.

The New York-based firm took the top award in the Best International Design category in a competition sponsored by Convenience Store News (CS News).

The winning projects were completed for Petro-Canada, PKN Orlen in Poland, PRIMAX in South America and Topaz Energy Group in Ireland.

In Canada it won for a new retail concept, called Neighbours, which combines a convenience store, restaurant and specialty coffee shop under one roof.

CBX retail division president Joseph Bona said the concept was conceived to help improve Canadians’ perceptions of convenience store foodservice. The new design for Petro-Canada focuses on food and features sit-down eating areas, but also includes non-traditional features such as a drive-thru window and outside dining patio.

CS News said the concept seemed to be helping shift perceptions of convenience store foodservice: The use of natural-looking materials and warm colors helped to create a visual signature on the exterior facade and an authentic food experience on the inside.”

CBX also took honorable mention in the publication’s international design category for the Stop Cafe Bistro convenience store concept it developed for PKN Orlen, Poland’s largest oil company. Mr Bona said the state-owned company with more than 1,800 stations retained CBX to assist in efforts to raise the design and merchandising bar in c-store retailing and leapfrog the competition.”

The prototype store’s exterior features shades of PKN Orlen’s signature primary color, red, while backlit columns are designed to attract passing motorists and customers using the fuel islands. A new layout includes a bold color scheme as well as foods displayed in sleek glass cases.

The firm also captured an award of merit in the Visual Merchandising Store Design magazine’s annual Retail Renovation Competition, which claims to showcase the best store transformations worldwide.

The competition’s judges singled out CBX’s Listo! (Spanish for “quick”) project for PRIMAX, a new fuel brand in Peru and Ecuador.

Mr Bona said the Listo! design aimed to stress quick and convenient while also conveying a contemporary and warm feel. It uses a curved street-front elevation to project the store’s interior to the street and drawing attention to a bright, colorful space inside.

In the Ireland Forecourt and Convenience Retailer Awards, CBX won several awards for its work rolling out new brand Topaz.