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FoodWorks to roll out new formats in 2017

food 2Independent retail supermarket group, Australian United Retailers Limited (AUR), the company behind FoodWorks and several other brands, will roll out three new FoodWorks formats from 2017.

Stores will start transitioning to the new formats from early 2017 and the complete changeover is expected to take approximately 12-18 months.

The three FoodWorks formats had been developed to cater to the changing needs of its customers and the different ways people shop, according to Anthony Abdallah, chief procurement and commercial officer – AUR; Rick Wight, CEO – AUR; and chief operating officer – AUR Kym Coventry.

“We now have access to the most up to date detailed data and analytics from Summit Insights that tells us so much more about what our customers are buying, when they are buying products and what types of stores work best in certain locations,” Abdallah said.

“One retail format no longer caters for the evolving shopping habits of our customers and these new formats have been specifically developed to take our business into the future by responding our offer to the needs of the communities we service,” he added.

The relaunched FoodWorks retail formats will be: FoodWorks Supermarkets – targeted to families and the primary shopper in major cities/towns. Core range includes extensive offerings across all departments, with a heavy fresh food focus; FoodWorks Local – targeted to families/elderly couples living in regional areas, as well as holiday makers/visitors depending on the location/demographic of the store. Core range tailored to location and could be a mix of all departments as well as impulse categories, with a strong fresh foods focus; and FoodWorks Express – targeted to a transient customer base, which includes a combination of passing traffic, public transport users and local residents. Core range focus centred around impulse categories such as confectionery, soft drinks, fresh and on the go meal solutions.

AUR is also continuing to support independently branded retailers who have their own brand equity and choose not to operate under the FoodWorks brand, “we are a house of brands” focussed on consumer demands and trends as well as sustainable retailing for all retailers and not just corporate shareholder returns.

Abdallah explained that the new retail formats would provide more targeted sales growth opportunities for its suppliers who could now use the data and analytics available to tailor products and promotions to the different retail formats.

“This is an exciting time for our business, suppliers and customers. We are confident this new strategy will drive more traffic through our stores, increase sales and profitability and ensure our customers are getting access to the products they want and need,” he said.

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