HFA Examines the Future of the Grocery Industry
Matt Turner, Associate AIA, discusses the changes he's seen with his client and the grocery industry throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. From an increased emphasis on online grocery shopping and no-contact pickup, grocery retailers across the U.S. hit the ground running as COVID-19 began to ramp up, allowing for further technology and infrastructure changes.
BENTONVILLE, Ark., July 23, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- HFA (Harrison French & Associates, LTD) and its team of architects, engineers, and other design professionals recently took a look at the post-COVID-19 retail world, particularly in the grocery industry.
In this installment of HFA's Design Thinking blog series, Matt Turner, Associate AIA, discusses the changes he's seen with his client and the grocery industry throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. From an increased emphasis on online grocery shopping and no-contact pickup, grocery retailers across the U.S. hit the ground running as COVID-19 began to ramp up, allowing for further technology and infrastructure changes.
"At HFA, we are fortunate to work with grocery retailers that have heavily invested in new technologies to provide the customer with flexible options when shopping for groceries both within their brick and mortar stores and online," said Turner.
Turner continues, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, more U.S. families have begun using online grocery shopping than ever before, and retailers that have the infrastructure in place to provide groceries safely and seamlessly to customers are the nation's lifeline. There are obvious reasons that customers have changed their shopping preferences to stay safe during the pandemic, but what will the future of grocery shopping look like post-COVID-19, and how can design professionals help?"
More than ever, it is essential for industries, especially essential ones like the grocery industry, to listen to what is needed for both employees and customers, whether that be increased technology, virtual shopping experiences, or flexible checkout solutions. These design solutions will be increasingly crucial for the future of the grocery industry and other service industries in a post-COVID-19 world, so much so that we've only begun to see the changes starting to be implemented.
Turner concludes by saying, "Although there are many uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, one thing is for sure, we are all in this together as design professionals, clients, customers, and friends. So, listen intently to the customer, be inquisitive, and keep an open mind because the solutions to tomorrow's design challenges may not exist today."
HFA is an architecture and engineering firm that is focused on designing for the customer experience. With 30 years of experience to draw on, we believe that we're uniquely positioned to use our knowledge and expertise to further the architecture and engineering industry, especially in this post-pandemic era.
To read more from HFA's Design Thinking series check out the HFA blog: https://blog.hfa-ae.com/
About HFA
Founded in 1990, HFA is a full-service Architecture and Engineering firm with locations in Bentonville, AR; Franklin, MA; Fort Worth, TX; and Mexico City, MX. Focused on designing for the customer experience, HFA works coast to coast with retail, real estate development, office, industrial, fueling, restaurant/food service, lifestyle, and education clients.
Contact: Daryl Whitmer, Director of Marketing and Business Development, (479) 273−7780 ext. 274 or daryl.whitmer@hfa−ae.com.
SOURCE HFA
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