IGA launches new-look ‘Supa Valu’ stores to rival Aldi
Your local IGA supermarket could look very different, very soon with the retailer set to launch its new-look stores across some parts of NSW.
The first of the two revamped IGA Supa Valu stores was launched in the western Sydney suburb of Doonside. The multimillion dollar makeover saw the store become the first of its kind in Australia.
The second has now been unveiled in Ballina, in the Northern Rivers region of NSW.
The Australian-owned and independently operated supermarket offers a combination of customer-favoured features from other major supermarkets, including Coles, Woolworths and Aldi in a warehouse-style store.
“These are the first two store formats of their kind in Australia, part of IGA’s Network of the Future,” an IGA spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.
“The store is designed with wide aisles and is easy to navigate so you can get in and get out with all the essentials.
“We have pallets of items so that we will always have enough stock of the things you need. You can always get what you want when you need it.”
Prices go head-to-head with Aldi
Just like budget retailer Aldi, the revamped store has been designed with wider aisles and larger trolleys.
And that’s not the only similarity to the German retail giant. The prices go head-to-head with Aldi too.
However, Supa Valu stores will stock all the grocery items you’ll see at regular IGA stores and products from local suppliers.
But the new store format does offers some similarities to Aldi with the middle aisle - known as Valu Alley - reserved for heavily discounted everyday items.
“The centre aisle isn’t about making you buy in bulk or providing strange special offers – it is about providing the lowest prices on the brands you love,” the spokesperson continued.
“We buy in bulk, so you don’t have to and so that shoppers can save big.”
It’s been designed as a one-stop-shop
The Supa Valu stores also offer a meat and deli department - where you’ll find hot roast chickens - and an instore bakery similar to retail giants Coles and Woolworths in a bid to make it a ‘one-stop shop’.
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The store’s concept has been developed by family-owned supermarket business Romeo’s Retail Group and wholesale distributor Metcash Foods.
So when can you expect to see an IGA Supa Valu store pop up near you? The idea behind the warehouse store concept will only be rolled out in particular locations nationally.
Shoppers are impressed
Since opening, the Doonside store has impressed customers with the wide range of products, fresh food and produce and the competitive prices.
“I travel all the way from Kings Langly with my sister at least twice a week,” one shopper said.
“I absolutely love it and that’s the reason I keep coming back.”
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