Context:
The Australian food market is a near duopoly between Coles and
Woolworths. There is increasing competition from discounters (led by
Aldi) but this remains small and is confined to the main urban areas.
Whilst Woolworths is seen as the leader in fresh food there is little
between them on the other customer measures of quality, value, range
and service.

The Approach:
inspireRD was retained to discover how Coles Supermarkets could
clearly differentiate themselves and then to write the brief for the
project.
Working with the project leader inspireRD identified the skills required
to deliver the ‘Delight’ project and a team was assembled in which
each member was accountable for a key element: colleague
engagement and team development, simplification of store operation
and replenishment, the development of fresh food and the
introduction of general merchandise. inspireRD acted as catalyst and
guide to the project as a whole and, as a member of the team, was
accountable for the development of the store’s look and feel, working
with creative teams in Australia and the UK.

The Result:
There was a late change of store location which required changes to be
made to the layout and fixturing, as to proceed with the total concept would
not have been cost effective in the new environment. However, the full team
and range changes were realised. Some of the more significant were:
Fresh – radical changes were delivered in Bakery, Produce and Seafood.
General Merchandise – a clear zone was created which was welcomed by
customers as clearly demonstrating great value. New Brand and Store
Navigation signage make the store very easy to shop.
The store delivered the first integration of a Wines and Spirits department into
a supermarket in Australia.
The work on team culture has created a store where customer service is
delivered with pride by the whole store team. 120 of the team opened the
store, cutting and keeping (and displaying!) the opening ribbon.
The friendly and welcoming approach delighted customers who could clearly
see the value and specialist areas, but did not feel that excessive decoration
was being paid for by them.
We are rolling the concept in three ways:
capital ultra light, capital light and Delight 2 which will assist in the further
development of Coles Supermarkets into world class stores.