AMERICAN RETAIL
Retail and Decor news from around the country
compiled by the staff of Off The Wall
New YorkCNN —
The past few months of robust grocery store sales would suggest that shoppers aren’t stretched for cash. But that’s not the full story.
Food manufacturers like Kellogg (K), PepsiCo (PEP) and Nestlé all reported sales growth in the first quarter of the year.
But even though sales are up, people are buying less. Growth has been fueled by higher prices, which offset declining volumes.
Off The Wall gets its name from a play on words and because of where it hangs its signs. Although not as witty, it could have been called Off The Ceiling with equal accuracy.
Through research, calculations, and the magic of Value Engineering, Off The Wall produces cost-effective and lightweight decor that looks like steel, stone, wood, or plaster
Color Psychology in Retail Design: From Establishing Brand Identity to Influencing Customer Behavior
In the world of retail, competition is fierce. Brands find themselves in pursuit of distinguishing their presence and developing intimate connections with their customers. Amidst the array of products they offer, thoughtful brands recognize the value of curating immersive retail environments that empathize with the core of consumers' sentiments and desires. In retail design, color stands as a powerful instrument that affords brands the means to articulate their values, evoke emotions, and carve memorable shopping experiences into the minds of their patrons.
Retail and Decor news from around the country
You can’t have a party without cake! If you’re hosting a celebration, whether it’s for a birthday or something else, you’ll need a cake to cut. But that doesn’t mean you need to bake the cake yourself. (Although these homemade birthday cakes are pretty darned good.)
According to a Penn State University study, taste buds crave foods with contrasting textures, a phenomenon called "dynamic sensory contrast." This might explain why, even when inflation was at its highest and people were watching their food budgets, bakeries did not take as big a hit as one would expect of a department selling things that can taste and smell so richly extravagant.
The health and wellness trend has gone beyond nutrition and fad diets to encompass the whole person, reported IDDBA at its annual convention held June 4-6 in Anaheim, Calif. The organization laid out the top five trends it has seen shaping the supermarket perimeter in 2023: Whole health, heart and self; consumer-defined convenience; worth the value; ESG; and technology and innovation. The expansion of health and wellness combines nutrition and portion control with the importance of mental health.
Heather and Jonathan Maze discuss the competition between grocers and restaurants on the podcast, A DEEPER DIVE. We
They talk about the move grocers are making into restaurants’ territory, and how these companies plan to generate more of their business with prepared foods.
Perimeter departments in supermarkets encompass sections such as produce, bakery, deli, meat, and seafood. They are strategically positioned to entice shoppers as soon as they enter the store and, ideally, are also ordered in such a way as to lead a customer around the store.
Grocery stores could give restaurants a run for their money through the continued growth of retail foodservice. That was a key theme of the inaugural keynote presentation Sunday of the 2023 International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) conference in Anaheim, California.
IDDBA kicked off its 2023 show with a presentation from IDDBA Vice President of Marketing Whitney Atkins and Heather Prach, the association's VP of education, which highlighted trends and areas of opportunity in the industry.
There are many ways to make your displays and tables look presentable. One of the best ways is with a technique called waterfalling. Check out the photo below for an example.
There are white, red, and pink poinsettias. On the tallest to shortest steps, they are color-blocked. So if a customer can't reach the highest ones, they can easily get another particular color desired.
Supermarket floral departments play a crucial role in enhancing the shopping experience for customers by adding touches of natural colors and beauty to an otherwise bustling retail environment.
Off The Wall has been designing, fabricating, and installing decor components for floral departments for over forty years.
In the past 15 years, as supermarkets have increased the size and sophistication of their floral departments, many have become experts at generating impulse purchases, which now account for as much as 80 percent of supermarket floral sales. But what about planned purchases? How can supermarkets get their floral products on the customer’s shopping list?
There’s an old saying that it takes 20 years to build a reputation and 20 minutes to lose it; how unique and positive is your customer experience? Because non-traditional retail is about an experience, and not just about having the right merchandise in the stockroom, how can we provide the best possible experience to the consumer? The answer is to think through the entire customer journey and design for an optimal journey.
It's not often that a decor, fabrication, and installation company is given an 80,000-square-foot canvas to shine on, but that's precisely what the new ShopRite in Woolwich, New Jersey is. On our visit there, the customers we asked offered comments such as "so much more than we expected," "I love coming here just for lunch," "so bright and beautiful..."
While no one has a crystal ball that can see exactly what Q4 will bring, it seems we’re in for a relatively solid, if not superlative, season for retailers. This uncertain economic environment means that retailers will need to squeeze as much value as they can from every holiday season interaction.
When life gives you lemons … OK, so maybe not lemons. But what about other fruits? Spanish grocer Carrefour has found ways to turn its overripe produce — particularly oranges and tomatoes — into jam. It then puts those products back on the shelves in 9-ounce jars.
Off The Wall is well known for its store design, decor, and signage. Counter- and cabinet-making have been an essential facet of this repertoire for over forty years. We are currently in the midst of a multi-year rollout across the U.S. with various customers, including Target's Optical Departments, and JOANN.
One might think of millwork as noisy, heavy and traditional, featuring ornate moldings and historical detailing. But a lot of millwork isn’t fussy. Nowadays, built-ins and paneling are more streamlined to complement contemporary architecture and interiors while still keeping everyday necessities tucked behind closed doors.