Henley-on-Thames is now home to the first Planet Organic store to be opened outside of the capital. Saunders designed the latest store, which is the first in a wave of new-concept, planet friendly organic stores for the brand, recognising the need for us all to change the way we shop, eat and live.

Saunders were selected by Planet Organicto help deliver their ambitious store expansion programme, developing design standards for the organic sustainable food, health and beauty retailer to ensure that a wide range of organic planet-friendly products are merchandised in sustainable settings. The company aim to have 50 stores in and around London by 2024.

The new store in Henley-on-Thames is prominently located on the market square, benefitting from dedicated outdoor seating and canopies. The design prioritises sustainable service strategies and material choices, whilst enhancing the customer experience with a carefully planned layout, dynamic graphics and creative display solutions. The store includes retail zones for fresh produce, food-to-go, coffees and juices, groceries, unpackaged goods and health and beauty products. All products are organic and the brand states that they believe in, ‘promoting health in communities through organic, natural and sustainable products, and acting sustainably and ethically as a business.’

Managing Director of Saunders, Martin Williams, commented. ‘Planet Organic is a forward thinking brand and Saunders have decades of knowledge and experience of sustainable retail design. We have collaborated to help reshape future Planet Organic stores. Food retail has evolved and changed dramatically in the last few years. The next decade will be ever more crucial if providers want to stay ahead in this highly competitive industry.’

Saunders have a broad range of expertise designing for food retail, having developed over 250 stores and store extensions for major food retailers such as Tesco. This experience includes the development of innovative solutions such as the first carbon neutral store, the first store on stilts, the first mezzanine store and the first 100,000 sq.ft. net sales store across the UK. Having previously developed predictions for the design of supermarkets for 2020, Saunders are currently developing proposals to demonstrate emerging trends for food retail design in 2030.