Foodstuffs North Island has just opened its second Fresh Collective by New World store in the central Auckland suburb of Mount Albert – and the FMCG Business team has checked it out.
The store at 1 Alberton Ave was formerly a Four Square. It closed on June 20 for refurbishment.
“We’re very excited to be able to reveal the new store to Mount Albert residents,” Foodstuffs North Island Chief Executive Chris Quin says. “They’ve waited patiently for it to reopen and we think they’re going to love their new local.”
The Mount Albert store not only has a new frontage with Fresh Collective by New World branding, but a completely new internal layout, new product offerings and special features not seen in Foodstuffs stores before.
As well as picking up a great cup of coffee from the in-house barista, customers can now order fresh smoothies; grab some sushi; pick up a pizza fresh from the pizza oven; or choose a chicken, basted to order from the rotisserie. There is also a bakery, a butcher and a fresh seafood counter where you can see delicious meat and kai moana you’ve selected being prepared.
Owner operator of the new store, Steve McClean, says: “The store also has an exciting new feature; the Enomatic wine tasting machine, which allows customers to taste a select variety of wine before purchase. We’ve long been known for our wine selection here at Alberton Ave but now customers will be able to try before they buy, giving them an added level of comfort they are making a choice that best suits them.
“We are really excited about giving our customers a smaller grocery store that answers that question of ‘what will we eat tonight’. There’s plenty of fresh, take-home meal solutions including Just Cook It kits, which come complete with pre-measured fresh ingredients, a recipe and instructions for either two or a four people.”
The Fresh Collective has an extensive deli counter, specialty cheeses and a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables. Quin says, “Fresh Collective by New World also has your everyday grocery needs, so that you can top up with the basics at the same time. We intend to keep refining the concept as we go, to suit each community. We’ll be looking at other urban areas in the North Island where Fresh Collective by New World will suit our customers.”