Quality Food Centers (QFC) reports that its new store in Kirkland, Washington, was designed by Mackenzie, an integrated design firm based in Portland, Oregon.
Central to the design of the store, which the company said has thrived since opening on July 31, are comfortable communal spaces where customers are encouraged to sit, relax and enjoy local food and drink.
Almost more similar to a high-end food hall than old notions of a grocery store, the location features restaurants like Yummi Sushi and wood-fired pizza Tutta Bella.
According to a news release from QFC, the store also includes a house-made gyro station, a sandwich bar with natural or organic ingredients, a deli of diverse freshly prepared items and a hot cookie bar.
The Q20 Public House has indoor and outdoor seating with high-definition TVs and offers eight local rotating beers on tap, an extensive list of wines and Frosé.
A $23 million project, the new QFC features bright natural wood elements throughout, and customers are welcomed by a specially commissioned Lake Washington-themed mural by a local artist.
The designers also accounted for additional outdoor space that eventually became temperature-controlled, pay-by-the-hour dog houses monitored via an app so customers can leave their pets outside the store without worry.
As grocery stores of all sizes compete with each other and online retailers, QFC said that incorporating unique experiential moments into store design is essential for building brand loyalty—and to encourage people to come to the physical store.
QFC is a supermarket chain based in Bellevue, Washington, with 62 stores in the Puget Sound region of the state and in the Portland metropolitan area. QFC is a subsidiary of Kroger.
Mackenzie’s 60-year legacy of designing throughout the Pacific Northwest includes several trend-setting grocery stores like Kirkland QFC, Safeway Claremont and various Fred Meyers.
All photos—Design: Mackenzie; Décor and Signage: D|Fab; Exterior: Collins Woerman Architects
