A fresh food retail concept launches in NSW

Metcash has launched Harvest Market, a new concept in fruit, vegetable and fresh retailing. The first three stores in the franchise chain have been opened in New South Wales.

Harvest Market aims to provide shoppers keenly priced, high quality fresh fruit and vegetables, delicatessen, floral, bulk foods and continental grocery.

The Harvest Market network of independently owned, franchised outlets is expected to be rolled out across Australia,  with a strong site specific trading culture with daily and weekly special deals.

Nick Pagett, general manager fresh fruit of Metcash Food & Grocery, said “We are achieving strong results with our first, pilot outlets and expect to provide a strong challenge to the national chains and specialised fresh food outlets.

“The independent, franchised outlets provide good value, pitched at the middle of the market and are extending their ranges from fruit and vegetables to include other fresh delicatessen and continental grocery products”, he added.

Pagett said the new chain could provide an exit strategy or the benefits of a franchise network for existing greengrocers.

He added, “We are providing fruit shop owners a fixed price service for the sourcing and delivery of product to the outlets. Through our fresh buyers at the markets we are delivering great prices, as well as well funded merchandising and marketing campaigns, using the successful formula we have used for IGA owners over the last decade."

The first Harvest Market franchised store launched late last year in Wollongong under its existing local owners.

The launch of the new brand follows the introduction of the IGA Marketplace in Sydney and Brisbane, aimed at inner city dwellers with a selection of more than 11,000 grocery products, a heavy emphasis on fresh and gourmet food ranges, coupled with a full service delicatessen and café.

The IGA Marketplace store is the first of a range of contemporary IGA stores to be rolled out on greenfields sites and former IGA and Franklins’ sites.

Chief operating officer of Metcash Food and Grocery, Silvestro Morabito, said “Harvest Market addresses the rapidly changing tastes and habits of grocery shoppers, who are seeking high quality fresh produce in their local area."   

Source: FranchiseNet (http://goo.gl/OyJHI)