We were commissioned by a new client arriving from the Galilee, Israel’s Northern part, known for its fine cattle, to create a new design for a chain of large-format butcher’s shops. Israel’s food retail scene is crowded and highly competitive. In the meat business consumers cannot figure out meat quality until the moment it is served.

Our research showed that for this reason trust and loyalty are key issues in the customer decision-making process and therefore the meat shop market is characterized by a high degree of customers’ loyalty to their butcher. With trust and loyalty as key issues, we chose transparency and simplicity as principal design motifs, echoing the trusted local supermarket but with an upgrade in the overall atmosphere, conveying professional quality and high hygiene standards.

We used materials’ schemes that combined dark metal with a light touch of oak veneer, carefully placed professional lighting and strong branding communication, all in top-level quality workmanship. Additional materials chosen were simple and durable, such as white ceramic tiles, vinyl flooring and stainless steel.

A message of transparency and reliability was conveyed by displaying to the customer the service areas through carefully placed double-glazed openings. Targeting audiences for their weekly meat-shopping, the overall atmosphere we obtained was of a casual, not too “intimidating” meat shop, staying away from the specialty boutique “look & feel” pitfall, which usually means high quality, but also high prices.

Design: Yoav Dariel
Photography: Roee Dori