigns that increase basket size, dwell time, and customer loyalty.

Using data-driven insights, predictive technology, and scalable concepts, we create locally relevant, performance-driven retail environments. Our integrated services align brand identity, shopper experience, and commercial KPIs, helping retailers translate investment into measurable growth, higher ROIC, and long-term competitive advantage.

Working closely with Tesco’s leadership, CampbellRigg shaped the Tesco Extra hypermarket in Accrington, Lancashire through a fully integrated programme of brand strategy, store design, and format planning, creating a locally resonant, performance-driven compact hypermarket that elevates the customer experience, strengthens operational efficiency, and drives measurable uplift in sales per square metre across the estate.

Fresh Market Concept: The layout has been designed to be part of Tesco's “The Fresh Market" initiative, which emphasizes fresh food sections with dedicated butchers, fishmongers, and bakers. 

The "Fish of the day" counter offers various types of fresh fish displayed on ice, with signs for "Just ask the Fishmonger" for advice on how to cook".  

"Just ask the butcher for today's best offers". All meat sold is stated to be "100% British" and sourced from farms that meet "high welfare standards.

Below: The Tesco Nurture protocol has specific, demanding environmental criteria that all certified growers must follow. These requirements are designed to ensure the sustainable and responsible production of fresh fruit and vegetables for the supermarket.

The Tesco Nuture Standard was launched in 1992 to ensure that Tesco provides high-quality fruit and vegetables grown in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way.

Clear Signage and Wayfinding: Prominent, clearly labeled department signs (like the "Customer Services", "Information", and "Café" signs in the image) help customers navigate easily and reduce anxiety. This ensures shoppers can find specific items quickly.

The "Decompression Zone": The area immediately inside the entrance is an open, uncluttered space that allows customers to transition from the outside world to the shopping environment. Retailers avoid placing critical displays here as shoppers are still adjusting.

"I am very pleased with the very good job that Campbell and his team have done to help us create our new look, and have no hesitation In recommending CampbellRigg for their excellent work in a very challenging retail environment." Carlos Criado-Perez Chief Executive, Safeway

The Wine Shop Product Range: The aisles feature a wide selection of red, white, and rosé wines, along with sparkling options like Prosecco and Champagne. Brands stocked can range from popular labels like Casillero del Diablo and Yellow Tail to premium own-brand options under the Tesco Finest range.

Store Design Concept: As seen in the image, Tesco utilizes clear overhead signage to help customers navigate to specific "hero" zones within the larger store. The aisles are well-lit and designed with lower displays, which helps shoppers see across the department and find products more easily.

The Bakery Concept: Tesco has progressively evolved its bakery model, shifting from full scratch baking in every location to a more flexible hybrid approach that combines central production with in-store finishing (bake-off). This model delivers consistent quality while improving space efficiency, labour productivity and operational control across the estate.

Innovation: In smaller formats where space is constrained, Tesco has introduced a compact “bake on the shop floor” concept, enabling a credible fresh bakery offer within a minimal footprint, while maintaining strong sensory impact and commercial performance.

The Product Range: The current range often includes "Everyday Favourites," "Tea Time Treats," and "Tesco Finest Signature Bakes," offering both standard and specialty items like tiger loaves, focaccia, and sourdough.

Design: The wood-finish displays and signage are part of a specific retail design strategy aimed at creating an "artisan bakery" or a warm and welcoming feel to enhance the customer shopping experience.

“I am writing to recommend CampbellRigg for business cooperation on creative design solutions in the retail industry." Murat Akdag - Head of Marketing, Migros Ticaret A.S. Turkey

From 2027 to 2029, retail leaders will win by simplifying complexity and strengthening local connection. Performance will be unlocked by tightly integrating predictive technology, format planning, loyalty platforms and brand architecture with hard commercial metrics: sales uplift, productivity per square metre and ROIC. Growth will belong to those with the agility, investment discipline and execution capability to transform insight into consistent returns across multi-format retail estates.

"The next-generation supermarket is not defined by geography, but by its ability to translate intelligence into relevance and relevance into return."

Our Four-Step Process:
1. Book a consultation call for free
2. Co-create a bespoke brief 
3. We execute the creative work fast
4. You see sales, brand loyalty and market share uplift

Schedule your consultation today and receive a free quote.

Cost-Effective Excellence:
Our pricing structure is highly competitive, offering exceptional value without compromising on quality or creativity.

Rapid Execution:
We move fast. From concept to implementation, our agile team ensures your project is delivered on time and to the highest standards.

Multidisciplinary Expertise:
Our team brings together seasoned brand strategists, architects, interior designers, and graphic designers, collaborating to create seamless, end-to-end brand environments.

Global Reach, Local Insight:
With successful projects delivered across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, we combine international experience with local market understanding.

Scalable Project Delivery:
Whether it's a flagship hypermarket store, an metropolitan city supermarket or convenience store, we manage and execute projects of all sizes, efficiently and effectively.

Proven Track Record:
Our designs evolve branch networks from purely transactional spaces into experiential, relationship-focused brand environments, enhancing engagement, elevating customer experience, and driving tangible business results.

Full-Service Creative Agency:
From rebranding and marketing campaigns to spatial design and rollout, we provide an integrated service tailored to your goals.