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Grocery shopping is rarely what you would call a cultural experience, but supermarket chain Wellcome is determined to turn your weekly run for toilet roll into a trip down memory lane. Following the success of its first retro concept store in Yau Ma Tei earlier this year, the brand has given two more of its locations a vintage facelift.
Down at Victoria Road in Kennedy Town, the aisles have been given the full ding-ding treatment. Shoppers can steer their trolleys along printed tram tracks on the floor, surrounded by a palette of yellow and green. There’s also a 1990s tram stop replica right next to the produce section, an installation wall of stacked Coca-Cola crates and neon signs, a vintage mobile ice cream cart, a ‘Yes!’ card photo booth, and a wall dedicated to Hong Kong’s iconic bakery brand Garden.
For those who want to take the time-travelling experience beyond the checkout counter, Wellcome is also running a specially themed tram – decked out in vintage colours and classic Wellcome motifs – along Hong Kong Island from now until July 11, inviting daily commuters to step aboard a moving time capsule.
Meanwhile, the Sim City store in Mong Kok takes its cues from the city’s wonderfully chaotic street food culture. The staircase walls are covered with photographs of Nathan Road after dark in the 80s and 90s, classic mailboxes, a convex mirror for selfies, and vintage signs that will lead you to the basement store. Inside, the setup replicates the energy of an open-air dai pai dong and a traditional cha chaan teng, complete with neon signage, old milk tea kettles, oil lamps, and other retro props like the ping-pong spring-pull machine that customers can play for free with any purchase.
If you’re actually there for a grocery run, both locations are stocking old-school Hong Kong treats like Wah Yuen “sate” beef cubes, Koon Wah aeroplane olives, White Rabbit candy, and even a stir-fried beef ho fun flavoured popcorn. Those who spend $100 or more can also take home some exclusive merch for just $28, including a mini Wellcome lightbox magnet (available at Victoria Road location only) or a magnetic phone holder (available at Sim City location only).
Kennedy Town retro concept store
Address: Shop 3-7, Block 2, Centenary Mansion, 1 Victoria Road, Kennedy Town
Opening hours: 8am-10pm
Mong Kok retro concept store
Address: G/F, Chung Kiu Commercial Building, Sim City, 47-51 San Tung Street, Mong Kok
Opening hours: 8.30am-11pm
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