Waitrose Kings Cross

Case StudyWaitrose Kings Cross

this september saw the grand opening of a brand new waitrose store at king’s cross. the store, located next to granary square, is housed in the restored grade ii-listed midland goods shed, and features an in-store bakery, a seating area for customers to enjoy drinks and snacks and a cookery school.

waitrose were keen to ensure that the store layout was sympathetic with the victorian heritage of the building and were looking for signage that was a modern and simplified interpretation of the 1850s typeface and style. omega signs, who have had a strong relationship with waitrose for over 10 years, were brought in to help with the task.

working to the clear waitrose brief, omega developed initial concepts and designs taking cues from the site’s heritage whilst seeking to add a modern interpretation of victorian railway signage. sample signs were made and approval was then sought across the board to make sure that everyone was happy.

the result is vibrant internal signage that has great standout in this impressive traditional building. installation was also a real challenge as much of the brickwork was very old and uneven. one solution was to again take inspiration from the buildings victorian heritage and apply several signs to a steel frame to replicate railway signs but also crucially minimise the number of fixing points to the brick wall.