PENNY: A successful supermarket transformation with urban art
PENNY: A successful supermarket transformation with urban art
Betty Vanguard
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What happens when a supermarket meets some of the best street artists in Berlin?
It’s not every day that we answer the phone and someone says “We want to transform an entire supermarket with urban art.” What’s more, when it did happen, it was particularly exciting and refreshing to see a supermarket with such taste and trust in the artists’ skills. PENNY blew us away with their openness to ideas, letting us bring in four entirely different, yet all stunning artists from Berlin: Vikunia, Vidam,Fabifa, and Innerfields.
The entrance to PENNY BOX80 in Friedrichshain, Berlin. Photo by Stefan Wieland.
Mission: Possible
The task was challenging: every possible wall above the shelves and the supporting columns was to be designed by the artists. Every wall belonged to a certain section of the supermarket’s assortment. That’s why you’ll see Vidam painting bananas, Innerfields staging salamis and ham, Fabifa taping a chunk of cheese, and Vikunia illustrating a newspaper stand. This theme was extended by an extra twist: the artists were asked to subtly bring the neighborhood’s characteristics into this PENNY market.
“With this PENNY market, we intend to dedicate something truly unique to Friedrichshain that visually blends into the neighborhood and reflects the life around it. Of course, this includes the lively street art scene which has found its place in our market through the outstanding artworks of five local artists. The motifs are authentic, vivid, colorful and stand for everything that we want our PENNY BOX80 to express. “ – Sascha Fischer, PENNY
Four artists working simultaneously across the empty supermarket shell before shelves and products were installed. Photo by Stefan Wieland.
Have you ever seen an empty supermarket without shelves and products in it? For us and our artists, it was impressive to see the huge empty white box when we first visited the site. Quickly, paint and tape found their way onto the walls and over a span of a few weeks the walls became way more colorful.
Innerfields working from a reference sketch of the tiger-man mural destined for the produce aisle. Photo by Stefan Wieland.
Artist Vikunia hand-painting product illustrations directly onto a supermarket column during the multi-week production period. Photo by Stefan Wieland.
Innerfields' tiger-man mural in the produce aisle — one of the most visually striking works in the supermarket, thematically linked to the fresh food section it occupies. Photo by Stefan Wieland.
A walk through the market
Entering the supermarket from Boxhagener Straße, you spot the first artwork: Innerfield’s tattooed “Friedrichshainer” showing you how you may look when walking back out – carrying a mountain of groceries in your arms. You can see the first section, “Grünzeug”, (“green stuff”) designed by Vidam. Moving on, you’ll find candy, dairy, drinks, and every other possible item a supermarket stocks. Vikunia’s “Tschüss” (“Bye”) bids you farewell, and Fabifa’s depiction of a young woman – maybe a self-portrait? – made entirely out of tape waves as you leave the cash register.
The completed "Grünzeug" produce aisle with Innerfields' tiger mural anchoring the far wall — art and product display working as a single designed environment. Photo by Stefan Wieland.
The dairy section, named "Milchstraße" and wrapped in a bold blue mural — each supermarket section received its own distinct visual identity from a different artist. Photo by Stefan Wieland.
None of this would have been possible without the incredible agency TeamWFP, who planned everything from the grand concept to how the artists could access the new supermarket’s construction site. Every artist was clearly allocated their walls and themes, receiving floor plans and clear instructions which gave them the ideal amount of artistic freedom – enabling them to realize their creative visions while staying consistent with PENNY’s identity.
“PENNY BOX80 is a very special project for us. A wild, colorful, modern market, where we were able to translate the lifestyle of such an exceptional city neighborhood as Friedrichshain into a market concept. Everyone involved can be really proud of the result - we definitely are.“ – Thomas Leuschen, TeamWFP
The completed "Alles Frisch" section — urban art and retail product display functioning as a single designed environment, demonstrating how cultural depth can transform even everyday commercial spaces. Photo by Stefan Wieland.
The cherry on top
With this new shop, PENNY won the POPAI D-A-CH Award in the category “Visual Merchandising, Retail Design, Shopfitting, Shop in Shop Systems, Flagship Stores". A big prize for PENNY. A huge compliment to our artists. We are grateful to having curated one of the best street art advertising campaigns in Germany.
The level of precision required to execute large-scale murals at supermarket scale — each line painted by hand over several weeks of work. Photo by Stefan Wieland.
See how other brands are incorporating graffiti and street art into their out-of-home advertising budgets using unusual ideas like reverse graffiti.
"Tschüss" farewell wall at the exit, alongside the kiosk sectiont — each zone of the supermarket received its own distinct visual character. Photo by Stefan Wieland.
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