Article

GlobalShop: Starbucks, Whole Foods localizing redesign efforts to increase community contact

Community involvement, locally sourced and reclaimed materials are key to establishing and retaining customer loyalty.

March 28, 2011 by Kim Williams — Reporter, NetWorld Alliance

LAS VEGAS — For Starbucks and Whole Foods Market, community involvement, locally sourced and reclaimed materials and creating smaller footprint stores through redesign and remodels are key elements in establishing and retaining customer loyalty.

Gabrielle Rosi, senior design coordinator, Whole Foods Market, outlined the company's three design philosophies during the recent GlobalShop session, "Localizing Retail: Going Beyond One-Size-Fits-All."

"We were really thinking about how we could design stores that people would want to shop in because they are unique and special, so we came up with three design philosophies: the community is our friend, little is the new big and our company values are to be seen in action," said Rosi.

In keeping with one of the company's core values, caring about the community and the environment, Rosi said redesigns and store openings have centered on community outreach through social media to receive feedback about what the community wants. The company also utilizes a "local forager" to scour the neighborhoods for local products to feature within the stores.

One of the recently opened stores on Haight Street in San Francisco, a remodel, features 80 percent locally grown produce during the summertime through a farm-direct program implemented by the company, she said.

Whole Foods also uses "community advocates" to get input for special design details, such as a "dog-hitching post," complete with water bowls, outside of its Noe Valley store in Northern California, a particularly dog-friendly neighborhood.

The company's "little is the new big" design principle focuses on smaller footprint stores. By taking over smaller spaces previously occupied by big box retail stores, Rosi said the company has been able to reach more customers than it may have by building one of its 80,000 sq. foot stores.

David Curtis, director of store design for Starbucks, discussed the 2007 launch and implementation of Starbucks' global agenda to reconnect with customers and communities by clearly understanding the markets and customers at the local level.

"After 20 years of focusing on expansion, the company realized it had lost sight of one very important component of our corporate mission and values, which was to create the differentiated identity of the brand at the local level," said Curtis.

Three different concepts were developed by the store design teams as references for remodels. Curtis said there was an early realization that in order to execute the massive redesign effectively, design teams needed to be physically present in each market.

"We began regionalizing our design teams from the Seattle office to our regional hubs around the globe," said Curtis. "Every store is unique and different in where it is located and how it is used, so elements were locally sourced to add meaning to a specific community or neighborhood."

Cultural preferences, sustainability, lifestyle trends and local materials sourcing were taken into consideration during the redesign process, which also helped build community alliances, according to Curtis.

Curtis cited four remodel examples in Chicago, Toronto, Beirut and Seattle in which locally inspired details were added, from local artwork and custom light fixtures to reclaimed wood for flooring and coffee-related artifacts purchased from local vintage shops.

"Starbucks' goal is to connect to communities to enhance the customer experience," said Curtis. "It has been a learning experience for us over the past three years. Customizing is an ever-evolving entity."