Established in Cheltenham, the brand has enjoyed extensive expansion worldwide, thanks to its cool, quality vibe. SOHO retails its fair trade and organic coffee alongside a distinctive range of fresh, hand-made quality food, in high streets, shopping centres, leisure sites, motorway services and airport outlets in the UK and Internationally, to a diverse customer base.
From 20XX to 20XX, APT worked with SOHO Coffee Co. to deliver a range of assets, from point-of-sale (POS) branding to delivering a new website and refined brand identity.
Charities, non-profits & social enterprise
BCorp businesses (or potential)
SOHO Coffee Co., established in Cheltenham, has a range of fresh, organic, and original foods and coffee. SOHO Coffee Co. pride themselves on their Fairtrade credentials and being Red Tractor Certified. They have also recently been working with the charity Young Minds to advocate for young adults struggling and ensuring all kitchen waste that is compostable generates energy before being composted to help the environment.
SOHO Coffee Co. and APT worked together through from 20XX to 20XX and during that time, APT helped promote and expand the company by redesigning their website and helping centralise their marketing.
APT is proud to be a part of the early chapters and expansion of SOHO Coffee Co., helping them helping grow the company across the country from 2 to 24 stores, including in retail centres and airports. We worked closely with the directors to help capitalise on the brand’s core values and develop ideas for the company’s future.
In 2011 we put our skills to use and redesigned the website for SOHO Coffee Co., maintaining their colourful themes but making it fit for purpose. This branding update was also rolled out in stores too.
In 2012 APT helped design and launch CLUB SOHO, a loyalty scheme for SOHO Coffee Co., and refined and promoted the company offering through their airport outlets. Our role saw us design the SOH2O water bottle and highlight seasonal changes and new products.
Our work
Autumn/Winter POS 2017
SOHO Coffee Co. has a food-led, coffee offering, with a focus on exceptional taste, high-quality ingredients and plenty of lifestyle choice.
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Objectives:
To carry out a a suite of consistent design styles for the new Autumn / Winter 2017 range, using colourful autumnal photography and eye-catching boards.
Actions:
apt designed a series of POS A-boards and menu boards, of which included clever strap-lines such as ‘The Love Stack’ and ‘The Best Bar Naan’ in textural varied typography letter shapes and lively seasonal photography to convey a playful and passionate new product expansion.
The new range also gave opportunity for different lifestyle choices as Vegan and Vegetarian offerings, customisable menus and a whole new Dairy Free range of hot & cold drinks that apt created other design collateral for in the on-going suite with shelf labels and menu blackboards. A guest font was introduced during this time to allow the designs to bounce off the boards with personality and initiate a new customer base.
Results:
An ever expanding popular choice on the high-street, producing further sales and excitement in the public. Celebrity tweets from the likes of former football player, Robbie Savage saying “Great choice at @SOHO_Coffee_Co for breakfast today ! #newmenu” – praise indeed!
Food Packaging Design
Owning over 32 stores in the UK and internationally, as part of the new brand strategy set out by apt and the new seasonal menu; SOHO Coffee Co. undertook a new food packaging refresh.
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Objectives:
To create packaging nets and designs for over eight new products which included:
- Baguette sleeves
- Flatbread sleeves
- Wrap packaging
- Hot toastie sleeves
- Dairy free coconut millionaire bars
- Gluten free oaty crumble biscuits
- Double lollipop stickers to secure new sweet treat pots; Tangy Lemon Pots and Triple Chocolate Salted Caramel Pots
- Plus over 200+ shelf labels for each product & seasonal promotional products
Actions:
Designed a series of food packaging to depict SOHO’s simple, authentic and fresh brand. Each packaging design was carefully considered to reinforce the brands strong principles as well as allowing the food to not be ‘hidden’ under masses of packaging allowing customers to know exactly what they will receive. These designs also use less packaging, striving to help an environmentally conscious world.
Results:
Client and customers were satisfied with the result, giving a bright and attractive exposure when displayed in chillers. The packaging has become a staple design and guideline for further food packaging in years to come.
SOHO Coffee Co. New Store Opening Programme
Background:
Over the course of a year, SOHO Coffee Co. set out to open a whopping 11 new stores across the UK. apt marketing & pr were appointed to enable that each transition happened smoothly and effectively.
