CASE STUDY

FRESH ST. MARKET

AT VANCOUVER HOUSE

AN URBAN FARM-TO-MARKET EXPERIENCE

SERVICES PROVIDED:

Retail design Engineering & prototyping Installation

Program management Lighting design Production

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L
ocated at the base of one of Vancouver Georgia Main Food Group, which operates Fresh

B.C.’s most-talked-about new buildings, St. Market and B.C. IGA stores, tasked King Retail

the first Fresh St. Market location in Solutions with creating a store design that would not

the city faced a series of challenges not only function operationally to serve the thousands of

typically encountered by a grocery store. residents living nearby, but would become an immersive

Designed by renowned Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, food experience, drawing in customers from the wider

the Vancouver House skyscraper twists and expands area.

as it soars nearly 500 feet. Some have compared it to a

beanstalk, which overshadows its tiny garden plot as it

grows towards the sky.

One of the reasons for the luxury condominium

tower’s innovative design was the small, oddly shaped

lot it was built on. This meant that the Fresh St. Market

location which was planned for the base of the building

would have to utilize a space that in size, shape and

configuration was not at all suited to the typical grocery

store. Specific challenges included having only 15,338

square feet of space on two floors, with the main store

area divided into two levels. Additionally, a complete

lack of parking meant the store would need to serve

the needs of walk-in customers making more frequent

trips.

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“Is it possible to fall in love with a grocery store?
If so, I did. With this place.
It is INCREDIBLE!” YELP CUSTOMER REVIEW
 Instead of trying to overcome the limitations of the A series of hanging ceiling planes and public market

space—ranging from its wedge shape and lack of solid signage would draw the visitor into the expanding array

exterior walls to mechanical intrusions like concrete of themed food and drink areas toward the back of the

pillars and a set of emergency elevator doors—KRS store.

decided to incorporate these elements into the design. Because the exterior walls of the space were more than

The goal was to tap into the quirkiness of the tower two-thirds glass, a standard case layout wouldn’t work.

to add an urban twist to Fresh St. Market’s signature However, since so much of the store’s interior would

farm-to-market experience. The design gave a nod to be seen from the street, KRS designed the lighting to

the area’s industrial roots while highlighting the diverse showcase key areas like produce and cheese, but also

choices in freshly prepared food and groceries. pique the interest of people walking by.

PAGE D CASE STUDIES VOLUME 2

“The opening has been fantastic, better than we
expected. The response from local customers
and people visiting from the food community has
been great. . . Couldn’t be happier.”
MARK MCCURDY, V.P. RETAIL OPERATIONS & BRAND STRATEGY, GEORGIA MAIN FOOD GROUP

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PAGE F CASE STUDIES VOLUME 2
 As part of implementing the design KRS manufactured
the unique lighting, signage, and brand elements. These
included familiar icons like Fresh St. Market’s rustic
windmill motif, as well as new ones like the full size
wheelbarrows hung from the ceiling which display the
GARDEN signage.
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Now open, the store has lived up to its goal of becoming
a food destination for the Granville district and north
Vancouver, and has become the new exemplar of the
ultimate Fresh St. Market store.
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