British image for European malls

London design group Greig and Stephenson has been appointed without a pitch to design and brand a new four-strong chain of “hyper malls” in Poland and the Czech Republic. It is developing an international marque to compete with European food giants such as Wal-Mart and appeal to local customers.

According to Greig and Stephenson director Ken Greig, the new malls – owned by international food retailer Ahold – are a result of Eastern Europe’s fast expanding economy. He says: “The Polish retail landscape has changed from predominantly local independent retailers to multinational hypermarkets in a short space of time. We aim to make sense of the transition for local people by creating regionally-relevant branding.”

The malls in Poland and the Czech Republic will house existing Ahold hypermarkets, called Hypernova and branded by Greig and Stephenson.

“Ahold is competing on the increasingly competitive international food retail stage, alongside giants such as Tesco, Géant and Metro,” adds Greig. “Our branding work will acknowledge this.”