city limits n Albert Heijn is moving out of town with its xl format where it has radically reshaped its aisles to create a market place feel and zones where shoppers can build each meal. Helen Gregory reports Ahold has challenged the Dutch tradition of cycling daily to the shops with its new out-of-town format ­ the Albert Heijn xl. The radically designed store is part of a massive investment by the chain, which is known for its compact, convenience-style city centre shops, to reformat its supermarkets. The 14,700sq ft store, in a shopping centre in Arnhem, was given a revamp by London-based consultancy Conran Design Group after Ahold asked it to take a radical new look at the format. Creative director David Chaloner says: "They wanted us to challenge conventional wisdom. One of the first things we considered was the emotion used to shop, rather than just looking at, say, the dairy category." It started with a world-wide audit of current supermarket best practice, in search of inspiration, and appropriate features for the new store were borrowed. Challenging the traditional aisle based planning of most supermarkets, the group created a format that broke down about 30 categories into zones which appeal directly to the senses. For example, the deli, fresh vegetables and bread are now in the fresh zone; CDs, travel and café are in the escape zone; and the books, cookware and wine categories are in the inspire zone. Each zone has its own expert to dispense advice, for example there is a sommelier in the wine department and someone to advise on cuts of meat. Says Chaloner: "We've tried to blur the edges between areas where customers can be served and serve themselves so that there aren't really any out of bounds areas." The group wanted to create a market place feel in the store where customers could connect with products and in the fresh produce area, fruit and veg is laid out on stalls. Shoppers don't enter the store traditionally, through the fresh produce section, they emerge among breakfast goods. Says design team leader Owain Roberts: "As they go through the fresh area they can construct their meals for the day ­ so they go through dairy, cheese and cereals first. It means that conventional ambient food such as dried pasta has been moved into the fresh meal section with sauces. Also, the fresh meat is next to the vegetables, so it makes sense for people shopping for their evening meal." He adds: "It's about changing people's way of shopping so that they aren't blindly directed through aisles that they don't want to go down. We tried to have a natural progression through the store. And customers always have a view back to the main fresh area, wherever they are." The meal solutions area, selling pizzas, stir fries and rottiserie products, is near the front door so that shoppers can just an pop in, rather than negotiate half the store to find their purchase. Minute services near the front include dry cleaning, a cigarette kiosk and vending machines which sell lottery tickets and razor blades. Non-food is a much bigger area in the xl and there's a massive health and beauty section which has an OTC counter and big cosmetic offer. Ahold is so enamoured by the new look that it plans to open another 49 similar stores by 2010, either by building extensions to existing stores or converting new stores. It will also introduce some of the elements to its high street and convenience formats. An Ahold spokeswoman says: "We want to be there whenever the consumer wants us - we want to offer all kinds of shopping moments." She adds that initial resistance from local councils concerned about planning regulations is gradually being overcome as they realise the stores won't be too big and will fit into the local environment. Suppliers have welcomed the change in category management which, she says, has been initiated by shoppers. "It also helps suppliers develop other products and they've all been supportive of what we've done ­ and so are the shoppers, they love it." {{SPOTLIGHT }}