Forget artisan bread and A2 Milk: Woolworths’ latest assault on ¬Australia’s wealthiest shoppers includes walk-in cheese rooms, a ¬gourmet pizza bar and resident chefs ready to dole out tips on their favourite recipes

Samantha Hutchinson Reporter

Woolworths Double Bay: it’s Woolies for the Prada set

Published 02 June 2014 10:03, Updated 03 June 2014 09:26

Woolworths state manager Danny Baldwin at the new Double Bay store. Photo: Louise Kennerley

Forget artisan bread and A2 Milk: Woolworths’ latest assault on ­Australia’s wealthiest shoppers includes walk-in cheese rooms, a ­gourmet pizza bar and resident chefs ready to dole out tips on their favourite recipes.

Woolworths is midway through construction of a 5000 square metre supermarket in Sydney’s Double Bay, which on completion will also include pizza ovens and a barista making fresh coffee.

The new supermarket and Dan ­Murphy’s liquor store are the ­centre-piece of a $110 million joint ­venture between Woolworths and ­Woollahra Council, known as the Kiaora Lands ­development, built by Ganellan.

Located in the centre of the ­harbourside suburb known for its leafy streets, views of the water and ­well-heeled ­residents, Woolworths state operations manager Danny ­Baldwin says the group is simply ­giving ­customers what they wanted.

“We’ll have more than 300 lines of cheese in the store, and our own cheese mongers that will be able to slice on demand and to make party platters,” he says. “We’ve found that customers have a strong demand for that kind of service in the area.”

Cheese sales tend to be higher in affluent areas, Baldwin says, adding Woolworths stores in other exclusive suburbs including Northbridge and Neutral Bay post strong sales in the category.

The Double Bay walk-in cheese room will stock brands which retail for more than $80 a kilo, and will be staffed by dedicated cheese mongers.

There will also be a sushi bar manned by sushi chefs to make rolls in front of customers, a gourmet pizza oven, coffee roasters, and a resident “foodie” to give shoppers tips on what to make with their fresh produce.

It is part of a trend for bricks-and-mortar outlets to compete with online retailers by focusing on the customer experience.

Retail analysts say shoppers can expect to see more innovative product offerings creeping into neighbourhood supermarkets, but don’t expect cheese rooms to be opening up in every ­Woolies around the country.

“This will be a flagship property for the group – it’s a great catchment area. It’s a high income demographic, and if any location can handle the investment, it’s this,” Commonwealth Bank retail analyst Andrew McLennan says.

“But I wouldn’t expect to see a ­product like this rolled out in many other locations. The store was a good performer even when it was in ­sub-optimal shape. If they spend the money on capex, there’s no doubt [the Double Bay] ­customer will respond.”

The supermarket is part of a ­two-phase project, which will bring a new library, commercial office space, a ­442-space public car park and a ­landscaped public plaza to Double Bay.

When construction is complete, the site will be wholly owned and managed by Woollahra Council, with ­Woolworths as a long-term tenant.