Cold Storage Rebrand: Corporate Zen

From 🍏 to 🍏™

DFI Retail Group recently made headlines when it announced the sale of Cold Storage and Giant in Singapore to Malaysian retail group Macrovalue. The Group’s stock rallied, and netizens were hopeful that the sale would mean lower grocery prices due to economies of scale.

Although a rebrand is unlikely to happen after the sale, it is worth looking at the relatively new brand identities these two chains have—especially since both rebranded during this decade. Let’s look at Cold Storage’s brand identity in this post.

History of Cold Storage

As the oldest supermarket chain in Singapore, Cold Storage began operations in 1903 as the Singapore Cold Storage Company, focusing on the storage and distribution of frozen meats, poultry, and dairy products imported from Australia.

Throughout its century-long history, it pioneered several supermarket innovations, including embracing refrigeration technology early (hence the name) to provide frozen foods, and launching an online store in 1997.

Today, Cold Storage is among the larger players in the supermarket scene in Singapore, alongside NTUC FairPrice, Sheng Siong, and Giant.

Cold Storage Logos: From Boxes to Apples

The first few logos of Cold Storage used an isometric “CS” graphic shaped like cube boxes. It was part of the brutalist design trend of the 1960s, where bold and blocky designs were popular.

In 1998, Cold Storage replaced its boxes with something more representative of a supermarket brand—a simple green apple graphic in the shape of a circle. Compared to its predecessor, the logo was more inviting and vibrant. The use of a wide sans serif font also made the brand more approachable.

Cold Storage stuck to this identity for close to 25 years, which certainly grew on consumers. There is little to fault in this identity design-wise, but in terms of brand fit, it fell short of reflecting its positioning as a premium (or upper-middle-class) supermarket chain.

Still, the vibrant and simple look produced a great set of applications, from the Cold Storage Kids Run branding to a delightfully simple stinger (end frames of the video that reveal the brand logo). Remember the classic ad that parodied My Favorite Things?

Then came the rebrand to the current logo in 2022. The apple became more defined, and the bright colours were stripped in favour of dark grey. The wordmark adopted an old-school serif in uppercase letters.

The logo is frequently set against a light wood texture to evoke the natural and pure quality of the products on offer. A muted olive green accent and line art compliment the logo in brand applications. There is a stillness to it, and it aligns more closely with Cold Storage’s brand positioning. It has grown up now.

However, in the process of rebranding, the magic of the previous identity might have been lost. The current logo, in all its realism, leaves nothing to the imagination. The previous logo looked homemade, while the current one feels more polished and consequently, impersonal.

Cold Storage does deserve some credit for daring to go against the grain—it is the only major supermarket brand in Singapore that uses a dark colour as its primary colour. The lack of vibrancy may stand out in a feed full of gaudy online content bait. No nonsense here, just quality produce that consumers deserve.

Even after this rebrand, glimpses of Cold Storage’s past can be seen in their satellite events—the Kids Run is still as cheery as ever.

Cold Storage’s rebrand reflects its maturity and premium market position, but it also sheds some of the charm that made it feel relatable and warm. As the brand enters a new chapter under new ownership, it will be interesting to see if it leans further into this refined persona, or finds a way to balance it with the cheeriness and nostalgia many Singaporeans associate with it.

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Branding Singapore is a series which highlights notable local brand identities.