The new EDEKA Schneider Supercenter store in the Riedinger Centre in Bayreuth (Upper Franconia region of Germany) has been transformed into a premium-class supermarket. As a skilled partner for planning and implementation, retail expert Wanzl shared responsibility for the outstanding shopfitting. The family-owned company’s seventh store in the Bayreuth region boasts strong storytelling that brings together a sense of home, innovation and individuality in a unique symbiosis.
At the end of 2024, the newly built Riedinger Centre opened its doors to a huge crowd of shoppers. Around 500 parking spaces are available to customers stocking up on clothing, furniture, healthcare and beauty products and much more. The highlight is without a doubt the 3,500 m2 EDEKA Schneider store – plenty of space for an extraordinary design concept that enabled Wanzl to meet owner Patrick Schneider’s desire for a sense of regionality and a feeling of home. “The store is a tribute to Bayreuth. In terms of design, we incorporated features such as Richard Wagner’s masterpiece Der Ring des Nibelungen as well as the Opera House, the Eremitage Museum and the Neue Schloss Palace as key city landmarks. In terms of graphics, we mixed the old with the new – be it for the font choice or the images. To integrate the sagas of the Nibelungen in a modern way, for instance, we brought in the multi-award-winning illustrator Martin Stark, who put an expressionist spin on the opera cycle in 2020. His stunning illustrations as well as details from the story in the form of decorative wall sculptures are distributed throughout the store," says Tino Pilharcz, Senior Director at Wanzl.
A passion for storytelling
Each area of the store is dedicated to a main theme, each linked by the four acts of Der Ring des Nibelungen opera cycle. For example, the fruit and vegetable department features a statue of the legendary figure Freia, goddess of eternal youth and guardian of the Golden Apples, which ensure the immortality of the gods. However, the focus here is on the Eremitage Museum park. Right from the start, a large wall graphic draws the eye with a historic image of the Lower Cave from before 1913, while the Vitables® are designed as pavilions and the walls are reminiscent of the facade of the park’s orangery. The Eremitage also plays a role in the confectionery department. There, the Neue Schloss Palace has been selected as the subject; built by the Margravine Wilhelmine of Prussia in the middle of the 18th century, it is the as the park’s second palace. The Amazon green gondola heads of the wire tech 100 system would not look out of place as shelves in the palace rooms, and if you look closely, you will recognise a humorous and modern touch on the historic-looking paintings in their luxurious golden frames: The dresses of the people in the paintings are reminiscent of the packaging of well-known confectionery products.
Customers then have the opportunity to venture into the ‘dragon’s cave’ of the spirits department. This refers to Siegfried’s heroic battle against the dragon Fafner to win the Rhine gold and the Ring of Nibelungen. Rock-like walls and golden shelving frames set the mood in the room. In the centre hangs Siegfried’s golden helmet, surrounded by a golden cube and semicircular struts. Candle-like floating lamps accentuate the mythical elegance. “The bond to the region is also reflected in the beverage department. As a central motif for the beer range, we used the facade of the brewhouse from the old Gebrüder Maisel brewery in the form of a wall graphic,” explains Jessica Walburger, Creative Designer at Wanzl. Regionality is also the central theme in the farm shop, which resembles an old barn. For the ‘in-store market’, Patrick Schneider only purchases fresh and high-quality food directly from local producers who share his values for quality and sustainability. The legendary sword of Siegfried and the fire that trapped his beloved Brünhilde play a central role at the fresh food counter. A tree trunk hovers above the fish counter with the sword still stuck in it, for 'Only the one who is destined to pull it out may do so', as it says underneath. As a particularly eye-catching element, the fresh food counter is equipped with a special LED flame effect. In its frozen aisles, the store impressively showcases Bayreuth Opera House, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012. Now a huge image of its grand ceiling shines above the refrigerators in the EDEKA Schneider Supercenter. Here and elsewhere in the store, ring-shaped lights are also used as a reference to the Ring der Nibelungen. Inspired by the city’s second, probably even more famous music venue – the Bayreuther Festspielhaus – the food and non-food areas are separated by a partition. The health and beauty department reflects the importance of the River Rhine for the Nibelung saga with teardrop-shaped chandeliers, ceiling elements with a mirrored finish and a portrait of the three Rhinemaidens Woglinde, Wellgunde and Flosshilde. At the end of this shopping journey through Bayreuth, six service checkouts and a spacious self-checkout area are available for convenient payment.
With a clear commitment to the store’s home city of Bayreuth and an experience-oriented design, shopping at the EDEKA Schneider Supercenter not only means stocking up on essentials, but also taking a journey through a variety of settings. “Thanks to the excellent working relationship and the clear ideas of Patrick Schneider, we were able to implement this project exactly the way the customer wanted it. We are very proud of the results,” says Tino Pilharcz.