Retail

Rewe, Munich Westkreuz (D)

Bavaria’s first Rewe Center

The REWE Center Westkreuz in Munich is Bavaria’s first supermarket in the REWE distribution line to feature a centre format – and it is pointing the way forward with a range of innovations. The most striking of these is the gourmet islands that are scattered throughout the entire supermarket. Reaching from the floor to the ceiling, they are real eyecatchers. These gourmet islands offer the supermarket staff an excellent stage to present vertical product ranges such as olives and wine or antipasti and pasta. Wanzl Shopfitting, which is almost completely responsible for the planning and implementation of the supermarket, also planned the islands as a communication point. Here the supermarket staff or a supplier can present products to the customers. There are no cardboard displays to ruin the appearance or distance the customers. The dialogue can be performed one-on-one in a relaxed atmosphere.

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The gourmet islands are one of the building blocks with which the 2,600-square-metre supermarket is bringing to life the motto “Explore – Experience – Enjoy”. Of course, the freshness that earns the REWE Center extra points is another decisive component. It is for this reason that Wanzl Shopfitting planned a comprehensive design of the fresh produce sections that visually stands out from the rest of the supermarket: ceiling elements, large-scale images, bright colours and different floor coverings entice the customers to buy. The customers’ urge to explore is stimulated at a much earlier stage: the supermarket is on the first floor. Even the escalator ascent arouses customers’ curiosity.

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The entrance construction is highlighted by an illuminated arch in the REWE design, which spans the entrance on the first floor. This is the location for the spacious restaurant area and an additional service, a travel agency, both in highly contrasting colours. This is another of the store’s approaches: true to the motto “Expect more from REWE”, the business enterprise is creating customer loyalty by also presenting itself as a travel company. You can book a trip just a few metres away in the travel agency.

The holistic approach of Wanzl Shopfitting involved conducting analyses of and obtaining recommendations from the potential target groups throughout the course of the project. The focus in the REWE supermarket is placed on a broad approach catered to all relevant customer groups, such as commuters, employees from nearby companies and local residents. The nearby urban railway station Westkreuz is used by many commuters and the employees from the local companies take the opportunity to go shopping in the new REWE Center during their lunch breaks. To make the service as convenient as possible for these target groups, the REWE Center is offering spacious express cash desks
where the customers can scan their own shopping and pay by cash or card. This cuts down the constant stress at the cash desk due to time pressure and demonstrates the clever concept of the REWE Center in staying true to the “Enjoy” part of its motto right through to the checkout.