Not all shopping is the same. For many customers, shopping is an experience in which they expect a feel-good atmosphere in a well-designed environment. This applies not only to boutiques, but also to grocery shopping. Edeka Hundrieser in Essen meets these expectations and presents its grocery stores in a correspondingly attractive environment. At the beginning of 2022, the international scientific EHI Retail Institute honored this development and presented the Edeka Hundrieser store on Aktienstraße with the "EuroShop Retail Design Award". Kinzel Architecture, whose design for the store, which opened in summer 2021, was also delighted to receive this award.

The new store is located on the site of a former colliery. The discreetly dark façade of the 2,500 m² store makes reference to this and breaks up the industrial look with copper elements, which in turn create an association with the glow of the blast furnaces. Inside, the defining elements of the purely functional materials of industrial history are continued: combinations of brick look, matt black finished metal profiles, an open supporting structure, exposed concrete and copper as well as clamped grids as room-dividing elements form the basis and are a minimalist translation of the characteristic pipes and shafts of old industrial factories. This also includes the slender, arched metal profiles, which elegantly reflect the window constructions typical of industrial halls. In between, light-flooded forests in the form of atmospheric photo prints and hanging plants make their way to the front of the store - just as nature often reclaims disused colliery sites. Various copper sheets lend a warm touch to the cool industrial tone.

In this understated ambience, the products can be sure of optimal presentation. The packaging and food products on the shelves and counters shine in all colors, illuminated by linear lighting tracks and striking industrial luminaires that subtly guide customers through the store. The concept is particularly striking at the fresh food counters. Their rear walls are designed with orange panes that convey the atmosphere of blast furnaces in terms of color and guide customers through the areas at an early stage. "With such eye-catching elements, the architecture supports the 'eating and drinking' experience in its main role and makes it a special feature," says architect Valentina Kinzel, summarizing the concept in one sentence.  

www.kinzel-project.de

Photos:

Guido Leifheim

(Published in CUBE Ruhr Area 03|22)