Food Lover’s sets a new standard
No longer a fresh produce specialist store, the new Food Lover’s format is a one-stop grocery shopping experience
Food Lover’s Market was founded in 1993 by brothers Brian and Michael Coppin. The first store, originally named Fruit & Veg City, was opened in Access Park, Cape Town. It has since grown from a single store into South Africa’s largest privately owned retailer, with a strong focus on fresh produce.
Currently, the group boasts a varied range of outlets in the food, liquor, pet and hospitality fields.
- 88 Food Lover’s Markets
- 333 Seattle coffee shops An external view of the store and parking lot.
- 341 Fresh Stop convenience stores
- 7 Food Lover’s Eateries
- 12 Vet Mart pet shops
- 2 Streetery restaurants and
- 38 Market Liquor bottle stores.
And now, they are venturing into the property market, by developing four new shopping malls this year and a further two planned for next year. Says Co-Founder and Director, Michael Coppin, “Owning the space gives us the opportunity to plan our stores with the long-term in mind, from the layout of the store to the mix of complementary tenants around it. It also allows us to make sure there’s enough parking to serve our customers well, both today and as the area grows.”
The River Quarter Development
The latest retail development owned by the company is called Food Lover’s Village River Quarter and is situated on Bottleray Road, Kuilslriver, Cape Town.
The mall not only has a Food Lover’s outlet, but also displays with pride its subsidiaries, such as Seattle Coffee, Market Liquors and the Vet Mart, as well as a pharmacy, plasticware specialist store and other storers. Launching this month is a brand-new family restaurant concept called Happy Folks, complete with a kids play area and a novel electronic dart board area which is sure to be fun for the whole family. ‘Built to replace the former Kuils River store, Food Lover’s Market River Quarter spans 2 470 square metres, features over 18 departments, and is supported by a team of around 200 colleagues recruited from surrounding communities.
The store has been engineered for sustainability and efficiency, with state of-the-art refrigeration, LED lighting, and energy-saving systems that reduce operational load while improving the customer environment. It is also home to the brand’s growing entertainment and experiential design features, including family-friendly animatronics that bring playful theatre and joy to the produce area.
There is no need to outline the beauty and amazing concepts that one experiences when shopping at these premises. The photos accompanying this article are sufficient to show the reader the amazing lengths that the Food Lover’s group has gone to create a “I want to shop here” atmosphere in this store.
Fellow retailers visiting Cape Town should make a point of visiting this store for some great merchandising ideas in groceries, but more specifically in service areas. The grocery section has been amplified enormously, and shoppers no longer have to split their shopping trip between Food Lover’s and any other store. Everything required for the home can be found on the premises at the most competitive prices. If this is the new standard set for large stores by Food Lover’s Market, other food chains had better up their game.
