David Jones has unveiled its flagship food concept in Bondi Junction Sydney, also launching the department store retailer’s own premium food brand.
The redesigned Food Hall at Bondi Junction, Westfield features a range of in-store dining options developed in partnership with renowned chef Neil Perry.
“We have completely reimagined the way customers shop for, and experience, food by integrating world-class eating experiences with a retail offer focussed on provenance, quality, freshness and taste,” said David Jones CEO, John Dixon.
The store does not have traditional aisles, but instead through ‘worlds’ of food ranging from seafood and meat to fresh produce and chocolate.
Each ‘world’ features complimentary fresh and grocery products and cookbooks, relevant cooking implements and homewares. Product is coupled with expert advice and the ability to see, hear, smell and taste the food being prepared at the adjacent eateries.
“Australians are well-travelled lovers of food, with high expectations for service, freshness and quality,” said Dixon. “We talked to our customers from the outset and saw a huge shift away from exclusive food experiences to people seeking experiences that are immersive and inclusive. We were challenged to create something completely new so our approach has been to revolutionise our food offering. We want to connect and inspire people who love food, and the new Bondi Junction Food Hall is just the first step in this exciting journey.”
Bondi Junction’s take home and in-store eating options offer seasonal menus showcasing produce customers can also purchase to cook at home.
David Jones has recruited 92 new specialist food roles for the new Bondi Junction Food Hall across a range of food categories including chefs, butchers, chocolatiers, florists and cheese, deli, wine and liqueur experts. The entire Bondi Junction Food Hall team will now be 140.
The new Bondi Junction Food Hall concept has been a design collaboration lead by WHL design. The Food Hall layout takes inspiration from leading food destinations around the world and was brought to life in collaboration with food design firm, Landini Associates, after initial conceptual designs from Wonderwall Inc (Tokyo) and Landini Associates (Sydney).
In conjunction with the Food Hall launch, David Jones also today revealed its newly refurbished contemporary homewares department at Bondi Junction, showcasing a leading range of local and international brands across bed, bath and kitchen.
The Bondi Junction Food hall is the first concept to launch under the new David Jones Food moniker, representing a blueprint for the future of the department store’s food business. David Jones is investing $100 million over three years in the national roll out of its premium food offering.
The next phase of David Jones exciting food plans include a smaller ‘food market’ concept in Wollongong opening in October, the introduction of food offerings in existing stores in Sydney and Melbourne over the next year and the introduction of several standalone food stores in coming years. David Jones will also open a new enlarged food hall as part of the $200 million refurbishment of its Elizabeth Street flagship store in Sydney’s CBD.
Although some analysts are uncertain of the wisdom of the private label strategy, most, if not all, are enthusiastic about David Jones $100 million investment in a rollout of a gourmet food offer.
David Jones is culling its range of 14,500 food products back to around 8,500 of which 70 per cent are planned to be private label, compared to just 10 per cent currently.
The food offer aims to increase customer traffic in stores and to attract new customers who have not previously shopped at David Jones.
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