This week, our Retail Safari takes us to Georgia, where tradition, local pride, and innovative retail concepts merge into a unique shopping experience. Our very own Yuliya Dzyuba brings us the story of Agrohub—a supermarket chain that has masterfully combined the spirit of an open market, the allure of a show kitchen, and modern retail solutions into a format that inspires and captivates.

The Power of In-House Production

Agrohub chain of supermarkets has very strong USP that helps to stand out among competitors - it’s own produce of farm fruits & vegetables, farm meat, farm milk and cheeses and meat delicatesses.

When developing the store concept, we relied on local nuances and company’s USP. The Georgian market and mentality has its own characteristics, which were taken into account and accented in the new concept of the store.

For example, Georgians also love old markets, but for them, market is a kind of nostalgia for the past. Therefore, the store should have a market display of product when there is a lot of one SKU. For example, the display of chicken took up about two meters and the meat department is huge – 15 meters of counter offering variety of farm meat and showing the whole carcasses of meat.

And in the farm department, cheese takes up a quarter of the space. That is, such a display in the local perception is cool, and does not mean at all that there is little assortment.

Openness and Hospitality in Action

Another important aspect of the Georgian-style store is openness and absolute hospitality. That is why we made absolutely all processes in the produce areas open.

The hot food section is planned as a show kitchen—we literally invite guests into our kitchen and show all culinary processes. The displays even have stoves where food is finished right in front of customers. It all looks incredibly tasteful and trustful. It created absolute trust and feeling of high-quality, fresh, and made right here and now.

Service Over Self-Service

Georgian retailers respect customers very much and in the Agrohub chain they try to satisfy customers with high-quality service as much as possible, contrary to the European trend of self-service. We also supported and showed the course for locality as much as possible, so, for example, pita bread in the supermarket is prepared right in the sales hall.

Service in Fruits & Vegetables department is like on the market – all products are weighted by consultants at the special fridge counter island that also works as presentation of exotic and season fruits.

Blending Tradition with Modern Solutions

The real challenge for us was to combine modern retail solutions with a traditional approach to store design. Therefore, we balanced between modern trends, such as the customer journey, filling with modern features, and the traditional spirit of the Agrohub chain.

But along with traditions, there was also a place for experiments. We opened a new area in the store, which the chain had not had before. This is bar where they sell delicious barista coffee and buy to go food without going inside supermarket. For the Georgian market such department was something new. This area is important because the store is located next to the university, and young people really like to drink coffee. Such step allowed to appeal to younger student audience and create younger image of Agrohub.  At the opening, this location was a real success.

An Anchor from the First Step

The winery also produces its own wine, but previously their wine department was located in a underground area. Therefore, in the new store, we made the wine department with our own production an anchor that greets guests at the entrance.

This concept gave a new push in chain development and since opening in 2023 we developed 5 more concepts for new stores.

About the Author

Yuliya Dzyuba is the founder of the retail design studio DZYUBA, with over 20 years of experience in marketing and the development of retail and FMCG brands. Since 2003, Yuliya has worked on projects for top brands like KENT, Braun, Motorola, Microsoft, and as a creative leader for Ukrainian retail giants Silpo and Comfy. Her passion lies in creating emotionally charged retail spaces – the LoveStore philosophy that she applies in all her projects. Her work is more than design – it’s about creating emotional experiences that turn customers into loyal brand enthusiasts.

You can learn more about Yuliya on her LinkedIn profile.