News
Harvey's Revived
With a history dating back to the 1920's Harveys Supermarkets has 70 stores located mostly in rural areas of Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. Acquired by the Delhaize Group in 2003 api(+) was approached to design a new prototype based on the founding principles of service, quality, and value.
"Harvey's had lost some of its core brand essence over its evolution from a small town grocer to a multiple outlet regional food store chain," says Thomas Henken, VP + Director of Design, for api(+) in Tampa, FL, and responsible for the design development of these 70 Harveys' stores. "Our mission was to restore that brand essence while updating its relevance to today's small town grocery consumer," he says.
api(+) created recognizable brand architecture through the use of a signature painted gingham facade, promoting a sense of permanence and history further lending credibility to the brand and selected materials, finishes, and colors to convey a genuine rural character thereby validating the established brand personality.
Presentation and visual merchandising were tailored to emphasize price first and abundant selection second. api(+) implemented solutions which maximized cross merchandising, encouraging the rural customer to try new products and find new favorites. Promotional, wayfinding, and institutional messages were created to reflect a straightforward and honest approach to customer information.
The prototype opened in late 2007 with strong positive community reaction and continues to surpass all sales forecasts set by the Delhaize group.
