IN 2015, an ambitious group of entrepreneurs, including some of Carré Associates’ owners, came together around a new retail concept for Belgium. They had identified that our country had a notable gap in its market. Indeed, unlike others we did not yet have parapharmacies… not pharmacies, beauty or perfume shops but stores selling a mix of off the counter health AND beauty products. In short: a Belgian version of the infamous Boots in the UK. And so, Medi-Market was born.

The project was handed over to develop from scratch to Carré Associates. First, an in-depth market research was conducted to investigate interest in this format and find the best possible positioning for it. From there, the offer itself was curated and a brand identity developed. This was then translated into the different channels the study had shown customers would be interested to use: a website, mailbox flyers and of course physical stores. Our studio was commissioned on the last two points.

Having been involved from the very beginning of the retailer’s journey offered our design team the most solid base to design the physical store concept. It was actually developed at the same time as the market research to provide the target groups visual support to project themselves into. In essence the store design was crafted at the same time as the entire retailer’s strategy and in a sort of co-creation approach with potential customers. This gave it the best chance for success.

The plan was to take this target approved conceptual idea and build a first pilot store in the outskirts of Brussels. It would allow us to trial and refine the initial intentions prior to further implementations. The plans were for a set of about ten stores to be open in the first year with ambitions for a national implementation in the subsequent years.

The concept has been so successful Medi-Market that as of 2026 it operates more than 200 stores in Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, all still with its original concept.

I joined Carré Associates at a critical time in this project’s life: right after the concept sign off by the customer target groups. My role was instrumental in taking what at the time was a conceptual idea and transforming it into an implementable one. I drafted all the necessary construction drawings for the first pilot store. Together with key colleagues we supervised the site work and made necessary adjustments to the design and documentation sets along the way.

The store was an instant hit. And very little had to be changed to the documentation drawings in view of the projected roll-out. For the following year and a half, I personally worked on another 8 locations. For each, I prepared a comprehensive drawing set including a dimensioned floor implementation plan, indoor and outdoor elevations. In some instances, I also had to liaise with project managers and urban planners to negotiate specific shopfront finishes.