S-Mart An International Design Award Winner for Best Grocery Concept

S-Mart store exterior design, Monterrey Mexico

S-Mart is a premium grocery store chain in the northern States of Mexico.

This store design was one of my earlier projects in my career, but I like to share it as it was one of my favorites. I was a senior designer at King Retail Solutions. I had the opportunity to design supermarkets and pharmacy chains for some of their top clients, such as Albertsons, Safeway, Whole Foods, and CVS, to name a few. I often tell people that the most innovative work I have done was for grocery stores. The challenge of navigating the consumer from the moment they enter the store, who is bombarded with thousands of products, and engaging them throughout their journey while helping to inform them to make the right product decisions that are best for them. It's a science of organizing, educating, categorizing, storytelling, and understanding operations and customer service for a seamless and holistic experience. I've created concepts from the budget consumer perspective to the premium high-end luxury experience, and this store concept took the learning from both types of consumer demands.

Larroc Inc approached us to design their new store concept, with the first store slated to open in Monterrey, Mexico. S-Mart is a Mexican grocery store chain in the northern Mexican states, and the owners wanted to provide a premium grocery experience. We toured several premium markets throughout the US, and I spent time in Mexico with them to understand their consumer, cultures, and aesthetic sense. They wanted an enjoyable shopping experience for the whole family and a place to gather and socialize. They offered a full cafeteria with rotisseries, barbacoa, chili asados, prepared foods, delicatessen, wood-fired pizza, freshly made sushi, salad bar, fresh juices, coffee and gelato, roasted Mexican corn stations, Nopalitos station (prepared cactus), Panaderia (fresh bread and pastries) international wine department, seafood, fresh meat, gourmet cheese selections, a complete floral shop, and a full pharmacy. 

Full of colors and sculptural elements, we wanted to create the feeling of a high-end market without it feeling unapproachable or too expensive by utilizing hand-written pricing systems that provoke the sense of local, fresh, and affordable deals. Every element was designed with attention to detail with an authentic modern aesthetic, from the store exterior design to the signage, fixtures, materials and finishes, lighting, and even the stained concrete floor.

Still, to this date one of my favorite projects! Winner of Best International Store Design of the Year, Chain Store Age.

Cafeteria area with a mural highlighting Mexico coming into an agricultural industrial age.

Several specialized prepared food sections created throughout the cafeteria.

Colorful artful walls and signs with handwritten systems to invite, engage and inform.

Coffee and Gelato station with adjacent cafeteria seating.

Seafood department with integrated printable sign systems and case signage.

Cheese and deli station fixtures, decor and signage design.