Deli de Luca
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Deli de Luca is a Norwegian convenience store created in 2003 by Adriano Capoferro and four other founding partners (Thor Johansen, Geir Syversen, Terje Bergh og Vesna Milkovic). The stores are mainly based in Oslo and most of them are open 24/7. In 2006 62% of the company was bought by NorgesGruppen.
The five founding partners had been colleagues at convenience store chain 7-Eleven, whose Norwegian franchise is operated by local Norwegian retail giant Reitan Gruppen. The Deli de Luca founders had been frustrated by what they perceived as a rigid and uncreative environment within Reitan's 7-Eleven business. With the financial support of several silent partners, the five broke out on their own to fulfil their dream of creating a world class retail concept, a cross between a convenience store and a deli.
The purchase of Deli de Luca was driven by its financial backers wish to cash out at a pre-set exit date, according to Capoferro. The prurchase of Deli de Luca by NorgesGruppen included a total cash-out by the finanicial partners and a partial cashout by the five operating partners. NorgesGruppen has a reputation for acquiring smaller Norwegian food retailing chains and leaving them a wide lattitde in their branding and front office operations, but leveraging its purchasing power and back office platform to boost operating margins.
Holidesign - a savvy blend of retail authority and keen design eye. Lead by Boris Iochev, former senior designer for Starbucks Coffee Co., the Oslo based retail design agency is responsible for Deli de Luca's holistic brand expression. www.holidesign.com
STORYTELLING AS THE CORE OF DELI DE LUCA’S BRAND EXPRESSION
Healthy juice has become anything but a microcosm of the beverage offerings in the everyday strive for nutrition bliss. In the plethora of offerings available - how can a new product submerge and distinguish itself on a store shelf? Boris Iochev and Holidesign faced that challenge when they were asked to create a new line of brand juices for one of the most progressive Norwegian retailers.
The task was not only to develop a new brand, but also to work closely with Deli de Luca in order to come up with different names for the six varieties of juices. “When we looked at Holi’s work we saw that they were not only capable of creating something visually striking for us, but they could create names and write copy that was consistent with the tone of their work - and that’s what we wanted,” explains Thor Johansen from Deli de Luca.
Two years ago, former senior designer at Starbucks Boris Iochev first began his collaboration with Deli de Luca by redesigning their line of core packaging and setting the tone of voice for their in-store promotional campaigns. Simultaneously he initiated the long ongoing project of unearthing the essence of the DdL brand expression, and nothing defines the brand and the passion of these world food enthusiasts better than:
“Part of our signature approach at Holi is to start with the story,” says Lars Bæk. Iochev continues, “We immerse ourselves in this process, and every creative soul participates in the conceptual stage regardless of which creative branch they adhere to. Designers, writers, illustrators and interior architects brainstormed together.” The common feeling was that a genuine and passionate form of storytelling directly on the label would romanticize and differentiate the juices from the competitors in a very endearing and positive way. As with any great brand, establishing an emotional connection that transcends the product is essential – a deeper connection that addresses our basic need to feel part of something bigger.
Over the past few years Deli de Luca has become the protagonist for all that is good about deli on the go. The future will see Holidesign develop more exciting, innovative products indigenous to the Deli de Luca brand, such as water, chocolate, sandwiches and salads, with an unmistakable passion for storytelling at the core. Deli de Luca and Holidesign are in it for the long haul.
