PICK n PAY OPENS NEW ULTRA-MODERN, ENERGY EFFICIENT FLAGSHIP STORE IN CAPE TOWN

Cape Town, 27 October 2022: Pick n Pay has unveiled its new flagship store in Cape Town. The Waterstone store in Somerset West will be the model for what customers can come to expect at all revamped Pick n Pay stores in the future.

This follows the announcement earlier this year that Pick n Pay would  be organised into two brands under its new Ekuseni strategy to serve customers better. Pick n Pay QualiSave was launched in August, and is dedicated to customers who want Pick n Pay quality at exceptional prices.  The rejuventated Pick n Pay format focuses on delighting more-affluent customers with a premium experience, providing unbeatable quality, freshness and innovation across a range of 18,000 products. 

Founder Raymond Ackerman joined the store opening this morning. Pictured with store manager Bertie Carstens (left) and Gareth Ackerman, Pick n Pay chairman (right)

In developing the new Waterstone flagship store, the Pick n Pay team has worked closely with a top design house to produce a more modern and premium experience.  

The Waterstone store took over three months to renovate, and the changes are immediately clear. All stores boast a new coffee bar, and customers are welcomed with an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, creative and curated product displays and spacious aisles. These Pick n Pay branded premium stores are now the home of the company’s new premium private label, Crafted Collection by PnP, with more innovation expected to launch in the coming months. 

Most of the signage in the store has been converted to digital screens, and there is an interactive screen to help customers pair their wine with the extensive cheese selection on offer. New equipment in the store, such as the most energy-efficient refrigeration plants and lighting, will see the store reduce its energy usage by around 30%.

Faithful to Nature products are also being stocked at selected stores to complete Pick n Pay’s growing Live Well https://throughmywineglass.co.za/wp-admin/post-new.phphealth range.  

To match the premium experience, all store staff have undergone intensive training, and this extends to hiring the services of industry experts. A well respected South African cheese guru will train the in-store cheese-mongers to become experts on its extensive range of over 500 local and international cheeses.

Pick n Pay CEO, Pieter Boone, said:

We are very excited to reveal this impressive, revamped store. Our Waterstone store is the new look for our Pick n Pay stores and stands as a blueprint for what customers can expect. These revamped stores will fulfil our customers’ aspirations for an incredible in-store experience, complete with high-quality products to match their exact needs, at affordable prices. Our investment in staff training also means our customer service levels will match our new and improved store experience. 

We announced our Ekuseni project in May following months of extensive research with our customers. They were clear on what they expected of us and how we needed to provide what was relevant to them. Our net promoter scores in our revamped stores have grown impressively and our customers have told us they love the new stores. Revamped stores are experiencing double-digital growth, we have more customers visiting our stores, and they are shopping bigger baskets. These proof points show us that we are on the right track.

Given the success of the first revamped stores, Pick n Pay is accelerating its refurbishment programme, and the company aims to have fully revamped 130 Pick n Pay and QualiSave stores by February 2023. 

Take a look at the new Pick n Pay Waterstone store:

Customers enter the store with an impressive array of seasonal fruit and fresh produce. It has many new or exclusive products, such as its seedless passion watermelons.

• The Free Fruit for Kids initiative offers children a healthy snack while their parents do their shopping. There are currently apples, soft citrus and bananas on offer but these change according to the season.

• Customers can see their leaf vegetables grow and then buy them. The retailer has expanded its partnership with Can-Agri, a local producer that uses vertical farming to produce organic and free of pesticides leaf vegetables. The store has a smaller vertical farm to show customers how Can-Agri grows its produce using this innovative sustainable farming solution, and the customer can buy this produce too.

• The new “in Bloom” flower and potted plant selection now includes funky green plants and large plants for home decoration, bringing the outside inside.
• The store boasts a new coffee bar, The Roastery, operated by trained coffee baristas. This will be complemented with freshly squeezed and pressed juice, smoothies and baked goods.

• A cheese & deli affair: There is a wide variety of local and international cheeses, including the “best mozzarella south of Italy”. Pick n Pay will become the first retailer to stock Puglia Branded products in the formal retail sector. The deli is stocked with speciality cold meats, which are prepacked and sliced on request ensuring freshness and quality. 

• Scan your wine to find the best cheese to pair it with! The wine alcove has an interactive screen to help customers pair their chosen wine with the most suitable cheese in the store. The alcove also has a virtual wine experience with a 1m x 1 m screen that shows tailor-made videos by local wineries. Customers will feel like they are on a vineyard walk with the winemaker or attending a cellar tour.
• Customers can watch bread being baked. The bakery is situated on the store floor, and trained crafted bakers will freshly bake and indulge customers daily. The range is impressive with freshly baked items, such as an artisan bread range, occasion cakes and a variety of croissants, including the newly launched authentic French Pain Au Chocolate made from flaky butter pastry layers and couverture chocolate.
• A Rotisserie bar will serve the best quality BBQ, Salt and Pepper and Peri-Peri ready-to-eat chicken. A new “to go” section will offer sandwiches, salads and sushi and a new range of convenience meals to eat later.

• An in-store ‘Steak Shop’ has the finest selection of steaks, including the PnP Dry Aged range. The Dry Ager cabinet is fully automated to ensure the perfect dry age process is followed every time. There is also a new Wagyu steak range. Trained butchers are on hand to serve specific cuts for customers.

• The solution-based Meal Deal offers customers the choice of main meals and sides to feed a family of four. Customers can mix and match to satisfy all family tastes and dietary needs. 

   

  • There is an entire product range for young customers. The PnP Kidz range includes fruit in smaller bite sizes, pre-prepped ready meals, healthy snacks, and lunchbox additions, such as muffins with hidden fruit and vegetables. There is also a range of toiletries.  

   

  • Selected Faithful to Nature natural health supplements, healthy food and snacks and beauty products are now stocked at selected stores. This complements Pick n Pay’s Live well health range which will give customers a complete health offer, all in one area of the store. This includes an extensive range of speciality wholefoods, healthy snacks and sports nutrition, as well as Live Fit fitness equipment.

• Impressive grocery ranges, grouped for convenience and an easy shop: This includes scratch cooking offers which is the latest trend using basic ingredients to create tasty and affordable meals. There is also an impressive new premium PnP private label called Crafted Collection. 
• Sweet delights: Hidden in the corner is a display of sweet treats, delights and snacking to tantalise every taste bud. Pick n Pay has expanded its private label in this category with its newly developed premium Crafted collection confectionary range

Integrated online and in-store offering: The new PnP Groceries on Mr D service is live in the store. Customers can shop the new and improved range from the comfort of their home for delivery within 60 minutes. 

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