Philabundance pursuing new model to serve people in need in Delaware Valley food deserts through attractive, convenient and friendly stores.
CBX, the brand agency and retail design consultancy based in New York, has been retained by hunger relief organization Philabundance to design a prototype for Fare &amp; Square, a not-for-profit grocery store slated to open this summer in Chester, Pa.

Fare &amp; Square will sell nutritious food staples with a focus on fresh produce, meats, dairy, seafood and frozen foods at everyday low prices. It will give residents of Chester--one of the 35 food deserts in the Delaware Valley according to the USDA--the access to “good food right around the corner” that has not been available since the town’s last full-scale grocer closed in 2001.

Philabundance recently purchased the town’s former grocery building at 3109 West 9th St., and gave CBX the assignment to create a colors and materials palette as well as signage and graphics for the 13,000-square-foot store. CBX will also design perimeter departments and the store’s center core. All creative work will be based on collaboration between CBX and Philadelphia-based LevLane Advertising, which designed the Fare &amp; Square logo with Philabundance. The colorful logo features a simple drawing of a purple carrot (with green tops attached) and the words “Fare &amp; Square” set in an outlined box with rounded edges, plus the tagline “good food right around the corner.”

“We’ll be drawing heavily on both the Fare &amp; Square brand direction as envisioned by LevLane and the existing supermarket footprint of the Chester space,” said Joseph Bona, president of CBX branded environments. The design will incorporate functional merchandise fixtures, flooring, lighting and signage.

Under its not-for-profit grocery store model, Fare &amp; Square will offer a customer-focused shopping experience and will partner with local organizations and businesses to provide a range of services to the community in a meaningful and memorable way. One notable aspect of the overall design “is that it will reflect the hopeful and respectful nature of Philabundance’s goal to serve Chester residents through a store that could look at home in any community,” Bona explained. “Ultimately, we’re designing a neighborhood store that will have the look and feel of a traditional supermarket in that it's clean, well lit, convenient and friendly, but also a place that the community can call their own, instilling a sense of optimism, pride and connection.”

Philabundance hopes to replicate this model in other communities in the Delaware Valley. “Convenient access to nutritious food is a growing and complex problem across the country and in the Delaware Valley, and one that requires a complex solution,” said Bill Clark, president and executive director of the Philadelphia-based organization. “Philabundance has worked on this concept for five years, and we are thrilled to see it coming to fruition to help the residents of Chester.”

<strong>About Philabundance:</strong>

Philabundance reduces hunger and food insecurity in the Delaware Valley by providing food access to people in need in partnership with organizations and individuals. Philabundance provides a full plate of services through neighborhood distribution programs and a network of close to 500 member agencies in 9 counties. Philabundance serves approximately 65,000 people per week at a cost of 50 cents per meal. There are more than 900,000 people in the Delaware Valley who are at risk for chronic hunger and malnutrition. In 2011, Philabundance distributed 21 million pounds of food. For more information about Philabundance, visit www.philabundance.org or call 215-339-0900. Visit us on Facebook, Facebook.com/Philabundance and follow us on Twitter, Twitter.com/Philabundance. If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, please call Philabundance’s Food Help Line, 800-319-Food (3663).