Land

The relaxation of Japan's big-store law cast a pall over the Sunny Company supermarket chain by putting a giant Jusco department store–complete with a supermarket–in its backyard.

In order to survive, the 60-unit Sunny needed to reposition itself, so it approached CDI Group, a New York-based store design firm, to reinvent the company's logo, store layout and design in three different-sized formats. "Sunny needed to refocus the image and identity of the chain," says Joseph Bona, CDI president.

CDI also designed a new logo and corporate color that incorporates a teal green palette, replacing the harsh, outdated red format.

Fukoka-based Sunny was widely known for its central commissary and popular, self-produced televised food show. It was lesser known for its food safety laboratory that tests for quality, bacteria and other issues. "They were very low key and had one little television in the back of the store where they televised the laboratory and the cooking show. We said it was such a strength that they should be screaming it to the public," Bona says.

The resulting 22,000-square-foot prototype in Nano Kawa, Japan, repositions Sunny as the "food experts." There is a Community Circle area up front, where cooking demonstrations now dovetail with the cooking show. Videotapes are broadcast when there are no live demonstrations taking place. Other special broadcasts include food safety, new menu ideas and weekly specials. Seating is provided so shoppers can rest, enjoy a snack or chat with friends.

Perimeter departments have an individualized look, with tile in the fish department and wood accents in meat and deli. There is also an open ceiling, which adds drama to the shopping ex-perience, creating a sharp contrast to the brightly lit food displays. "The result is an overall experience that reflects Sunny's commitment to food quality and freshness, and reinforces the 'food expert' positioning," says KaoruYamamoto, CDI's director of design.

Because many of the Japanese live in tiny apartments without the luxury of huge refrigerators, shopping is done daily. "They tend to buy more frequently and eat more fresh food," says Gerald Lewis, CDI's CEO. "But the Japanese are becoming more westernized and the Western culture is becoming more attuned to the Japanese way of shopping in urban areas. Urban Americans are buying smaller quantities of food in supermarkets, but visiting the store more frequently," he says.