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The design
Smith and Jensen’s store was originally going to be
called Organic Warehouse, but at the eleventh hour, they realised
they required a name and brand with more stand-out potential. The name and identity for ‘Here’
was developed by Williams Murray Hamm with the intention of
strongly differentiating the company from its competitors
in the same sector.
WMH’s design takes the idea of ‘traceability’
as its fundamental premise, a philosophy which would be communicated
to the discerning consumer through in-store graphics, taking
them on a journey to the suppliers and points of origin of
the products they were buying. Such credibility was important.
In the absence of any official organic certification scheme,
the ubiquity of organic goods is making consumers suspicious
of the reality behind the label.
WMH’s core idea was simplicity itself a hand-written ‘Here’, complete with arrow, appears
on bespoke photographs of farming scenes, as if the food itself
was sending a holiday postcard to the consumer. The concept
was witty, fun and low budget (design fees were just £25,000),
creating that vital ‘word of mouth’ buzz.
The results
• Since ‘Here’s’ launch in September
2000, the organic market has depressed, and many local competitors
have gone out of business. ‘Here’, however, is
holding its own and continuing to grow.
• The target was to deliver profit within two years
on a £90k/month turnover. ‘Here’ comfortably
achieved that, and current turnover is around £130k/month.
• Consumer spend since the launch has risen from £5
to £21, with 90% of custom being repeat business. Home
delivery accounts for 30% of sales.
• The strong branding has created the potential for
an own-label produce range. |
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