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Buehler's Fresh Foods
Based on a new strategic direction that harnesses the brand's "power of nice," Shook Kelley designed a prototype supermarket for Buehler's Fresh Foods in Ohio that breaks the mold of the traditional grocery store format.
Buehler’s Fresh Foods is a full service grocer now with 15 stores located throughout rural and suburban regions of central and northern Ohio. The company was founded in 1929, and continues to be owned and operated by the Buehler family. The stores have always emphasized special features and wide range of service offerings. Buehler’s partnered with Shook Kelley because they wanted to compete and grow within their market. Located mainly in small towns and suburbs, Buehler’s struggled with stiff competition from ambitiously expanding national grocery chains. Shook Kelley’s two-fold challenge included un-locking what made Buehler’s a unique brand and transforming those insights into a consumer-focused brand experience.
As difficult as it is to convey without meeting their people, the truth about Buehler’s is that they are some of the nicest and most decent people you will ever meet. And in a world that isn’t always so nice and decent, these qualities stood out as the authentic heart of the Buehler’s brand: their family story, values, native Ohio heritage and culture of friendliness. Because of this unique story, Shook Kelley recognized in Buehler’s the “power of nice.” It’s about treating everyone with respect and fairness. The Buehlers are the consummate host, and Shook Kelley wanted to make sure that they received credit for this. How does this emphatic nice-ness translate into a retail built environment? And how to let Buehler’s more aggressively take credit for their heartfelt integrity without coming off as superficial, boastful or bragging? By articulating what Buehler’s is all about, Shook Kelley created both a renewed sense of purpose in the organization, as well as a sure footing for future endeavors, including growth, expansion and a prototype store design.
Through a series of store renovation projects and a newly designed prototype building, a comprehensive new Buehler’s experience was created to highlight attention on customer service programs, communicate the Buehler’s brand story, create a more inviting and emotive shopping environment and, ultimately, break the mold of the traditional grocery store format. As a cornerstone of the new Buehler’s brand strategy, new proprietary dining concepts were created, existing Buehler’s features were improved upon and new elements of the brand identity were developed to reinforce the cohesive, branded experience.
Shook Kelley helped transform Buehler’s into a brand-focused and consumer-oriented organization
The comprehensive food service strategy focused on the needs of a younger, more diverse and busier audience. Each of the food service concepts aligned with and supported the larger values of the Buehler’s brand. Creating these branded concepts entailed not only architectural design, but also a comprehensive identity and graphic design package.
Scenic River Coffee Company: Shook Kelley created an entirely new branded concept for Buehler’s that leveraged a regional cause—the preservation of Ohio rivers—to create a coffee shop that would highlight the Buehler’s dedication to helping their local Ohio roots.
Main St. Grill: Buehler’s already had a full-service restaurant onsite, but Shook Kelley transformed the concept into a more inclusive, modern and fresh restaurant that also suited the brand’s commitment and enthusiasm to family-friendly environments.
Oven Works & The Big Stir: In addition to the full-service restaurant concept, Shook Kelley further created and branded Oven Works, a warm sandwich, salad and soup café for shoppers on the go, and The Big Stir, for pasta dishes and casual dining.
The new, branded store experience allowed Buehler’s to compete against large, national chains from a local, familial point of difference. Success has become evident in their community support and increased patronage. As a value-added feature beyond the scope of design, Shook Kelley helped transform Buehler’s into a brand-focused and consumer-oriented organization. Buehler’s created a brand stewardship committee to oversee consumer-facing projects, ensuring the health, vitality and long-term vision of the Buehler’s brand. As part of Shook Kelley’s branding efforts, Buehler’s also learned how to expand their capacities beyond operational efficiency and create more consumer-oriented retail spaces.
The Buehler’s brand owns a meaning that people in their community strongly identify with: family bonds, Ohio values and an ethos of friendliness. Buehler’s is a place where people come together to dine and shop alongside like-minded people, and it’s a brand that the community knows it can trust. The new food service components, and in particular the Main St. Grill restaurant, are popular everyday destinations where neighbors gather and hangout with friends and family.
