Poland's PKN Orlen Taps CBX for New C-Store Prototype and Branding Work

PKN Orlen, Poland's largest petroleum retailer with more than 1,900 dealer-operated stations across the country, has selected the retail division of CBX (Colemanbrandworx), the strategic branding, design, and consultancy agency based here, to develop a new convenience store concept that will be utilized in newly built locations and retrofits of existing units.Under the assignment, CBX will handle brand strategy, identity and naming of the new c-store concept, as well as layout, fixturing, lighting, and interior and exterior graphic communications. Additionally, the firm's merchandising and operations consulting team will assist PKN Orlen in defining the store's key destination categories.

Joseph Bona, president of CBX's retail division and a veteran consultant to c-store operators across the globe, noted that assignment comes at a time when Orlen's existing stores in Poland are increasingly competing with multi-nationals who are entering the market with their latest western formats."Moreover, Poland's economy is producing a growing middle class with two- income wage earners," added Ralph Sloan, CBX senior partner/retail. "With that, Polish shoppers are facing the same time pressures as everyone else in the world. Though the need for convenience wasn't there a few years ago, there's a strong opportunity now and an opportunity to raise the bar on current design and merchandising standards."Plans call for the new concept to initially be deployed in Poland before being rolled out to the company's c-stores in other countries. All told, the company and its affiliates operate over 2,700 fuel centers in central Europe, most of which also include c-stores.

About PKN OrlenPKN Orlen is Poland and central Europe's largest publicly traded firm, with major operations in Poland, Czech Republic, Germany and the Baltic States. The merger of Poland's C.P.N. and PKN in 1999 created PKN Orlen headquartered near Warsaw in Plock. Together with its joint ventures, the company generates annual sales of approximately $10 billion (USD).

About CBXCBX (Colemanbrandworx) is a fully integrated global creative agency specializing in brand and corporate identity development, packaging, research, motion branding, as well as retail design, merchandising and operations. The company maintains offices in New York City, Minneapolis and San Francisco. Overseas, through the CBX Worldwide Partnership, the firm additionally has operating offices in Santiago, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Melbourne, Shanghai, London and Amsterdam.

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