Euro-style Supermarket - anyone tested it?

[Wayno]

Anyone visited this new supermarket?

Let us know your thoughts...

http://www.independentweekly.com.au/new ... torypage=0

A new, Euro-style, environmentally friendly supermarket has just opened in Adelaide's north-eastern suburbs.

The Fairview Park Foodland IGA has been designed to be one of the greenest in the nation, with a range of Australian-first initiatives that aim to reduce its environmental impact.

Modeled on supermarkets in Italy, France and the UK, and drawing on more than 56 years in retail, Fairview Park Foodland IGA is a complete rethink on the traditional supermarket, highlighting that customer experience and convenience is paramount.

Adelaide’s Finest Supermarkets General Manager Mike Rutherford says the new supermarket will set a high benchmark in terms of customer service and experience.

“We truly believe this supermarket will redefine Australian supermarkets in the future,” he said.

The key features of Fairview Park Foodland IGA include a full-time 5-star chef who will prepare restaurant-quality meals to order online or in person. host cooking classes and prepare regular tastings and ready-made meals.

There will also be a ‘temptation’ zone, offering fresh ground coffee for sale, takeaway coffees to drink while shopping (trolleys will have cup holders), fresh cookies and other nibbles. A coffee diary will also be initiated to allow customers to ask for their own special blend each time.

The 3300 sqm store will feature market-style stainless steel exposed A/C ducts, a striking curved aluminium and polycarbonate bulkhead, back lit feature walls, suspended timber slat ceilings in key areas, skylights, ceramic flooring, wider-than-normal aisles, imported custom designed cabinetry and easy reach shelving.

Environmental initiatives will be implemented in construction, such as use of natural light, low energy sensor and timer lighting, use of sustainable materials, enclosed refrigeration units for better temperature control and energy efficiency.

It will also feature top-of-the range co2 gassed refrigeration, cardboard takeaway cartons rather than plastic, stormwater reuse, and plastic-bag-free checkouts.

The supermarket will employ 273 staff, including 10 disadvantaged local youth trained and employed as part of the Youthinc Employment Program – Adelaide’s Finest Supermarkets preferred charity.

Perhaps one of the best features will be the elimination of standing at the deli, with a paper ticket waiting to be served. A DeliQuickServe system featuring exclusively designed electronic self-check-in terminals in the deli department will allow shoppers to put in an order which automatically goes into a queue, to be picked up when it's ready.

Fairview Park Foodland IGA is now open at Hancock Road, Fairview Park.

[AtD]

It sounds like greenwash.

[monotonehell]

I think I read the 'tiser's article on this, and on Woolies and Coles similar offerings. The headed the thing with "beats the queues" and talked about a "queue-less deli" and "self serve checkouts".

There's NO way a self serve queue is faster than a checkout chick on their game. And what's a queue-less deli? One where you have to fight to be served?

I demand answers! lol

[Cruise]

I demand answers! lol

Gee, calm down precious.

[monotonehell]

I demand answers! lol

Gee, calm down precious.

OMG! Freedom of the press - you're trying to bury the truth! What are trying to hide mister Cruise?

*pursues with large furry microphone*

[Omicron]

I think I read the 'tiser's article on this, and on Woolies and Coles similar offerings. The headed the thing with "beats the queues" and talked about a "queue-less deli" and "self serve checkouts".

There's NO way a self serve queue is faster than a checkout chick on their game. And what's a queue-less deli? One where you have to fight to be served?

I demand answers! lol

This checkout chick swipes like no other.

I do like the sound of this new-fangled supermarket, too. I wonder how much more expensive goods are, mind you, with all these extra features to pay for. If it's good enough, though......

[peas_and_corn]

Wow, with Coles St Agnes trying out some new ideas and this store... well, retail will look very different in about 10 years time!

[Aidan]

If it's plastic bag free then it can't truly be environmentally friendly, because lack of plastic bags encourages car use.

[loud]

If it's plastic bag free then it can't truly be environmentally friendly, because lack of plastic bags encourages car use.

