Expect to fork out $14 for Woolies' new roast chooks
Woolworths has unveiled its new flagship store at Marrickville Metro in Sydney, which features ready meals, seafood areas and $14 roast chickens, among other things.
The store reinvention is Woolworths' largest investment in store since the program began in late 2015.
The store also showcases products from local brands including Hellenic Patisserie and Pepe Saya.
“We set out three objectives nearly 11 months ago,” Woolworths managing director Claire Peters said. “Customers told us that they wanted a more convenient offer that was good for them and easy to shop, we wanted to put fresh food and health at the heart of the store, and the third was how can we bring neighbourhood greengrocers and local products into the store.”
The new “flame-roasted” chickens, which are being sold for $14 compared with $7.90 for standard roast chickens, are “marinated with breadcrumbs, herbs and the juice of half a lemon” and “perfect for family dinners”, according to Woolworths.
The supermarket also introduced “Ready to Create” meal kit bags which is the first meal kit concept available at a mainstream retailer.
In the upgraded fresh food section, squirts of mist are keeping the produce cool while the “living lettuce” hydroponic growing arrangement “means the lettuce continues to grow until you place it in your shopping trolley”.
Peters said the changes were refined through interviews with thousands of Marrickville customers, resulting in a “next generation” shopping experience and “rustic yet future-proof design with a real community spirit”.
The upgrade required the store to hire an additional 62 staff, bringing the total to 278.
Peters also revealed that she listened to customer service calls where she learnt that the supermarket chain needed to improve its communication of promotions to customers.
“Whenever we do something new, ensuring that at the support office we really watch how we communicate through the lens of the customers,” she said. “I knew it was a great promotion, but if the customer didn’t know about it, it’s a complete waste of time.”