Celebrating Over 20 Years of Collaboration and Retail Design
At BRD Group, we believe that some of the most rewarding projects come from the relationships we build with our clients over time.
One such relationship is our longstanding association with Coles, spanning more than 20 years and involving a diverse range of projects across different areas of the Coles business.
What initially began with design work within the Coles Hotels portfolio has evolved into an ongoing relationship encompassing liquor retail, supermarket developments, national rollout programs and specialist retail projects.
Throughout this time, we’ve had the opportunity to work alongside numerous Coles teams and industry professionals, developing a strong understanding of their operational requirements, design standards and project delivery expectations.
From Coles Hotels to Coles Liquor
Our relationship with Coles began more than two decades ago, initially supporting projects within the Coles Hotels business.
As the business evolved, so too did our involvement, with BRD Group becoming increasingly engaged in the design and documentation of stores across the Coles Liquor portfolio, including Liquorland,
Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor.
Over the years, our team has contributed to numerous new store developments, refurbishments, brand transformations and retail rollout programs across Australia.
Our involvement has ranged from initial concept and sketch planning through to detailed building design, interior design and construction documentation.
One particularly rewarding aspect of this relationship has been the opportunity to work directly with Coles’ internal design teams in developing and refining their retail design standards.
This has included the preparation of visual identity manuals, blueprint design kits, specifications and documentation to help establish a consistent design approach across different retail brands and store formats.
Having been closely involved in developing these standards, our team has gained valuable knowledge of the individual brands and how their design requirements can be uccessfully adapted to different
buildings, locations and retail environments.
Expanding into Coles Supermarkets and Specialist Projects
In more recent years, our relationship with Coles has continued to evolve, extending into supermarket design, store improvement programs and specialist areas of the broader Coles business.
Our involvement has included supermarket sketch planning, sushi counter rollouts, vertical meat case upgrades, Accelerate programs and other targeted improvements within existing supermarkets.
We’ve also had the opportunity to contribute to specialist projects, including design and
documentation support for retail areas within the Coles corporate headquarters.
These projects have provided opportunities to work with different teams across the organisation and further develop our understanding of the complex design, operational and construction requirements associated with large-scale retail environments.
While individual refurbishment and rollout projects may be relatively small in scale, they often require careful coordination of existing building infrastructure, services, operational requirements and
construction activities.
Our experience working alongside Coles’ internal teams, consultants and construction partners has helped us develop a practical and collaborative approach to resolving these challenges.
From Individual Stores to Major Retail Developments
As our relationship with Coles has grown, so too has the scale and diversity of the projects we’ve been involved in.
A recent example is the Coles Dundowran retail development in Hervey Bay, Queensland, where BRD Group has been involved in the design and documentation of the supermarket and associated
retail development.
Working alongside Coles and construction partner Mainbrace, the project demonstrates our broader
capabilities across supermarket design, retail development, consultant coordination and detailed construction documentation.
Projects such as Dundowran highlight how our experience across both individual retail tenancies and larger commercial developments allows us to bring a comprehensive understanding of retail design to the projects we undertake.
A Relationship Built on Experience and Collaboration
For BRD Group, one of the most rewarding aspects of our 20-plus-year association with Coles has been the professional relationships we’ve developed along the way.
Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to work with many talented individuals across different areas of the Coles business, building relationships founded on collaboration, mutual understanding
and a shared commitment to achieving successful project outcomes.
This experience has reinforced something we consider particularly important at BRD Group – successful design is about more than producing drawings.
It’s about understanding our clients’ businesses, recognising their operational needs, working collaboratively to resolve challenges and delivering practical design solutions that stand the test of
time.
We’re proud of the contribution our team has made across the various Coles businesses over the past
two decades and particularly value the relationships that have developed throughout that journey.
As BRD Group continues to grow and expand its capabilities, we look forward to building on this experience and continuing to support Coles with its evolving retail design and development requirements across Australia.
