French mustard brand, Maille, has opened its first Australian concept store in an affluent Victorian supermarket.
The store in store concept is located in a newly renovated Ritchie’s in Mt Eliza and is Maille’s fourth global store.
Maille has three ‘La Maison Maille’ stores in London, Paris, and France’s Dijon, and is locally operated by Menora Foods.
Menora’s head of digital marketing, Mark Gluck, told Inside Shopper that Mt Eliza was chosen because of the area’s affluence.
“Footfall and sales wasn’t as a big a consideration for us. The most important thing to consider was the basket size.
“[Shoppers in Mt Eliza’s Ritchies] have a large basket size. To sell a pot of $100 mustard you need to be in the right area.”
Maille’s Australian store in store sells 18 types of mustard and other goods like vinegar ranging in price from $6.99 to $14.99.
It also boasts Australia’s only mustard tap, which allows shoppers to pump mustard for $20, and sells $100 pots of truffle mushroom mustard.
Gluck says Menora chose Ritchie’s because the 30 year old Mt Eliza supermarket was freshly renovated.
“Ritchie’s has 73 stores in the market and they needed a point of difference. They’re using the Maille boutique as a drawcard.”
Menora has identified two types of Mt Eliza shoppers: middle to upper class grocery shoppers and affluent retirees.
Gluck says Menora expects the store to become a drawcard in the Mornington Peninsula, which is known for its beaches and wine.
“We’ve had visitors from all over Victoria and now expect interstate visitors. We think people will make it a part of their wine trip.”
Maille was founded by a French family in 1723. It originally produced vinegars before becoming known for its mustard.
The La Maison Maille store in Dijon is one of the region’s oldest retail stores at more than 165 years old.
“The history of Maille is just mind boogling. It’s one of the oldest brands in the world and it all began with vinegar,” says Gluck.
Menora will take La Maison Maille to Sydney and Melbourne food festivals this year as part of a pop up concept.
It is now considering opening similar concessions in Sydney and Adelaide supermarkets or department stores.
