The new concept for Hema Mini, by Area-17, marks the end of a journey that Area-17 Architecture & Interiors and Alibaba took together in redesigning the group’s convenience store format. The new Hema Mini is a local store that is mainly targeting families located within residential neighborhoods.
In the process of defining an innovative approach to local shopping, Alibaba Group asked Area-17 to design a new concept for convenience stores located in business districts and office areas. Named 盒马 F2 - Fast & Freshade, it sees the first tangible application in a 400 sqm store in Shanghai highly specialized to meet the needs of a clear-cut target of young business-people.
Located in the city center, the new supermarket Coop Busto Arsizio is the core of a wider urban requalification area. The store occupies the volume of a former factory and has been redesigned by Area-17 and Inres as a connection between the neighborhood and the new project area. Roof-to-ceiling windows dematerialize large portions of walls and engage interiors and exteriors in a uninterrupted dialogue.
Area-17 interprets the innovative Hema Robot Restaurant by Alibaba Group with an interior design and layout that enhance the high-tech character of the original concept. The newest location occupies the second floor of a branded space that Hema opened inside NECC – the new National Convention and Exhibition Center in Shanghai. Visited by millions of people, this is the perfect location for an environment unifying the brand’s core values and an experimental approach to hospitality.
Coop’s Supermarket Of The Future at Bicocca Village is conceived as an experimental arena where shopping logics are tailored to the expectations of a young and well aware public, used to have everything at a mouse click.
