BY Armin

Grocery Store Cleans up its Act

From the few things I was able to read online and a couple of details our tipster shared, it sounds like Unimarc, a grocery store chain in Chile established in 1961, was in dire need of updating their identity and signal change. Whether it was all around sub-par cleanliness or dealing with the expiration dates of their products by placing new labels over the existing ones with dates further into the decaying future, Unimarc needed to clean up its act.

Old store exterior.

New store exterior.

Purchased in 2007 by the larger holding group SMU, Unimarc is set to add 100 new stores across Chile over the next three years to complement its existing 25 locales. The old logo and overall look was definitely frumpy and generic, although I think there was something nice and old school about the “U” icon. The new logo, designed by Santiago, Chile based Porta4, updates the icon and typography to a somewhat odd mixture of styles that on their own would probably work well but, together, something just doesn’t quite sit well.

I like the simplicity and friendliness of the “u” and I even like the rounded corners of the box it sits in. I like the “uni” treatment. And I’m indifferent to the poorly kerned Helvetica light. Mix it all together and you have a weird little disproportionate lock-up. Nonetheless, the new look is a major upgrade, and the stores look much more welcoming and even upscale. There are a few more images here and a news story in Spanish here

Images source.

Thanks to Pablo Gonzalez for the tip.

\n\nFrom the few things I was able to read online and a couple of details our tipster shared, it sounds like Unimarc, a grocery store chain in Chile established in 1961, was in dire need of updating their identity and signal change. Whether it was all around sub-par cleanliness or dealing with the expiration dates of their products by placing new labels over the existing ones with dates further into the decaying future, Unimarc needed to clean up its act.

Many thanks to our ADV @ UnderConsideration Partners