Did you read that in a text book? Can you elaborate?

Interesting article about plastic bags too: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthc ... ebate.html

[muzzamo]

these guys have done well to get their press release regurgitated by lazy journalists...

[Aidan]

If it's plastic bag free then it can't truly be environmentally friendly, because lack of plastic bags encourages car use.

Did you read that in a text book?

No, but do you dispute that anything that makes life more difficult without a car encourages car use?

Can you elaborate?

The absence of plastic bags makes shopping without a car impractical.

Interesting article about plastic bags too: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthc ... ebate.html

Both sides have missed the point there. There's no good reason to ban them - charging a deposit like SA already does for drink containers would be just as effective but avoid the disadvantages.

But here in SA, there are even more important reasons why the ban is a bad idea. Firstly it targets supermarkets (where customers nearly always take the bags home with them) rather than takeaway food shops (where they often don't). Secondly, there's not much competition between supermarkets, and the results of that can clearly be seen - light reusable bags are cheap enough for shops like Myer to give out free to customers, yet the supermarkets eschew those in favour of those heavy "green" bags that they charge a premium for.

We need to stop plastic bags blowing into the sea and harming the turtles who mistake them for jellyfish. But this ill considered ban is not the answer.

[Prince George]

Hmm, this place sounds a bit like Whole Foods Markets (did anyone else spot the Grateful Dead quote on their "About us" page?), an organic/natural foods store that started in Austin and has morphed into nationwide chain with more of a high-end supermarket feel. Usually laid out nicely, stocked with more expensive product, and offering cooking classes etc. If you buy fish from there, they ask if you'd like them to cook it for you - you can take it over to their grill and their chefs will do the rest; still not sure if I really see the appeal of that. And their green credentials are harmed somewhat by their big ol' carpark that admits you've still got to drive to get there.

As for bags and driving, I think that the biggest factor to make alternatives unappealing is not so much the bag that we carry it in as the volume that we get all at once. This is one of those patterns that the neighbourhood development people talk about - back in the days of corner markets and pedestrianism (if that's a word), more of our shopping was done on an as-needed basis, buying what you needed for the next few days. Driving to the supermarket encouraged buying more shopping all at once because (1) it's a hassle to drive all that way and park (etc), and (2) the car can carry a very large load of shopping. Not driving to the supermarket at least partly requires us to change from the big weekly shop to a few smaller shopping trips.

As for the containers themselves, there's plenty of alternatives that are easy to carry. From paper bags for small loads, cotton, canvas, nylon mesh, or even recycled vinyl signs bags that are much sturdier and more permanent, to panniers, baskets, racks, and trailers for the cyclists, and even the venerable, and eminently practical, shopping hand-cart (which is making a comeback). But other than a really big trailer or cart, none of them are going to make it easy to buy all your groceries and a 24-roll toilet paper slab or super-jumbo sized bag of dogfood.

Which reminds me - how many places are offering home delivery these days? (Not that it's really much different to driving yourself to the shop, since there's still a car driving this stuff around)

[AtD]

Which reminds me - how many places are offering home delivery these days? (Not that it's really much different to driving yourself to the shop, since there's still a car driving this stuff around)

Home delivery uses considerably less "food kilometers" (to steal a greenwash term) because rather than X trips from X houses to the supermarket and return, there's one trip from the supermarket then between X houses, then return. As far as I'm aware, both Coles and Woolies still do home delivery.

[Norman]

I thought a Euro-style supermarket was something that ALDI provides. Minimal customer service, cheap prices, low-cost store setups.

[Queen Anne]

Hmm, this place sounds a bit like Whole Foods Markets (did anyone else spot the Grateful Dead quote on their "About us" page?), an organic/natural foods store that started in Austin and has morphed into nationwide chain with more of a high-end supermarket feel. Usually laid out nicely, stocked with more expensive product, and offering cooking classes etc. If you buy fish from there, they ask if you'd like them to cook it for you - you can take it over to their grill and their chefs will do the rest; still not sure if I really see the appeal of that.

And yet, it still manages to be a complete snore-fest