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NEWS COLES LOCAL ARRIVES IN SYDNEY The first of Coles’ new-look local neighbourhood supermarkets has arrived in Sydney, bringing premium convenience to the eastern suburb of Rose Bay. Coles Local Rose Bay, according to the retailer, marks a new era for supermarket shopping in Sydney, with “never before seen” features including a pick-and-mix bar just for dogs, a macaron and mochi ice-cream parlour, a self-serve coffee and orange juice station, and what is claimed to be one of the largest plant- based food and beverage ranges of any Coles supermarket in NSW. The first small-format store under the Coles Local banner, in Melbourne’s Surrey Hills, was voted “one of the top 30 food retail stores worldwide to visit in 2020” (IGD Retail Analysis, 2019). The Coles Local stores are promoted as offering the community a tailored in-store experience, partnering with local butchers, bakers, and cafes to offer a “bespoke” range of high-quality foods designed to meet the needs of local residents. A focus on premium Coles says it conducted wide research into the Rose Bay community, finding surveyed residents were more than twice as likely to choose premium, high quality products compared with the average Australian shopper, and overwhelmingly valued fresh and healthy solutions at mealtimes. Typically, they were aged between 25 and 44 and had no children. “Coles Local will cater to these time-poor Rose Bay professionals, becoming a destination for health and convenience, offering more than 350 new ready-to-eat products that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, including restaurant quality pasta, salads and dinnertime meals from Sydney icon Pasta Pantry,” Coles said. Coles CEO Steven Cain added: “Customers want us to make their lives easier, and this store offers our customers the convenience of a supermarket with the range of a specialty store. “This is our first Coles Local supermarket to open in Sydney. The store has been carefully designed with cutting edge sustainability features and local partnerships with neighbourhood bakers, butchers and producers.” The store features an extensive kosher range, and products from 35 speciality Sydney producers, including family butchery Field to Fork, whose outlets in the eastern suburbs of Bondi and Vaucluse have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re committed to making a positive difference to the communities in which we operate, and our Rose Bay store helps us to support these small local producers in these difficult times,” Mr Cain said. Joshua Horwitz from Field to Fork says the Horwitz family business was happy to be partnering with Coles to offer its range of “top quality” marinated meats for customers. “We’re delighted that Coles has chosen our small, family run business to showcase our brand in their store,” he said. “There was no anticipating the impact coronavirus would have on our industry. We experienced a 40 per cent reduction in revenue almost overnight. “When Coles reached out and brought us on board, it meant that we had a new place to retail our products and not one Field to Fork employee was made redundant and no stock has gone in the bin.” Addressing sustainability and community Coles Local Rose Bay will “champion” sustainability, says the retailer, with team member uniforms made from 65 per cent recycled bottles, trolleys made partly from recycled plastic and free reclaimed customer carry boxes as an alternative to bags. A zero-edible-food-waste policy also means any unsold food that cannot be donated to food rescue organisation SecondBite will be diverted to green energy generation. Coles claims the new store will create 26 new jobs. It has partnered with locally based Print35 Design Studio, which employs people with disabilities, for the supply of kosher serviettes and Jewish-themed greeting cards. In addition, the redevelopment has restored the heritage-listed Kings Theatre cinema, in the process revealing the original cinema screen previously thought lost. 10 CONVENIENCE WORLD MAY/JUN, 2020