Retailer Spotlight Smart & Final

MBD RETAILER SPOTLIGHT SMART & FINAL

First Street Redesign

After celebrating their 150-year anniversary in 2021, West Coastbased retailer Smart & Final, which offers more than 3,000 club-size offerings in a traditional grocery store format, decided the time was right to reintroduce its premier private label brand, First Street. The company aimed to broaden its appeal beyond its existing customers, which includes both businesses and households, by attracting new shoppers in this postpandemic world.

MBD served as the agency of choice based on our vast experience in private brand and packaging, our success ratio in the marketplace, speed to market and long-standing relationship with the brand. We are excited to share with you the results of this partnership with the reintroduction of First Street and Smart & Final’s successful role in the private brand space.

The Redesign Opportunity

• Market audit of current state of their brand, extensive competitor research

• Logo refresh; cleaned up & removed some of the legacy elements

• Modernized overall look and feel while maintaining the long-standing equity • Designed to allow for evolution & growth while keeping a strong and bold presence on shelf

• Kept ease of shopability for their customers at the forefront, not losing sight of the needs of the club style shopper

• Created packages that generate more confidence and excitement around new products and new flavors

• Incorporated fresh ownable photography, where the product is the hero

BEFORE AFTER

ORIGINAL REDESIGN LINEUP

MARIA DUBUC

President

MBD

Fresh & confident; overhead ice cream scoop imagery paired with interesting ingredient inclusions, allowing for introduction of any flavor you can imagine!

Easy to shop; Bold color coding behind cold case doors, considering (direct on can) print challenges

Modernized with brand equity in mind; clear differentiation between ‘milk’ types through imagery and color

LYNDSAY STONE

Design Manager

MBD

Product is the hero, fresh bright fruit imagery adds appetite appeal to a ‘frozen’ category

Considering needs of club style shopper; playing up the strengths of already established category with previous color cues enhanced

Allow for evolution & growth; true to the brand while also competing against national brands on shelf with bold callout presence Product is the hero, ownable imagery & clear title structures

The shelves are starting to fill up with the new designs and the results are on their way in! Early results show tremendous interest not only from shoppers but from store associates and corporate leadership alike. Stay tuned for the details!

Authors Thank You

Marketing By Design are thrilled to be able to support the (he)art of this industry during the pandemic years. A special shout out and thank you to all our clients who allowed us to innovate in ways we haven’t before. Let’s keep the momentum as we head into the big 3 [2023]!

Maria Dubuc

A creative and workflow expert in the retail landscape, Maria’s 30-year career translates branding experiences into eye-catching design that is unique and distinct for each client. She has created new private brands and redesigned/repositioned existing brands with leading retailers, while also implementing workflow management systems specifically tailored to the clients’ needs. With SKU counts from 1,000 to more than 10,000 annually, Maria focuses on scalable design excellence, and large private brand portfolios reinvention and innovative execution.

Lyndsay Stone

Lyndsay has 15+ years in the design industry, with food and beverage packaging as a significant focus. As Design Manager at MBD, she enjoys helping retailers and brands alike find their voice and express it through creative packaging design. She is always looking for ways to connect with, challenge, and lead clients so their design potentials are realized.