Supermarket Woolworths has unveiled a fresh-food-focused concept store, known as ‘The Kitchen’, in the Sydney suburb of Double Bay on Wednesday 12.
The store features a range of organic fruit and vegetables, partially sourced from locals Green Camel Organic Produce, based an hour out of Sydney, and offers a ‘flexitarian’ range of plant-based burgers, sausages and tofu.
An expanded Macro Wholefoods market range is also available, as well as an on-site florist, juice bar, barista-made coffee, take-away options and an eat-in cafe.
“We know that customers in the Double Bay area are looking for more convenient fresh food options [and] we wanted to create a more custom-made offering that was unique to this community,” Woolworths format development director Rob McCartney said.
“We’ve also included some new sustainable initiatives, [such as] smarter packaging and reducing waste by using any excess in-season produce at the juice bar. Our trolleys and baskets are also made from recycled materials to further help support a circular economy.”
The store’s shopping trolleys are made from recycled milk bottles, while its baskets are made from recycled soft plastics., and is set to act as a trial location for new, innovative products which, if proven successful, could be rolled out to the broader Woolworths network.
The concepts launch falls in line with the broader industry trend of focusing further on an offerings ‘freshness’ and ‘convenience’, and could provide an advantage against competitors which increasingly focus on price, according to Queensland University of Technology Professor Gary Mortimer.
“While ‘price’ has certainly been the driver of Australian supermarket growth and market share over the past decade, in recent months we have seen both major brands [Coles and Woolworths] subtlety move away from focusing on this attribute to an emphasis on other important aspects of their offer; such as freshness, range, quality, service and convenience,” Mortimer said.
“Supermarkets that have leveraged a premium strategy selectively have found it successful in cushioning the effects of competitors increased price discounting.”
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