Award Winning Lunchboxes

I seem to have Britain on the brain this week, perhaps because as a people, our British buddies really know their way around a sandwich. As a matter of fact, according to the British Sandwich Association, the UK has a 3.3 billion commercial sandwich industry. Uncanny! But I digress, this is about sandwich packaging, not the sandwich, and it's for sure that Britain is on their game when it comes to the topic. Next time you're in London check the nearest ASDA shop and purchase the D&AD ASDA lunchboxes pictured above, designed by Emma Smart.
Ms. Smart: "Considering structure, graphics and materials I created a set of three lunchboxes for ASDA, the brief asked for them to be separate solutions, however still maintain a strong visual identity throughout the collection. The lunchboxes cover three distinctive ranges, healthy, satisfying and children's."
And I thought PRET was busy beefing things up in UK sandwich packaging. ASDA can give them a run for their money with these creations. I think the graphics on the inside of the unfolded boxes are a stroke of genius, especially fun for kids and great way to add a little panache to eating from a cardboard box. Even better is the little handle for an easy transport, brilliant!

UK Sandwiches Hit USA Hooray!

U.K. sandwich chain Pret A Manger is beefing up its U.S. expansion plans. They're increasing the number of its U.S. store openings, a move that the company hopes will drive growth. This will be the second push by the company to prosper in the U.S., after its first attempt a few years ago was met by indifference in New York. However, the company insists that it has “educated” the American consumer on the value of its prepared foods, which are made in on-site kitchens and pre-packaged.

Pret came to the U.S. in 2000 with a U.K. model and opened a lot of stores.  That led to excessive overheads, but since then, they've stepped back and adjusted the model with hopes for success this time.  The company plans to open 26 stores in New York and Washington by the end of 09 before moving into Chicago.