Buehler’s Fresh Foods is a full service grocer now with 15 stores located throughout rural and suburban regions of central and northern Ohio. The company was founded in 1929, and continues to be owned and operated by the Buehler family. The stores have always emphasized special features and wide range of service offerings. Buehler’s partnered with Shook Kelley because they wanted to compete and grow within their market. Located mainly in small towns and suburbs, Buehler’s struggled with stiff competition from ambitiously expanding national grocery chains. Shook Kelley’s two-fold challenge included un-locking what made Buehler’s a unique brand and transforming those insights into a consumer-focused brand experience.
As difficult as it is to convey without meeting their people, the truth about Buehler’s is that they are some of the nicest and most decent people you will ever meet. And in a world that isn’t always so nice and decent, these qualities stood out as the authentic heart of the Buehler’s brand: their family story, values, native Ohio heritage and culture of friendliness. Because of this unique story, Shook Kelley recognized in Buehler’s the “power of nice.” It’s about treating everyone with respect and fairness. The Buehlers are the consummate host, and Shook Kelley wanted to make sure that they received credit for this. How does this emphatic nice-ness translate into a retail built environment? And how to let Buehler’s more aggressively take credit for their heartfelt integrity without coming off as superficial, boastful or bragging? By articulating what Buehler’s is all about, Shook Kelley created both a renewed sense of purpose in the organization, as well as a sure footing for future endeavors, including growth, expansion and a prototype store design.
Through a series of store renovation projects and a newly designed prototype building, a comprehensive new Buehler’s experience was created to highlight attention on customer service programs, communicate the Buehler’s brand story, create a more inviting and emotive shopping environment and, ultimately, break the mold of the traditional grocery store format. As a cornerstone of the new Buehler’s brand strategy, new proprietary dining concepts were created, existing Buehler’s features were improved upon and new elements of the brand identity were developed to reinforce the cohesive, branded experience.
Shook Kelley helped transform Buehler’s into a brand-focused and consumer-oriented organization
The comprehensive food service strategy focused on the needs of a younger, more diverse and busier audience. Each of the food service concepts aligned with and supported the larger values of the Buehler’s brand. Creating these branded concepts entailed not only architectural design, but also a comprehensive identity and graphic design package.
Scenic River Coffee Company: Shook Kelley created an entirely new branded concept for Buehler’s that leveraged a regional cause—the preservation of Ohio rivers—to create a coffee shop that would highlight the Buehler’s dedication to helping their local Ohio roots.
Main St. Grill: Buehler’s already had a full-service restaurant onsite, but Shook Kelley transformed the concept into a more inclusive, modern and fresh restaurant that also suited the brand’s commitment and enthusiasm to family-friendly environments.
Oven Works & The Big Stir: In addition to the full-service restaurant concept, Shook Kelley further created and branded Oven Works, a warm sandwich, salad and soup café for shoppers on the go, and The Big Stir, for pasta dishes and casual dining.
The new, branded store experience allowed Buehler’s to compete against large, national chains from a local, familial point of difference. Success has become evident in their community support and increased patronage. As a value-added feature beyond the scope of design, Shook Kelley helped transform Buehler’s into a brand-focused and consumer-oriented organization. Buehler’s created a brand stewardship committee to oversee consumer-facing projects, ensuring the health, vitality and long-term vision of the Buehler’s brand. As part of Shook Kelley’s branding efforts, Buehler’s also learned how to expand their capacities beyond operational efficiency and create more consumer-oriented retail spaces.
The Buehler’s brand owns a meaning that people in their community strongly identify with: family bonds, Ohio values and an ethos of friendliness. Buehler’s is a place where people come together to dine and shop alongside like-minded people, and it’s a brand that the community knows it can trust. The new food service components, and in particular the Main St. Grill restaurant, are popular everyday destinations where neighbors gather and hangout with friends and family.