As rivals shift upmarket, Woolworths is changing what its stores look and feel like
Woolworths is reshaping its stores as premium grocery competition heats up, adding specialist food counters, beauty treatments, tailoring and other services for shoppers.
As competing businesses intensify in the upscale grocery sector, Woolworths Holdings is transforming its retail spaces with a fresh approach. The company is rolling out an enhanced format that blends food, fashion, beauty, and home offerings in one comprehensive store. This innovative format, initially launched at the Tygervalley store in Cape Town last year, aims to prioritize customer experiences and services, including beauty treatments, tailoring, and expanded food counters, fresh bakery items, and recipe tastings.
Among the modifications are complimentary services like tailoring for purchased garments, bra measuring and fitting, denim laser treatment for RE: denim purchases, and gift wrapping. Noteworthy changes are also evident in the Food division. For example, the Tygervalley branch now features a "What's Cooking" bar where customers can taste products from the Taste recipes and receive recipe ideas.
Furthermore, the bakery has been expanded to provide a broader selection of artisanal breads and pastries, while the butchery, specialty cheese, and fishmonger counters have been upgraded based on on-site experts' recommendations. The Global Pantry has been reorganized to showcase international cuisines, such as Italian and Mexican.
The first Gauteng Food Emporium at Dainfern Square exemplifies this concept, featuring an expanded bakery with freshly baked artisanal breads and pastries, dedicated fishmonger and butcher counters with knowledgeable staff, a specialized cheese counter, a sushi counter preparing daily fresh sushi, and an elevated pantry with a wider selection of local and international products.
However, the changes extend beyond food. Woolworths has revamped its Beauty division to offer beauty treatments, complimentary hair and skin analysis consultations with personalized product suggestions, and sustainability is a key focus. The Tygervalley branch, for instance, has been constructed with sustainability in mind, utilizing responsibly sourced timber and locally produced boards for most of its shop fittings, with materials chosen for potential reuse or recycling.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
