Aldi has opened its first Corner Store concept, in Melbourne’s CBD, complete with a cafe serving barista coffee.

The company says the store is designed for inner-city customers stocking ready-to-eat meals, fresh produce, bakery items such as cinnamon buns, croissants and baguettes, and its discounted Special Buys products. The Corner Store concept was first tested on Sydney’s North Shore, a hybrid model of part convenience store, part supermarket.

Huw Longman, director of Aldi Corner Stores, said the new shop will meet the needs of customers in the surrounding high-density, urban area.

“Shopping habits continue to evolve, and we are seeing a large audience of people who prefer shopping more frequently with a hyper-focus on convenience.”

He said the store meets these needs, taking convenience and creativity and combining it with quality and savings.

To commemorate the store opening, a unique limited-time Lazzio coffee cart pop-up will offer customers coffee for 37 cents. The coffee beans are hand-roasted in Victoria by Black Bag Roasters. Proceeds from the coffee sales will be donated to Aldi’s national charity partner, Camp Quality.

The new store is located at 501 Swanston St.