General News
25 July, 2019
Fresh St. Market crowned best IGA in Australia
ATHERTON is now home to the number one IGA store in Australia after the Fresh St. Market IGA took home multiple awards.
ATHERTON is now home to the number one IGA store in Australia after the Fresh St. Market IGA took home the National Fresh Produce Department of the Year, National GM and Grocery Department of the Year, SUPA IGA Store of the Year and and IGA National Retailer of the Year awards at the annual IGA National Retailer of the Year Awards held on the Gold Coast last week.
The national awards were judged on a range of criteria including customer service, community pride, department excellence, brand values, sales, profits, merchandising and the store’s overall performance.
Formerly known as Atherton Supa IGA, the Fresh St. Market IGA decided to undergo a rebrand and partial refurbishment to emphasise its focus on fresh foods.
This included the addition of a large bulk foods section, new fruit and vegetable bins, an array of open display cheese barges and interactive facets that enable customers to grind coffee,
squeeze orange juice and make nut butters.
Their win last week was further reassurance that their decision to rebrand and refurbish worked wonders – and owner and operator Michael Shakes said it is humbling to have won.
“We’re very lucky in that this is the second time we have won the overall Retailer of the Year Award, having done so previously in 2010,” he said.
“We’re only the second store to have done that in the last 20 years, so it is a great achievement.”
Mr Shakes pointed to multiple reasons as to why the Fresh St. Market stood out from its fellow competition.
“We see the strength in the customer’s journey,” he said.
“Right from when they walk through the door to the point of sale we do everything to ensure they are having a happy and worthwhile experience.
“Our value proposition for customers is another thing I feel allows us to stand out - we are the cheapest independent supermarket in the state and I believe customers appreciate our value driven approach.”
Mr Shakes noted that he doesn’t feel the Fresh St. Market would’ve won had they not undergone refurbishments last year.
“Given we had been in this current site for ten years, we wouldn’t have won,” he said.
“And that rebrand and refurbishment has added to our reputation of being somewhat outside the norm compared to traditional supermarkets.”
Mr Shakes said he would like to thank his team for their efforts and in particular the community for their unwavering support.
