New Keells design concept wins international accolades and commendations

The latest rebranding of the Keells supermarkets that is taking Sri Lanka by storm was recognised with a Silver Award at the prestigious Melbourne Design Awards 2018 for the brand transformation and retail design concept conceptualised and designed by Whippet Australia and executed by the Keells team in Sri Lanka.

The rebranding project encompassed brand strategy, brand identity design, store exterior and interior design and an entire suite of in-store brand communications, including point-of-sale.

“Melbourne Design Awards celebrates creative and innovative design for brand experiences and it is indeed a great achievement to be recognised with a Silver award. We are truly appreciative of the work done by Whippet to transform our stores from where it was. We believe in listening to our customers and ensuring we cater to the ever growing and changing needs within the market. The new Keells store design and offering is the ultimate testimony to that. The new brand and the new store design, including every element that went into the store, has propelled our brand ahead in the industry and has also resulted in improved sales performance overall and this is just the beginning of the journey,” stated Retail John Keells Group President Charitha Subasinghe. 

In June 2018 the newly-rebranded store concept also raked up a highly-commended at the prestigious Drum Design awards held in London which exclusively recognises great design concepts around the world. 

The new Keells brand identity and store concept is ingrained in Keells’ belief of improving the quality of life for the nation by providing innovative experiences, quality food and fresh produce at the right price to our consumers.

Keells Attidiya was the first store to embrace the new look and with a juice bar, hot food exuding the epitome of convenience. The new store concept makes store navigation easier, featuring lots of bright, airy spaces, clear overhead navigation, nutritional tips, open pharmacy and health and beauty concept and a tuk-tuk featuring special products. And Keells is currently in the process of converting all their stores to this. 

“We decided the best approach would be to reinvent the heart of the brand – the store itself. By radically redesigning both the store and the brand, to reflect Keells’ focus on freshness and quality, we were able to deliver a unique world class retail experience; one that showcases the brand’s mission to bring the best of the world to Sri Lanka, every day,” said Whippet Australia Founder and CEO Steve Stoner.

Melbourne Design Awards is an annual event celebrating creative and innovative design intended to persuade an audience to take some action upon products, ideas or services. The award criterion is stringent with a focus on evaluating the technical, conceptual and aesthetic elements, user experience, audience engagement and message delivery. This achievement on an international platform affirms the value addition Keells has infused into the consumer experience.