Rewe Market in Cologne
Just a few months to transform an old warehouse into a supermarket.
As soon as you walk into the market you can see an old, flame-red tractor that has been turned into a market stall selling fruit and veg. We are in the new Rewe supermarket situated in one of the covered shopping arcades in Cologne, the Opernpassagen.
In just 6 months a large warehouse has been transformed into a supermarket; 2,200 m2 arranged over two storeys offering its clients around 20,000 different items from all over the world.
Special care has been taken over the interior of the supermarket, with made-to-measure wooden shelves, brick-dressed walls and a bespoke lighting system and colour scheme.
Rewe, an important German group which has been operating in the large distribution sector for a number of years, also decided to add their “Made by Rewe” space alongside the supermarket, a smaller area of around 200 m2 with special dishes prepared on site to be cooked later at home, or directly in the shop using one of the open cookers available. An innovative twist to the supermarket theme, which the owners and designers hope to turn into a commercial franchise to be exported all over Germany.
STYLE AND FUNCTIONALITY
The complete renovation of the internal areas had to be carried out according to a very tight, non-negotiable schedule (6 months) so that the fitters had enough time to install all the stalls and shops. For the floors, Rewe didn’t want the usual type normally used in supermarkets; they were looking for something different.
Mapei Technical Services proposed a line developed specifically for showrooms, supermarkets, shopping centres and industrial areas in general: the ULTRATOP system, a highly decorative solution particularly resistant to abrasion. The ULTRATOP coating system guarantees that surfaces remain level and free of cracks over the years and gives even large surface areas a sense of materic and visual continuity.
Once the substrate was cured and dry, the surface was treated with a coat of PRIMER SN two-component, solvent-free epoxy primer. It was applied using the wet-on-wet technique and then broadcast with QUARTZ 1.2 to create a surface with better grip so that the ULTRATOP system would adhere perfectly.
The next step was to apply a layer of anthracite ULTRATOP self-levelling mortar.
The floors along the corridors were decorated with small, coloured rubber tiles (160 m2), which were installed using eco-compatible products, as specified by the client: Mapei Technical Services recommended using ULTRABOND ECO V4 SP multi-purpose adhesive in water dispersion with very low emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC).
The Rewe chain was highly satisfied with the results: in fact, visiting managers from other supermarkets in the chain often ask for information on the coating system used!
