Woolworths confirms rebranding strategy
Woolworths has today announced that rumours of a change to their logo and a banishing of the Safeway name are accurate, but the “Fresh Food People” slogan is set to remain a key focus of their promotions.
Twenty one years after the introduction of “The Fresh Food People”, the company will introduce a new logo which resembles a peeling apple in the shape of a W. The new branding was created by Hans Hulsbosch of the Hulsbosch Agency who recently updated the iconic Qantas kangaroo.
It will be implemented across all Woolworths supermarkets in a phased approach as stores are refurbished.
The logo is designed to provide a connection to “The Fresh Food People” tagline. The image features include:
• A stylised ‘W’ for Woolworths (resembling a green apple being peeled) with the addition of an abstract leaf symbol representing fresh food
• It is reminiscent of one of the most famous Woolworths logos of the 1970s
• It represents a person – as in “The Fresh Food People”
Woolworths General Manager of Marketing, Luke Dunkerley, advises that the logo change is part of a host of changes designed to improve the ambience of the shopping experience. “The refurbishment of the supermarkets that is accompanying the rebranding will deliver customers wider aisles, brighter supermarkets and a more pleasant shopping experience,” he said.
As part of the move, Woolworths supermarkets will become be a truly national brand with its Safeway stores in Victoria adopting the Woolworths name. The Safeway brand will not disappear overnight, with a phased approach to roll out the updated Woolworths branding as stores are refurbished. Safeway stores that have recently been refurbished will adopt the Woolworths brand over the coming months.
There are now 189 Safeway supermarkets across the state that will progressively assume the Woolworths name and new branding. Mr Dunkerley said that the move would align its Victorian supermarkets with Woolworths’ national network and would be carried out slowly due to the affection some consumers may have for the Safeway brand. “We understand that some Victorians feel some affection towards the Safeway brand because it has been a part of their lives many years but we want them to know that the only part of the brand that is changing is the name,” he said.
The change to the name of Woolworths in Victoria comes 23 years after they acquired Safeway supermarkets in Australia and decided to use the name for their Victorian stores.
Great! I think also on the lines of refurbishing trying a little more European style with more Bakery and Deli and Displaying of the fresh fruit and vegetables. It is more appealing and the aromas from the bakeries and Deli sell more. People like to shop in nice places it makes them fill good therefore wanting to spend.