Apna Bazar, the South Asian specialty supermarket chain, has opened a new store in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, with Print Banners NYC executing the entire retail branding scope — from concept to installed signage — in 30 days. The project marks the latest chapter in a partnership that dates to 2007, when Print Banners NYC designed the chain's original logo and brand identity.
For grocery operators and foodservice retailers managing multi-location growth, the Shrewsbury launch illustrates how long-term vendor relationships can compress timelines on new store builds. Rapid-format retail branding — covering exterior signage, interior wayfinding, promotional displays, and merchandising graphics — typically demands close coordination between the retailer's marketing team and its print and installation partner. A compressed 30-day window makes that coordination even more critical.
A Partnership Built Over Decades
Print Banners NYC's history with Apna Bazar stretches back nearly 20 years and has spanned logo creation, in-store branding, and integrated marketing campaigns, including a television advertising push featuring Indian actress Rubina Dilaik. The 2011 opening of Apna Bazar's Hicksville location was also a full-scale branding project handled by Print Banners NYC, establishing a repeatable playbook the two organizations have now applied to Shrewsbury.
"Delivering a complete retail environment from concept to installation in 30 days required operational precision, creative synergy, and complete client trust," said Mohamad Faroqui, Founder of Print Banners NYC. "We are glad that we could live up to the expectations and trust built over nearly twenty years of partnership as a custodian of Apna Bazar's visual identity and market presence."
What It Means for Specialty Grocery
Apna Bazar's expansion into Shrewsbury reflects broader momentum in the ethnic and specialty grocery segment, where demand for authentic South Asian products — fresh produce, specialty spices, and traditional pantry staples — continues to outpace mainstream supermarket availability. Consistent in-store branding is a key differentiator for chains targeting culturally specific shopper bases, reinforcing product authenticity and community trust at the store level.
For operators tracking grocery retail and foodservice design trends, the Apna Bazar case points to the value of treating retail environment vendors as strategic partners rather than transactional suppliers. The ability to brief a vendor with institutional knowledge of your brand — one that can move immediately without lengthy onboarding — translates directly into faster store openings and reduced pre-launch overhead.
Food and beverage retailers can find similar branding and retail strategy coverage for the hospitality sector as specialty and ethnic grocery formats continue expanding into new regional markets across the Northeast and beyond.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.