Marks & Spencer Food’s Renewal redesign programme, now in a number of sites from Clapham to Kent, encourages shoppers to consider the retailer for the weekly shop, not just ready meals and occasions.
The pleasant environment boasts clear sight lines, spacious aisles, miniature trolleys for children, bells that ring to alert customers to freshly baked bread hitting the shelves, wine and coffee tasting and this pedal operated oinking Percy Pig.
Many of the components of a nice family outing, in fact.
At the value end of the grocery spectrum sits Morrisons’ Fresh Look redesign programme. This puts its ‘Market Street’ area, typically featuring a combination of butcher, fishmonger, baker, cake shop, deli, pizza and hot food takeaway at the heart of the store.
Individual concepts can be trialled for rollout across the estate and sustainability is built in, with paper bags at checkouts and imperfect vegetables for sale. Morrisons is seeking to improve customers’ shopping trips without compromising on its price promise and judging by its inclusion on the Institute of Grocery Distribution’s shortlist of top five stores of the year globally, it’s succeeded.
Waitrose has announced that – unlike Tesco and Sainsbury’s – it intends to retain its service counters and find new counter propositions that provide a route to market for the small suppliers the partnership champions.
By maintaining that connection between partners and customers, Waitrose is seeking the promote its food and drink expertise, setting itself apart from the competition and renewing its commitment to an in store experience that goes beyond the ordinary.
From 2nd December, garden centre cafes in Tier 2 will be able to open to customers.
Undoubtedly, garden centres have benefitted from a renewed interest in all things horticultural this year but this is an opportunity for these retailers to market themselves as increasingly suitable for family outings with their relative wealth of facilities including traditional Santa’s grottoes and other seasonal delights in a shopping environment where customers feel safe, happy and relaxed.
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