Romeo family to open independent Foodland supermarket in Rundle Mall
A NEW concept Foodland coming to Rundle Mall will offer a bakery, deli, cheese room, pre-prepared meals and an expanded vegan and organic range — as well as 100 new jobs.
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ADELAIDE’S premier retail precinct will welcome its first independent supermarket by Christmas when a new concept Foodland store opens in Rundle Mall.
The Romeo family is planning to unveil their latest offering at a redeveloped Citi Centre Arcade, on the corner of Rundle Mall and Pulteney St.
Work to transform the former food court is underway, while several traders in the arcade will close their shops for the final time this week to make way for further works.
Romeo Retail Group director Joseph Romeo said $8 million would be invested to develop the new store, which would generate more than 100 full-time and casual jobs.
He said it would be modelled on the retailer’s Martin Place supermarket in the heart of Sydney’s business district.
“Being a South Australian business and South Australian family owned, we’ve always had an aspiration to have something in the CBD of Adelaide,” he said.
“The city is growing and with the progress we’re seeing in Adelaide, we’re particularly excited about this opportunity.
“We believe the style of offering is something a little bit different to our two competitors. It is modelled a fair bit on what we’ve done in Sydney but we’re going to take it to a new level.”
Rundle Mall is currently home to Coles and Woolworths, but Mr Romeo believes the new Foodland will add something new to the city’s supermarket offering.
Pre-prepared meals and a variety of “grab and go” products will attract those with busy lifestyles, Mr Romeo said, while the health-conscious will be drawn to the store’s expanded vegan and organic range.
A bakery, delicatessen and walk-in cheese room will feature and a corporate catering service will be set up to fill a “gap in the market”.
“Customers will be able to come to the store and get their breakfast to take to work, get their lunch later in the day, and then on the way home buy their ingredients for dinner or buy something that’s pre-prepared,” Mr Romeo said.
“We see a change in the Adelaide market with an increase in the number of people living in the CBD and all the international students, plus the amount of people working and visiting the Mall.
“We want to make it convenient for the consumer. I think the people of Adelaide and Rundle Mall deserve it — it’s an iconic location in Adelaide and Australia.”
The new Rundle Mall Foodland is expected to open before Christmas and will be the Romeo Retail Group’s 30th store in SA and 40th in the country. It plans to open ten more stores across SA and NSW by 2020.
In February, the family’s McLaren Vale supermarket was named the best IGA in the country.
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