Walked past the Topshop Topman flagship store in Sydney in the old Gowings building and they had Closing Down Sale signs in all the windows. I know a lot of their suburban stores already closed down but are there any others still around in Australia?
I think the Sydney store is the only one left in Australia now.
I want to get a job working for Woolworths. I would visit different stores and report back on the cleanliness, service and how well stocked each store is at a given time.
Maybe they already have someone who does this but they have never visited the Woolies in Central Park, Chippendale. For over a year now the store has been a hot mess. From the bizarre entry the have installed to prevent shoplifting, the ratty and disorganised fresh food section or the window in front of the big logo (that has not been cleaned since opening) the whole experience is unpleasant.
I am a Woolies guy. This store excluded.
Their space in the Gowings building has already been leased.
Though I cringe at the TV ads when a unknown person says âThatâs why I pick Wooliesâ ⌠I donât have a preference for one over the other, my local shopping centre has both and I go to each pretty much equally
Given the recent reports about them (and to be fair, also Coles among many others) underpaying their workers, Iâm not so sure if I would!
In order of preference I like:
- Woolworths (usually attractive stores with lighting that does not blind me)
- Coles (the red and white feel is not quite right for a store that sells fresh food)
- IGA (All over the place in regard to shopping experience. The store in Summer Hill is stunning. The store in Ramsgate is low rent with poor quality fresh food)
- Aldi (I have never bought anything from an Aldi. Junky looking stores with overpackaged fresh food and often with only two checkouts operating. Itâs the North Korea of grocery shopping).
How does everyone else rank the four supermarkets, maybe a regional competitor could be included for some Mediaspiers.
In other thoughts, I know that some supermarkets operate with little competition. These are the cash cows of the major chains. Coles in Ramsgate in Sydney (with only a tiny IGA nearby) and Woolies in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast come to mind. These stores often look run down. Coles in Ramsgate last had a makeover on 1979 when they took the New World sign down. These stores should be the best looking stores as they often attract shoppers who would not normally be a customer. Itâs their chance to impress, especially in holiday regions.
Maybe join a mystery shopper company?
Also reported on Seven News last night.
Another downside of the retail slump is that shopping centre owners are unlikely to spend much on any new centres, renovations or expansions.
Not Even Corio Village???
One day it will get itâs second storey.
The ironic thing is that every shopping centre these days wants to expand, be bigger and have more of these retailers⌠But the reality is they are struggling.
I feel like IGA only having one banner damages Metcash more than it helps.
Glorified convenience stores in the middle of ghettos with limited trading hours and health department violations on the books shouldnât share the same brand as full line, 24/7 supermarkets with hot food buffets, salad bars, full line delis, in-store bakeries, etc. Before IGA ownership, FAL in WA had a tiered brand approach which worked very well (Eziway / Supa Valu / Dewsons / Action) only for IGA to buy them out and slap the same banner on every store in the network.
Itâs definitely become a sticking point in recent years to the extent that more and more IGA franchise owners here in Perth are starting to setup their own brands (The Good Grocer is one example) to co-brand with IGA, or in some cases have removed the IGA brand entirely even though they are still part of the network.
That is a great post Squee.
The IGA banner covers too many products of varying look and quality.
It reminds me of the diluting of the once powerful Triple M brand the past decade or so.
We seem to have a few Romeoâs Food Hall IGAs in Sydney which are quite upmarket compared to the rest. Theyâre in places like MLC Centre Martin Place, darlinghurst and Paddington.
I feel they could split the main IGA in two.
Some of the smaller stores arenât small enough to be an Express and some bigger stores arenât big enough to be Supas. But the inconsistency in the main IGA Stores is drastic.
I recall they consolidated a stupid number of brands in the late 90s - something like 20+ - into just IGA. Over the years they seem to have brought in a couple of new ones again (Xpress, Supa, and Friendly Grocer), but agree that it doesnât make sense for the good quality large format stores to share branding with the ancient corner stores.
They seem to have partnered up with Supabarn in Canberra.
The Bernardis in West Wyalong used to be a Supabarn years ago too.
I cringe over Coles ads which are tacky and make you feel cheap. WW is certainly more upmarket.