AIM ARCHITECTURE’s new HARMAY supermarket in Shanghai’s Xintiandi blurs the lines between luxury and everyday goods, desire and necessity. The design evokes the familiar feeling of shopping in open-air markets and supermarkets, while simultaneously triggering excitement for luxury retail.
Supermarkets and grocery stores are one of the most universal shared experiences. For most, grocery shopping is synonymous with daily life—it’s mundane yet emotionally resonant. Luxury goods, on the other hand, represent a higher cost and quality and occupy a smaller portion of most people’s lives. In Shanghai’s Xintiandi district, the new HARMAY supermarket, designed by AIM ARCHITECTURE, bridges the gap between daily life and dreams. 
Xintiandi is a neighborhood that has been impacted by the rapid development of the city over the years. Once a down-to-earth collection of Shanghai lane houses and local communities, it has been transformed into a popular urban tourist destination and a fashionable shopping destination for both locals and tourists. People either shop for luxury goods in the Xintiandi shopping center, watch the crowds, or enjoy the best restaurants in the area. Located in the heart of Shanghai’s Xintiandi, HARMAY supermarket stands in stark contrast to the surrounding (sophisticated luxury). Inspired by the various markets that once dotted the area, the Harmay supermarket is intentionally designed to be a store that is different from the typical upscale shopping experience. It is a bustling, vibrant supermarket that sells both high-end face masks and lipsticks, as well as milk, bananas, and other everyday food items.
The store’s first-floor facade is opened up by a large, overturned window across the entire surface, allowing customers both inside and outside the store to constantly engage in interaction. The 600-square-meter store spans two floors, evoking the familiar feeling of shopping in open-air markets and supermarkets, while simultaneously triggering excitement for luxury retail. Passersby can see the wide array of goods through the giant glass windows, cosmetics displayed as temptingly as food on custom-made “production tables” and enticing people to stop by. Even though HARMAY is a beauty retailer, in this new “supermarket”, customers can choose from a variety of goods, from cosmetics to apples and bananas, just like shopping at a market.
The warehouse on the second floor, like other HARMAY stores, serves as both a physical store and a link to online retail. Like being in the supermarket’s shelving area, open display tables and giant colorful stainless steel shelves combine the dual functions of warehousing and display. The floor and walls are covered with clean white tiles, giving the space a fresh, vibrant and modern feel. The transparent plastic curtains used to separate the space give a familiar feel, as if one has returned to an old-fashioned grocery store. As customers pick out their items, they join the checkout counters that line up in a row, pay, and leave the “supermarket” with their packages.
The entire space experience constantly gives people a familiar and comfortable feeling of being in a supermarket, but the huge cage on the second floor intentionally pulls people back to reality, creating a sense of unease. In the cage, shoppers can choose these products that have not been tested on animals, a cage that succinctly explains the space. A mirror sign with the words “We are all animals” explains everything. This deliberate discomfort subtly clashes with the rest of the space experience, yet blends in.
Project Information:
Project Name: HARMAYBeauty Store
Space Type: Commercial Space, Retail Space, Beauty Store
Space Address: Shanghai Xintiandi TheHouse, L101-206, 380 Huangpi Nan Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Average Consumption: 363 yuan/person
Design Firm: AIM ARCHITECTURE
Design Director: Wendy Saunders, Vincent de Graaf
Design Team: Chen Hu, Huang Xiaoming, Jiao Yan, Jiao Yueyuan, Wang Youbaoer
Interior Design: Wang Youbaoer
Project Manager: Xu Xinyi
Building Area: 680 square meters
Main Materials: Weather-resistant steel plate, gray brick, aluminum plate, luminous soft film, ceramic tile, stainless steel, cement, glass, mirror, linear lamp
Photography Copyright: Dirk Weiblen, Sun Liwen
Client: HARMAY
