Cold Storage unveils Paragon flagship outlet, pumps SG$40m into rebranding

Parent company of Cold Storage in Singapore and Malaysia, DFI Retail Group (DFI) has opened its new flagship outlet, CS Fresh Gold, at Paragon. This is part of its SG$40 million rebranding effort which will revamp 48 Cold Storage outlets across Singapore by end 2022. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE understands that as part of the rebranding, all 48 stores will be separated into two concepts - Cold Storage and CS Fresh. According to the press statement, Cold Storage will continue to cater to the immediate needs of shoppers in different neighbourhoods while still offering bite-sized experiential shopping experiences. 

Meanwhile, the new slogan "Foodies Start with Fresh" celebrates Cold Storage’s food-rich heritage, with an emphasis that it is not just a supermarket but a way of our everyday lives. According to Cold Storage CEO Chris Bush, this is the "largest investment plan" the brand has ever committed to. The rebranding follows a comprehensive DFI Retail Group Singapore study which gathered insights from customers on their preferences and expectations from a fresh food store; to meet their needs and engage them in their interests in food. The company also unveiled a brand video to showcase the brand revamp. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to DFI for additional information about the rebranding.

The flagship store's launch at Paragon is part of the Group's overall transformation journey to enhance customer retail experience. CS Fresh Gold features an all-black, sleek interior unique to the CS Fresh retail identity. It also aims to delight customers with a unique retail concept, which includes Singapore’s largest organic produce range and a large variety of vegan and plant-based meat brands; such as Impossible, Beyond, Arlene and Quorn.

The new-look Cold Storage stores will feature a signature rustic interior akin to that of a farmer’s market and will be built on the familiar ease of getting quality fresh products. As part of Cold Storage’s ongoing sustainability initiatives, wooden fixtures in the store were recycled from old palettes and repurposed into the store design. The opening of CS Fresh Gold at Paragon follows the success of CS Fresh in Great World City, Bush said. 

Separately, Dairy Farm Group rebranded itself to DFI Retail Group earlier this month, identifying itself as a people business that puts customers first always. Its new logo has a navy blue background with the text "DFI Retail Group" on it. As of 30 June, DFI Retail Group, along with its associates and joint ventures, operates in over 10,000 outlets and employs about 230,000 people across its stores in Hong Kong, China, and Southeast Asia with business spanning food, health and beauty, home furnishings, restaurants and other retailing.

Among the list of brands under DFI include Cold Storage, 7-Eleven, Wellcome, Mannings, IKEA and Giant. Giant also refreshed its branding in Singapore last year, featuring a fresh green colour and a new font. The new design came about as the company felt it did not have a consistent colour scheme. Alongside its rebranding efforts previously, Giant also focused on lower prices as it believes that the heart of the Giant brand is value. "The logo is the skin and while consumers appreciate and understand it, it is not the only thing that will drive them to the store or an online platform," Lee Yik Hun, marketing director of Southeast Asia Food at Dairy Farm Group, said.

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