QE Foodstores
The QE Story
Every successful brand has a story of humble beginnings. For QE Foodstores, that story started with one small independent shop and a founder, Narinder Singh, who believed that good food should be easy to find and a joy to buy. From day one, the idea was simple: make quality food shopping easier. What followed is a journey of growth, evolution and design thinking, one we at Extrablack are proud to have been part of from the very start.
From one store to a neighbourhood name
When Narinder opened his first QE Foodstore, the focus wasn’t on being the biggest or loudest player in the market. It was about creating a store that felt part of the local community friendly, approachable, stocked with fresh produce and high-quality groceries that people genuinely wanted. That local touch proved to be powerful. Word spread, and soon the vision grew: multiple stores, each with its own character but connected by the same promise quality food, made easy.
We developed a brand platform that emphasised surprise and delight, a curated quality range, and the joy of discovery. Walking into a QE Foodstore wasn’t meant to feel like a chore, it was about bumping into a product you hadn’t seen before, trying something local, and being greeted by friendly staff who knew their regulars by name.
From high street to online
Like every good brand, QE evolved with the times. The next chapter was about meeting customers wherever they were, on the high street, but also online. As demand for convenience grew, QE embraced digital shopping and delivery, extending its promise of quality food shopping made easy into people’s homes. We supported this evolution with design that translated seamlessly across digital and physical touch points, ensuring the online experience felt just as personal, fresh and local as walking into a store.
Stunning instore signage imagery
How people feel is central to the QE experience, creating moments of surprise and delight as shoppers make their way through the store. Supporting their journey is a range of stunning product imagery and category signs, that align with the elevated brand and are incredibly appetising and emotive.
Developing a premium product range
The natural next step was for QE to start developing its own branded range of products, ready-made meals, snacks, and lifestyle foods that carried the same ethos as its stores: tasty, nutritious, simple and accessible. This is where Nourish Me, the group’s ready-prepared meal brand, came into play.
Our task was to help bring clarity and distinction to these offerings while keeping them firmly anchored to the QE philosophy. Nourish Me isn’t about protein shakes or fad diets. It’s about familiar, well-considered recipes that are easy to trust, a real option for families and individuals who want nutritious meals without fuss. Together, QE Foodstores and Nourish Me extend the brand’s reach from fresh produce and groceries to convenient, healthy prepared foods.
A long time partnership
For us at Extrablack, working alongside QE has been more than a design assignment. It’s been a true partnership built on trust and shared ambition. From brainstorming sessions in store aisles to mapping customer journeys and refining tone of voice, our team has rolled up our sleeves with Narinder and his people to craft a brand that’s both authentic and scalable.
We’ve helped articulate the “why” behind QE: improving health, family time and lifestyle through better food access. We’ve shaped the “how”: convenience, service, and innovation across both physical and digital channels. And we’ve supported the “what”: a growing network of high-street stores and a new wave of premium, ready-to-eat products.
The onward journey
Today, QE Foodstores is more than a grocery chain. It’s a lifestyle brand that speaks to the way people want to live: healthier, more connected, and less rushed. With a vision of 50 stores by 2030, continued growth in online services, and an expanding Nourish Me range, the future is ambitious and exciting.
And through it all, one thing remains constant, the commitment to making quality food shopping easier, and to doing so in a way that feels local, personal, and full of joy.
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