Awards
Turning over a new leaf in Sri Lanka
After 25 years, it was time for Keells supermarket to embrace a modern new look – one to showcase its mission of bringing the best of the world to Sri Lanka, every day. Our expertise in large-scale retail brand transformation projects made Whippet a natural choice.
A fresh new store from the ground up
After refining a fresh strategy in close collaboration with the Keells leadership team, our focus was on significantly differentiating the brand from its main rivals. Just 16 short weeks later, the first ‘new look’ Keells store was opened in Colombo.
A focus on fresh
Consumer research told us that Sri Lankans didn’t think that the food in supermarkets looked as fresh as at the markets (even though it is), so we set out to surprise by showing them just how fresh it could look.
Clean, modern displays, quality textures, and frank, compelling messaging combine to highlight the fact that the produce at Keells is as fresh as it gets.
Inspired by the colours of Colombo
Clean, modern lines, a bold new colour palette and an striking leaf motif deliver freshness, trust, value and quality in a simple but flexible wordmark. Supported by graphic illustrations, rich photography and friendly typography, the new graphic design scheme, dubbed ‘Colombo Pop’, was unlike anything seen in a Sri Lankan supermarket.
Making the virtual real
We embraced traditional design methods (yes, pencil and paper) alongside the latest 3D modelling and VR technology to visualise our store concept, allowing us to walk the aisles, thoroughly inspecting every new feature well before any construction began. This gave us and our client a unique view of the concept, and saved a significant amount of time, stress and money.
“The team at Whippet seamlessly worked with us in a manner where we felt they were an extension of our own team. They are innovative, creative, very responsive and were committed towards making this brand relaunch a reality. The kind of expertise they bring to the table along with the amazing team behind the scenes made this challenging process much more pleasant. ”
Charitha Subasinghe
CEO Keells Supermarkets
A store & plan for the future
Both the Whippet and Keells teams couldn’t be happier with the result, and all new store builds now use our concept as their template. The fact that the project was managed so smoothly and in such a short timeframe is a testament to the power of collaboration, technology, trust, best practice and experience.
The project covered
Brand strategy | Visual identity | Brand guidelines | Asset creation | Store design | POS | 3D modelling and VR
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