Coles unveils first-ever food hall with independent restaurants

Coles has launched a handy new concept that could solve an all too familiar shopping problem that most of us have faced at some point.

We’ve all trawled the aisles of our local supermarket, desperately waiting for a meal idea to jump out at us.

Now supermarket giant Coles has launched a food concept that could solve that all-too familiar dilemma, opening its first-ever restaurant where shoppers can eat ready-made meals in-store.

The $20 billion retailer announced its first-ever restaurant-supermarket hybrid will kick off as a test store in Tooronga, Victoria, offering ready-to-eat food through partnerships with fresh meal provider, EARL Canteen and national sushi chain Sushi Sushi.

While the handy offering will be available in the Coles store, both companies will be running the department-store style concessions using their own staff and products.

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Customers can expect barista-made coffee and sushi rolls containing Coles’ “special burger sauce”.

Louis Eggar, Coles head of convenience, said the new food hall concept at Tooronga — part of a multimillion-dollar revamp — was all about making life easier for customers by solving the problem of what to eat.

Coles has opened its first-ever food hall at its Tooronga Village store. Picture: Supplied

“The Tooronga supermarket is just the first Coles in the country with independent restaurants in store as part of our ongoing transformation to make Coles a destination for convenience and health-focused shopping,” Mr Eggar told news.com.au

It will boast 450 lines including Coles’ expanded range of Fresh Kitchen salads, ready-to-go breakfasts, pre-cut fruit and veg, and homestyle-inspired ready-made meals.

As a result of the multimillion-dollar transformation of the Tooronga Village supermarket, Coles has created more than 65 new local jobs including 25 new staff members employed by EARL Canteen and Sushi Sushi.

Coles has banded together with Melbourne husband and wife duo Simon O’Regan and Jackie Middleton to bring their popular CBD-based café EARL Canteen to the revamped Coles Tooronga. Picture: Supplied

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The retailer’s strategic investment in tailoring supermarkets to local communities will also see more than 100 existing Coles stores converted to the new Fresh Convenience format before Christmas.

Coles chief executive Steven Cain dubbed the Tooronga store as Australia’s first “grocerant”, a hybrid food hall concept pioneered by international grocers, such as Canada’s Loblaws.

“The market is going two ways. One is towards value … and the other is towards convenience. And that’s what this store caters for,” Mr Cain told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“If we see other categories where they’re a real challenge for us, but we can find the right partner, then we’ll try other things as well,” he said.

Coles unveils first-ever food hall with independent restaurants and biggest fresh convenience range yet. Picture: Supplied

The new concept comes after Woolies opened more than 40 Metro convenience stores in the last six years also selling ready-made meals and barista-made coffee — it is part of the major supermarket’s play to occupy high-density areas in Australia’s largest cities.

Coles will also revamp its First Choice Liquor business offering a larger format store that will offer better product categorisation and an in-store tasting bar — challenging Woolworth’s Dan Murphy’s market share.

First Choice Liquor Market opened its first store in Ringwood in 2016 and now has 38 stores across Australia.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, at its full-year results in August, Coles posted a 9 per cent drop in net profit to $1.44 billion. However, its earnings within its supermarkets business jumped 2.2 per cent, returning to full-year growth for the first time in three years.