Polofields

The interiors of the new SuperSpar at Polofields Crossing in Waterfall, Johannesburg, designed by GASS Architecture Studios, represents an innovative and surprisingly luxurious approach to retail design.

PHOTOGRAPHY LOUIS VAN ZYL

Polofields Crossing, a relatively new shopping centre with a wide range of retail outlets, including high-end restaurants such as the Codfather, Potato Shed and Paul Patisserie, presents an opportunity to position the SuperSpar Polofields as a refined and luxurious shopping destination.

Spar as a brand allows individual outlets a significant degree of flexibility in the design and aesthetics of their branches, so the architects, GASS Architecture Studios, had scope to explore bespoke detailing in their execution of the interiors.

Checkout counters with custom wallpaper design along back wall to create a point of interest

One of the most distinctive features of the Polofields branch is its in-house restaurant and specialist deli section. The GASS team positioned the restaurant area on the northern end of the premises, where it could spill out onto an open terrace for an indoor-outdoor experience overlooking Waterfall Country Estate towards the Mall of Africa shopping centre, a significant customer drawcard.

Coffee shop and specialist deli with view over Waterfall towards the Mall of Africa

deli counter displaying some of the fresh food available

In the context of the other restaurants in the centre, as well as the specialist offering from the deli, the restaurant represents an accessible but grand destination, with its own distinct character. It is also, however, the originating point for many of the design details that are carried throughout the rest of the store, and its refined and luxurious approach in general.

The dining area is differentiated and given a sense of human scale and intimacy with a mesh dropped ceiling that supports softening elements such as hanging plants and relaxing lighting, while still allowing for the natural light from the highlevel window behind and ventilation from the main store system.

Coffee, sushi and gelato bar that serves the coffee shop behind.

Given the contextual location of the store in the well-established Waterfall area, GASS Architecture Studios drew inspiration from the glamorous Art Deco aesthetic to inspire the colour palette and appearance in order to translate the luxurious refined character into a grocery retail fitout.

The soft curves of the counters and fittings, the timber panelling on the walls, the metallic elements and stylistic execution of details such as the light fittings, for example, are prompted by the opulent style, while a contemporary palette of pastels and muted greens brought it right up to the moment with a fresh, modern twist. Other local contemporary details, such as the Pedersen + Lennard dining tables and chairs, bring additional novelty and local contextual elements to its execution.

Bakery speciality counter display.

Around the restaurant area and adjacent coffee bar, large display stands for fresh and specialist items suit the browsing pace of this section of the shop. From this area, a concept of specialist market stalls within the larger store is carried though into the rest of the retail environment.

Individual stalls for the bakery and butchery, for example, have been executed with variations on the material and colour palette, creating a sense of differentiation within a larger unified vision. A separate enclosed pod for the display of specialist wines also creates a differentiated experience within the greater environment, making particular use of the experience of crossing a threshold to elevate the tone of this section.

Fresh produce aisle with custom display shopfitted items and signage.

The design concept is sustained in details and display units at the end of the grocery aisles, as well as in variations breaking up the lengths of shelving, providing focal points for particular items, and bringing a comforting sense of human scale to the aisles. Other dedicated areas are subtly differentiated with variations in the shelf height. The centre aisles in the health and beauty section, for example, are low, bringing a change of pace and a slightly different atmosphere and quality of light.

The sense of open space is treated with particular care around the checkout counters, which reprise the elegant Art Deco stylisations, curves and pastel colour palette with low horizontal lines. The tills are not numbered, and the area has been designed without drop-down poles and other barriers, which also creates a sense of calm and a touch of luxury and personal attention around this important experiential touchpoint.

Magazine stand that doubles up as a sub kiosk on the other side, creating a dividing line between the checkout area and entrance to the store.

Much of the sense of space and calm that characterises the customer experience at the SuperSpar Polofields is made possible by clever back-of-house arrangements that consolidate storage space, doubling up on refrigeration and preparation areas, which create efficiencies that translate in space savings.

It is an approach to retail design that is well suited to its particular context and clientele, and at a time when retail environments need to offer something more than products, which can just as easily be ordered online.