One Off: Fentons targets foodies

Global C-Store Focus has teamed up with Clare Dowdy, author of independent retail design book, One Off, to showcase individual and cutting edge food stores from around the world. In the final feature in the series, Dowdy visits Fentons Gourmet in Hong Kong, China.

Fentons Gourmet: striking exterior

International food emporium, Fentons Gourmet, is a striking-looking store that is pulling in the crowds.

It was designed by Derrick Tsang and has a pronounced folding timber screen as a key feature. The screen provides shade from the light and heat in the daytime and, during business hours, a section of it folds up to reveal a sliding, glass entrance door. At night, the screen folds back down like a shutter.

Fentons Gourmet was opened in a residential quarter of Hong Kong in 2005. It is aimed at affluent foodies. Products on offer include lavender and lemon salts, handmade Italian pasta and a butcher with seasonal meats.

The store is well located, adjacent to a raft of private clubs.

Two couples behind the venture share backgrounds in finance and manufacturing plus a passion for food.

The interior is divided into retail, sales and preparation areas. Tsang says he designed the store like a boutique hotel with custom-made fixtures and freestanding furniture to add depth and richness to the shop.

Boutique hotel-type interior design

Tsang was assisted by graphic designer Lau Kwok-Fai and together they have created a one-stop design service for the store founders, creating the company logo, shopping bags and wrapping papers as well as price tags, uniforms and delivery van graphics.

According to Tsang, the overall objective was to create something different that would catch people’s attention and provide an unforgettable experience.

It seems to be working.

One Off by Clare Dowdy is published by Laurence King Publishing Ltd and priced at £30. To order a copy, visit www.laurenceking.co.uk