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Freson Bros. Fresh Market
Freson Bros. is a privately held, family-owned supermarket brand with 15 stores in the Canadian province of Alberta. Shook Kelley worked with Freson Bros. on a Discovery and Brand Strategy, which led to the creation of several new stores, including a prototype, to make the brand competitive in urban markets.
The new Freson Bros. strategy expands on previous brand developments, while seeking a more genuine and more relevant identity. The brand direction is rooted in the Lovsin family’s values and beliefs, their Alberta heritage and their butcher traditions. This strategy, tied to contemporary food culture trends, combines a relevant point of view with a genuine family voice.
The brand direction is rooted in the Lovsin family’s values and beliefs.
Three new stores were created by Shook Kelley for Freson Bros., including a prototype store in Stony Plain, Alberta (2013), a next evolution of the prototype in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta (2018) and a newer, more urban offering in Edmonton, Alberta (2021). While the majority of the chain’s stores had previously been located in smaller towns in Alberta, the newer stores are in and around Edmonton, a marketplace with heightened competition and different cultural dynamics.
The new store experience tells the Freson Bros. story by highlighting how the brand adds value to shopper lives. New food offerings designed by Shook Kelley include Butcher’s Cookhouse, featuring a rotation of classic and hearty comfort foods, a grill station focused on made-to-order smashed burgers, an artisan sandwich station and self-serve food bars; Mother Dough Bread Co., an artisan sourdough bread and cinnamon bun program; Father Dough Pizza, a made-to-order pizza program that complements the sourdough offering; Kitchen Creamery, a specialty cheese department featuring housemade ricotta and mozzarella; and the dining area bar features local and exclusive craft beers. New shopping zones highlight and focus the brand’s product curation expertise and/or in-house production efforts, including the Root Cellar, Banj’s Smokehouse, Baker’s Pantry, Sweet Spot and Granny’s Wisdom. Throughout the stores, environmental graphic design plays a critical role in communicating the brand’s philosophy and personality, both through written messaging developed by Shook Kelley, as well as materiality and texture.
The Freson Bros. shopping experience has been reinvigorated, and the three stores firmly establish the brand’s presence in the marketplace. According to anecdotal responses from Freson team members at all levels, shoppers “love” the experience and even the employee team feels good about showing up to work every day. Brand leaders are similarly excited about the sales results, as the stores have considerably exceeded expectations. In particular, newly featured components, including prepared foods and the smokehouse, have helped redirect the company’s future business and competitive strategies. The third store sets expectations for the company to further expand throughout the Edmonton area.
Arguably the most important value of the new Freson Bros. stores are their power to convene. Not only has Freson Bros. created a brand that their community identifies with, but the store itself has become a hangout space and a dining destination. The seating areas feature long community tables crafted by a local carpenter from fallen trees in the woods, as well as a fireplace and booth seating. It’s a place to see and be seen, from weekend breakfast to weekday lunchtime. Freson Bros. has set a new standard for everyday life expectations in Alberta.
The new Freson Bros. strategy expands on previous brand developments, while seeking a more genuine and more relevant identity. The brand direction is rooted in the Lovsin family’s values and beliefs, their Alberta heritage and their butcher traditions. This strategy, tied to contemporary food culture trends, combines a relevant point of view with a genuine family voice.
The brand direction is rooted in the Lovsin family’s values and beliefs.
Three new stores were created by Shook Kelley for Freson Bros., including a prototype store in Stony Plain, Alberta (2013), a next evolution of the prototype in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta (2018) and a newer, more urban offering in Edmonton, Alberta (2021). While the majority of the chain’s stores had previously been located in smaller towns in Alberta, the newer stores are in and around Edmonton, a marketplace with heightened competition and different cultural dynamics.
The new store experience tells the Freson Bros. story by highlighting how the brand adds value to shopper lives. New food offerings designed by Shook Kelley include Butcher’s Cookhouse, featuring a rotation of classic and hearty comfort foods, a grill station focused on made-to-order smashed burgers, an artisan sandwich station and self-serve food bars; Mother Dough Bread Co., an artisan sourdough bread and cinnamon bun program; Father Dough Pizza, a made-to-order pizza program that complements the sourdough offering; Kitchen Creamery, a specialty cheese department featuring housemade ricotta and mozzarella; and the dining area bar features local and exclusive craft beers. New shopping zones highlight and focus the brand’s product curation expertise and/or in-house production efforts, including the Root Cellar, Banj’s Smokehouse, Baker’s Pantry, Sweet Spot and Granny’s Wisdom. Throughout the stores, environmental graphic design plays a critical role in communicating the brand’s philosophy and personality, both through written messaging developed by Shook Kelley, as well as materiality and texture.
The Freson Bros. shopping experience has been reinvigorated, and the three stores firmly establish the brand’s presence in the marketplace. According to anecdotal responses from Freson team members at all levels, shoppers “love” the experience and even the employee team feels good about showing up to work every day. Brand leaders are similarly excited about the sales results, as the stores have considerably exceeded expectations. In particular, newly featured components, including prepared foods and the smokehouse, have helped redirect the company’s future business and competitive strategies. The third store sets expectations for the company to further expand throughout the Edmonton area.
Arguably the most important value of the new Freson Bros. stores are their power to convene. Not only has Freson Bros. created a brand that their community identifies with, but the store itself has become a hangout space and a dining destination. The seating areas feature long community tables crafted by a local carpenter from fallen trees in the woods, as well as a fireplace and booth seating. It’s a place to see and be seen, from weekend breakfast to weekday lunchtime. Freson Bros. has set a new standard for everyday life expectations in Alberta.