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Objectives:
To generate excitement amongst potential customers and passers by offering special promotions, visual engagement and interaction.
Actions:
Each new location required a bespoke hoarding panel designs that were tailored to the sizes of the exterior store spaces including windows and door coverings. Panels included QR codes, branded infographics, and specialised locational information. To follow this; apt worked closely with SOHO Coffee Co. to design promotional leaflets and high profile press releases.
Results:
Successful store openings at the Bullring, Debenhams in Birmingham, The O2 Centre in London, The Brewery Quarter in Cheltenham, Warner Budgens in Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingsway in London, Austin Friars in London, Grosvenor Street in London, Gresham Street in London, Strand Bridge in London & Baker Street in London.
SOHO Coffee Co. Spring/Summer POS
Background:
SOHO Coffee Co. has a food-led, coffee offering, with a focus on exceptional taste, high-quality ingredients and plenty of lifestyle choice.
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Objectives:
The Spring 2017 Point of Sale was a new suite of promotional signage to promote new / seasonal products and drive footfall into franchises across the UK, franchises and internationally. This represented an opportunity to refresh and update the brand image by exploring new and trendy design styles. The core words for spring styling was ‘artisan’ and ‘vibrant’.
Actions:
apt produced design collateral including new a-boards, breakfast menu boards, afternoon & evening menu boards, hot and cold drink menu blackboards, a kids range, shelf labels and food packaging. This allowed customers to immediately understand the new seasonal offerings of made-to-order food, customisable breakfasts & lunches with healthy, fresh, handmade food choices in-store, while still enabling a playful design style and bold textures which reflected from their new menu and also stood out on the high street amongst competitors.
Results:
The new Spring Point of Sale designs gave SOHO Coffee Co. stores a well-needed visual lift and attracted a number of new customers into the stores by increased footfall and generated excitement for the new seasonal menu amongst the public.
SOHO Coffee Co Brand
Background:
SOHO boasts a growing portfolio of outlets offering their signature fairtrade and organic coffee with a range of fresh, hand-made quality food, across the retail, leisure and travel sectors in the UK and Internationally and the company has an ambitious growth strategy.
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Objectives:
To convey the individuality and vibrancy of the brand offering through clear communication of the brand USPs and specific day-part products.
Actions:
When apt first began working with SOHO Coffee Co. we worked together to expand the brand colour palette from the inimitable purple and white – and the instantly recognisable coffee cups of course. The quality of the organic and fairtrade coffee and the local providence of the food speak for themselves so we plumped for loud and proud; hot pink, lime green and vibrant blue.
Results:
All 21 stores are always a bright and vibrant space, showcasing the exceptional food, coffee and service available at SOHO. The ever-changing seasonal and promotional point of sale collateral is a shining example that a brand is a living, breathing entity that must stay fresh in order to stay memorable.
SOHO Coffee Co Website
Background:
SOHO Coffee Co. is an independently owned coffee chain that retails 100% fair trade and organic coffee alongside a distinctive range of fresh, hand-made quality food. You’ll find outlets in the UK and internationally, including high streets, shopping centres, leisure sites, motorway services and airport outlets.
At the beginning of 2011, the SOHO collateral wasn developed and refined to include a brighter colour palette and bolder messaging. Originally completed in 2007, the existing website had started to look dated and was in need of a refresh.
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Objectives:
To revitalise and modernise the SOHO Coffee Co. website to ensure that it is current and vibrant and works alongside the SOHO collateral.
Actions:
The website was redesigned to include vibrant colours, bolder, brighter messaging and additional functionality whilst retaining the quirky brand personality from the original site; the messaging was updated and added to where necessary. The new site was built using HTML5 and Web 2.0 technology and includes new features such as Marydale font across the pages, a bespoke e-card system and seasonally changing designs. The updated site also included a custom-built document management system with tiered access to provide individual store teams with access to specific SOHO relevant documents.
Results:
The website was much more vibrant and outgoing and reflects the personality of the brand. It utilised much more of the web technology available and provided a window on the expanding brand.
