Aldi Australia has opened a new convenience-driven store format at North Sydney with an approach aligned to the needs of a local, largely walk-in customer base.
Grocery and fresh produce are still the core offering but are newly supplemented by a growing range of ready to go meals and convenience-based products, as well as a new take away coffee and artisanal bakery offerings. The brand’s beloved ‘Special Buys’ remain a core part of the Aldi Corner Store service offering.
Landini Associates were engaged to design the smaller trading format Aldi Corner Store, which launched in this month at 99 Mount Street, North Sydney.
The brief to Landini was to interpret the traditional Aldi model into a new format that is genuinely local, uniquely different, but recognisably Aldi.
Huw Longman, Director, ALDI Corner Store Project, said the new concept is an elevated and “never-before-seen” model for the German supermarket chain.
“The new Corner Store layout is aligned to the needs of a local, largely walk-in customer base, with simple navigation, self-checkouts, fresh offerings, quality products and everyday low prices with a nostalgic neighbourhood feel,” said Longman.
Mark Landini, Creative Director, Landini Associates, said the project aimed to reinvent how smaller store formats are interpreted in Australia.
At Aldi Corner Store locations, rather than featuring neighbourhood photographs or signs declaring the location, each site will be designed to celebrate its community through strategic local art partnerships. These artist collaborations “honour differences while embracing operational affinities and create an overall atmosphere that is consistent with the Aldi brand,” according to the firm.
“We wanted to create a solution that is both a design signature and memorably Aldi but also something truly different. We have ensured that each Aldi Corner Store will be recognisable and distinct, both in the design parameters and in this first store by commissioning a unique artwork,” said Landini.
The debut Aldi Corner Store features artwork from Sydney artist Mulga who was commissioned to decorate both the interior and façade of the North Sydney site.
To generate a consistent brand atmosphere and customer experience, each Aldi Corner Store will feature a material palette of pale brick, white tiles and blockwork, terrazzo and black and galvanized steel mesh, timber palettes, oak and walnut, which is all sustainable. These materials combine with the retail graphics solution by Landini Associates that creates a consistent
The new design celebrates Aldi’s renowned dedication to corporate responsibility, reflected in the brand’s recent delivery of 100 per cent renewable electricity across its business operations and its commitment to send zero waste to landfill by 2025.
