New Pathmark Design Highlights Local Roots

MATTHEW ENIS

CARTERET, N.J. — In an effort to emphasize its new “Go Fresh, Go Local” branding and merchandising initiative, Pathmark Stores recently unveiled a remodeled prototype concept in Kinnelon, N.J., featuring new signage, graphics, flooring and lighting geared toward emphasizing the store's perishables departments.

“The Kinnelon prototype is the culmination of a comprehensive design process, which included incorporating consumer research, merchandising strategies and operational input to develop a compelling retail footprint that can be easily replicated in current and future renovations,” John Standley, chief executive officer of Pathmark, said in a statement.

With names such as “The Original 59th Street Delicatessen,” the “Tribeca Baking Co.” and the “Chesapeake Seafood Co.,” the re-imaged departments underscore the company's ties to the New York Tri-State Region, Joseph Bona, retail division president of Colemanbrandworx (CBX), which designed the store, told SN.

“We felt that with Pathmark's position as a strong, local, regional player with roots in the New York Tri-State area, we could reinforce freshness by tying [the department names] into things that shoppers related to.

“It's a way of reinforcing that Pathmark has been here, they source local, and they're a local operator.”

The store's produce department is outfitted with freestanding, movable wooden floor fixtures and repositionable track lighting to give the department a boutique feel, while the department's signage highlights the “Go Fresh, Go Local” image with phrases such as “Just Picked,” “Farm Fresh” and “Vine Ripened.”

Service departments weren't extensively overhauled, but bold signage unifies the store's perimeter with a warm color palette of reds, yellows and greens with wood accents.

“We wanted to use color, lighting and materials in a warm, friendly, welcoming way to create a marketplace feel, without dialing it up so far that it became really premium and scared away their core customer base, which are value-driven customers,” explained Bona.

The remodel has received a very positive response from shoppers during the past month, Bona said, and the CBX team has been busy applying what it learned from the Kinnelon store to other Pathmark projects currently in the works.

Although the timing of these remodels may appear related to the proposed acquisition of Pathmark by A&P, Bona noted that CBX had begun working on the projects well before rumors of the merger had begun to surface.

“Our feeling is — and I'm not privy to what their plans are with regard to the merger — but until this deal is a done deal, my guess is that they still have a business to run, and they've made some decisions to update and improve the quality of their retail environment.”