SSP Point of Sale for SOHO Coffee Co Airport Franchises Design
Background:
SSP is the leading dedicated operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations and is the franchise partner for the airport-based outlets of SOHO Coffee Co. In the UK there are SOHO Coffee Co. outlets airside at Birmingham, East Midlands and Manchester Airports and both airside and landside at Bristol Airport. Internationally, Dublin, Las Palmas and Malaga have SOHO Coffee Co. stores.
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Objectives:
To produce bespoke point of sale collateral within SOHO Coffee Co. brand, in order to communicate the ‘take on board’ proposition and drive footfall and sales. This element of the SOHO offering is unique to their airport outlets, offering airline passengers a great alternative to the in-flight catering options.
Actions:
On the several occasions where we have produced this collateral, the messaging mix has needed to be directional, informational and promotional; subject to its positioning. Taking the brief from both SSP as the operating partner and SOHO Coffee Co. themselves, apt mapped out the main points of the customer journey and identified the appropriate messaging for each. apt then designed the appropriate creative to underpin the brand and to achieve the right balance in communicating both the airport regulations for taking food on board and the price point promotion.
Results:
Two suites of collateral have been produced over two years; the first being the ‘take on board’ concept and latterly, replacing that with the ‘Flying Club’ that works under SOHO’s overarching CLUB SOHO promotional and loyalty umbrella. The collateral produced includes directional pull up banners, a-board signage, shelf talkers, chiller toppers and wobblers; supported by web pages accessible directly via strategically-placed QR codes.
SOHO Coffee Co Bottled Water Label Design
Background:
With stores across the retail, travel and leisure sectors in the UK and internationally, the SOHO Coffee Co. proposition is organic, Fairtrade coffee and great, fresh, handmade food; all underpinned by excellent customer service in their instantly recognisable stores.
SOHO Coffee Co. has been supplied with bottled water for retail by Berrington Pure Spring Water for several years. Achieving a high volume of sales across its stores, the decision was made to roll-out SOHO-branded labels at the bottling line.
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Objectives:
To bring the bottled water product line into the distinctive SOHO branding, in order to maximise brand exposure for both the in-store consumption and the takeaway propositions, and leverage sales. The target audiences range from thirsty shoppers buying on impulse to children choosing from the SOHO KIDS range; and from airline passengers buying before they fly to those picking up a ‘sports cap’ bottle on the way to the gym.
Actions:
apt was tasked with producing a timeless label design that would work across three size formats for still water and one sparkling water format. Given that the consumer already has a context within which they already buy bottled water, it was essential that the design communicates the familiar differentiation between the still and sparkling products, as well as the premium nature of the water, without jarring with the contemporary SOHO branding.
apt worked with both SOHO Coffee Co. directly, together with Berrington from design stage, right though to proofing and production, ensuring that the labeling adhered to legislation and conformed to brand standards.
Results:
The SOH2O sub-brand was conceived and the chosen creative uses a blue and silver from the existing SOHO brand palette and the design accommodates maximum brand exposure when bottles are racked on their side in the chiller bins. To complement the bottles, opaque and silver cap colours were selected respectively.
Communicating SOHO’s commitment to the provenance of its sourcing and on the basis that this line is retailed through its international airport locations, the design incorporates an in-brand Union Jack motif. Bottles of SOH2O are now in-store across the UK and internationally.
SOHO Coffee Co POS 2010
Background:
apt collaborated closely with the company’s Directors to convey the brand’s core values across all collateral. SOHO retails its fair trade and organic coffee alongside a distinctive range of fresh, hand-made quality food, in high streets, shopping centres, leisure sites, motorway services and airport outlets in the UK and Internationally, to a diverse customer base.
Find out more
Objectives:
To develop the tools which will effectively communicate specific promotions, whether that is competitive price promotion, presentation of the brands USPs or seasonal product promotion.
Actions:
apt and SOHO identified the core in-store positions for point of sale promotion across the portfolio of stores. SOHO’s intensive, in-house product development delivers new seasonal ranges of unique products, using seasonal ingredients. As their agency, our role was to signpost the new additions, as well as inject some seasonal oomph into each outlet as the next season rolls in; making stores eye-catching and distinct from the competition. We started with themes and mood boards from which the campaign direction evolved. With such an exciting brand, ideas among the apt creative team abound! The concept was rolled out across a-frame and hanging signage, chiller collateral and point of sale pricing for maximum impact
