Food le Parc? ParknShop, Hong Kong people are not fools – we’re too savvy for name games
- ParknShop enjoys disguising its brand under multiple identities, but the truth is they are fooling no one, argues Andrew Sun
- Hong Kong shoppers are wise to that old trick, and will always find the freshest produce at the cheapest price
I don’t get out to Quarry Bay much, but I was in the district recently, checking out the neighbourhood. In one area, I spotted a supermarket I had never heard of before.
The shop’s name is Food le Parc, with the name scrawled out in cursive on the wall. It looked interesting, possibly gourmet, but the lime green lettering was vaguely familiar. As I got closer, I had a sense of déjà vu. Then I entered, strolled down a couple of aisles and realised what it was.
The brand first started in 1973. Presumably back then, they actually had space in front of their stores for people to park before they began to shop. As it grew in the 1990s, the retail schizophrenia emerged and grew out of control.
First, there were ParknShop Superstores, when mere supermarkets weren’t super enough. Then, to appear more upscale, they invented Fusion and, later, International by ParknShop, which stocked more imported goods at higher prices.
As consumers got more choosy and wanted more variety, they created even bigger and better stores but they could not settle on just one name. So they were called Taste, Gourmet and Great, each as unique and distinct as a Storm trooper in the Galactic empire.
And now, there’s Food le Parc. So what the hell does the pseudo-French phrasing represent, other than a bad case of pretentious wordage? I don’t know why they don’t just go full French farce with other names that don’t make sense, such as Desjardin de Gastro or La Terre au Taste.
These supermarkets might all have different names but essentially they’re the same stores. Like Hollywood movies, we say we want something new and unique but then settle for the safe and familiar rote of Fast & Furious.
But different store names also allows ParknShop to adjust prices according to the area demographic. You might have a sale on spaghetti sauce in North Point but in Kowloon Tong, shoppers at Taste can afford the sauce whether there’s a discount or not.
Anyway, I didn’t spend enough time in Food le Parc (did you know there is another one in the basement of Cheung Kong Center?) to figure out where on the spectrum it sits among the other ParknShop spin-offs.
My feeling is most shoppers don’t pay much attention to a name. It’s all about whether the milk, butter and tuna is cheaper there than the Wellcome, U-Select shops or Market Place by Jasons around the corner (oh, and Jasons – as well as Oliver’s – have the same parent company as Wellcome).
There’s no need to mention City’super because we all know everything is more expensive there.
I think the identity marketing obsession at some local corporations have actually been to the detriment of the company. A case in point is K11 – what the heck does it mean? What is it referring to?
And why does New World Development need to slap the name on two malls in Tsim Sha Tsui within walking distance of each other? That surely won’t confuse shoppers and tourists at all.
Luckily, Hong Kong people are too savvy for stupid name games. In reality, astute food shoppers focus on which wet market stall has the freshest produce at the cheapest price. Meanwhile, frugal buyers are at Wellcome on triple-stamp weekends, trying to collect enough stickers for a free new frying pan.
