Gander to Brand NYC's First City-Owned Supermarkets

More than 600 registrants from 480-plus design organizations signed up for New York City's information session on branding its first municipal supermarkets — and in September, the NYCEDC named Gander the project lead.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation and Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration launched the search this spring, asking branding and design firms to propose a "vibrant, cohesive brand" for the city-owned grocery stores, covering everything from in-store looks to private-label branding. Gander, the creative agency behind Graza olive oil, Yellowbird hot sauce, and Banza pasta, now oversees research, strategy, naming, and branding.

"It's kind of the dream project for us," Mike McVicar, co-founder and creative director of Gander, said. "[It's a] convergence of social good, New York City, and food all coming together."

Gander will not work alone. A consortium of design partners — brand consultancy Librarie, creative studio Noble Signs, and grocery-store design firm Seven Roots — will help develop the overall visual identity. The first store is set to open in the Bronx as early as next year, with the final store slated to open in 2029.

How did Gander win the pitch?

Throughout the pitch process, the NYCEDC asked agencies to showcase portfolios rather than product ideas. That gave Gander room to tout city-centric work for Celebrate Brooklyn, Pop Up Grocer, and the Locavore Variety Store, plus the co-founders' membership at the Park Slope Food Coop.

"I don't know if that had any sway in it, but that was a big part of our story," McVicar said.

The team is now drawing on that experience and on consortium-wide conversations with New Yorkers about the current grocery landscape. McVicar said his team is "[translating] those insights into a look and feel," though a reveal date has not been finalized.

What does the brand need to accomplish?

The RFP, issued under Mayor Mamdani, called for a "welcoming, unmistakably New York" look conveying "affordability and public excellence." McVicar said the city's dynamism and diversity drive the design, and Noble Signs will pull from its archive of storefront signage at the New York Sign Museum and its library of historical shopping bags.

"We're trying to create something that feels like it belongs in New York City and is inspired by the people in it," McVicar said.

It is too early to say whether each store will carry a borough-specific identity. The current focus is a single brand identity that works across all five stores in both interior design and signage, with the local community as a top consideration.

Stigma is the design problem to solve. "A general goal that we have is that it feels like it's a place for everyone, and it's a place where they can reliably get really high-quality products at a better price," McVicar said. "We want people to feel like this is not a city handout and it's something that feels like, I'm not sacrificing anything to come to this store."

Will the stores carry Mamdani's imprint?

No. While the project sits within the mayor's "Recipe for Affordability" plan, Stephen Rossi, assistant VP at the NYCEDC, said visitors should not expect signature Mamdani design elements in the stores.

"We want this brand identity to withstand the test of time, so we don't want this to be tied to one mayoral administration," Rossi said. "Ideally, [the stores will] just become a New York institution."

For practitioners, the brief is a rare case study in civic branding built to outlast a political cycle. McVicar said Gander is already fielding an unprecedented level of interest. "We've never had press attention before we've completed the work," he said. "It's a very different experience for us."