Thinking inside the box

Grocery retailers have spent the last twenty five years trying to figure out one question: how little space does a superstore need allocate to groceries to trade effectively? A major thrust of category management was to optimise range and space for mature, commoditised areas, to make room for new profitable areas. The thinking being, what else can we sell you whilst you're in store buying groceries?

The question has morphed into something bigger. Evidencing Tesco stores innovations like Watford, the total store mix is up for grabs, the challenge being how to transform the retail space into an altogether different communal experience. The inclusion of Giraffe restaurants, yoga classes etc offers an insight to the future: let's go out for lunch, we can pick up some shopping whilst we're there.