Inside Woolworths' most exclusive store
While it has the logo of Woolworths emblazoned at the front of the store, this swanky new shop couldn’t be further from your ordinary supermarket.
The grocery giant has unveiled its new concept store in one of Sydney’s most affluent suburbs and what makes it special is what it doesn’t stock rather than what it does.
The store claims to be a “no nasties” space and is proving to be a hit amongst the residents of Double Bay in NSW.
'The Kitchen by Woolworths' is a small store that sells exclusive food items.
“Customers have been excited about the store; before it opened, they were tapping on the window to see what’s inside,” Woolworths format development director Rob McCartney told news.com.au.
This may the beginning of something big, as customers could be looking into the future of Australia’s supermarkets.
But despite the favourable response to the store, the opening hasn’t been without controversy, as the shop could have ceased to exist if Woolworths had lost a court case over a $10 million contract.
So, what can you find inside?
'The Kitchen by Woolworths' is three times smaller than your average Woolies store, and resembles more of a hipster café than a supermarket.
Like a café, the store offers a food menu, which includes turmeric three ways (lattes, quinoa and poached eggs), bowls of “forgotten grains” and corn and pea burgers.
Once you walk past those who came to have a healthy meal, you are faced with the actual store. To start off, you won’t find items such as Mars bars or any branded chocolate for that matter, or Coco Pops, Magnum bars, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Vegemite, Omo or Radiant washing powder, along with any Woolworths branded products.
To add to the sheer extravagance of it all, 500 items in the store are exclusive to 'The Kitchen' in Double Bay, as they come from smaller suppliers.
And that’s not all, Mr McCartney doesn’t like to think of the store as a supermarket.
“I call this a market with a very particular mission – an overachieving objective of health, wellness, ‘good for …’, ‘free from …’ and no nasties,” he said.
“Each line has an attribute that is better than its peer group in that particular class of product.”
The store carries the largest gluten free product range out of any Woolworths in the country, and there is a dedicated hemp food section.
There’s also your essential everyday items such as milk, with the most common brand included amongst the range being a2.
And every single fruit and vegetable that has entered the store is guaranteed organic, so basically, the store is every health nut's dream.
Will you be visiting 'The Kitchen' in Sydney's Double Bay? Let us know in the comments below.