Title : In-house chefs, florists and Instagram: How these 'uniquely Canberran' grocers stay thriving
link : In-house chefs, florists and Instagram: How these 'uniquely Canberran' grocers stay thriving
In-house chefs, florists and Instagram: How these 'uniquely Canberran' grocers stay thriving
Cherishing the city's local shopping landscape, where small retail hubs sit on quiet, leafy streets in nearly every suburb, is something of particular importance to Canberrans.
But in the face of rising costs and competition from large chains, some local centres have been left empty, with windows boarded up, doors padlocked and walls covered in graffiti.
In order to protect the Canberra tradition of suburban shops centring on a milk and bread store, some creative businesses have ironically become far more than a milk and bread store.
Be 'different', community-driven and locally-sourced
An abandoned shopping site at Scullin is a far cry from the bustling, thriving hub of Chifley shops, just a 10-minute drive away.
When Dean Northey started managing the Chifley Grocer, he knew he had to make it stand out after witnessing the decline of other Canberra grocers.
"I used to be in sales and one of my jobs was to go around to smaller supermarkets, and I could just see them slowly dying," he said.
"Maybe they lost the passion. But you have to implement change and you can't compete in a price war against Woolworths and Aldi.
"You have to look for an alternative. You have to be anything but a standard supermarket."
The store was one of several grocers in Canberra that had introduced things such as in-house chefs, bakeries, pop-up tasting stalls, cafes and takeaway stores in a bid to boost business.
Social media had also become a key tool for the Chifley Grocer, with the managers regularly attending seminars and looking into hiring a full-time social media manager — a step other grocers had already taken.
And it not only posted about the latest deals like one would expect, but spruiked its own charity events and posted emotionally-driven videos from environmental advocacy groups.
Mr Northey said it all came down to being "community-minded," even if that meant working with surrounding local businesses instead of competing with them.
"Ten years ago everyone was saying the corner shops will be a thing of the past, and while some are still dying there has also been a revival," he said.
"You've got to make the shops a bit of a neighbourhood social hub … here on weekends you've got mountain bikers, walking groups, YMCA groups; they all congregate and have coffee while the park across the street is full of parties.
"The whole place is abuzz."
Family on business social media 'shows what we're about'
Personalising business had reached a new level at the rustic Barton Grocer, owned and built from scratch by Domenic Costanzo.
One sift through the store's official Instagram page showed the huge role social media played in that goal.
It was loaded with photos of "Dom the Grocer" and his family on camping trips, brunches by the beach, toddlers running amuck and prickly pears from "Nonna's farm".
"My wife studied marketing and advertising and she is a whizz on it. It's been a big key but I'm not allowed to touch it," Mr Costanzo joked.
"Putting our family and farm on there shows what we're about. We want everyone to know a bit about us."
He said he had found many customers preferred the intimacy of family business over corporatism.
Like several grocers the ABC spoke to, Mr Costanzo said supporting local suppliers, accommodating for different diets and offering ethically-sourced products was also crucial.
"We can't compete with the convenience of the big supermarkets, but we want everyone who lives across the road to come in, buy the milk have a chat, even if it's telling their life story," he said.
"My kid talks about when I die he wants to take the shop, and I'm like, you can have it before then so I can travel the world."
Cherished suburban shops 'unique to Canberra'
Doctor Andrew Hughes from the Australian National University said some contributing factors to the make or break of small supermarkets were out of the owner's control.
But the marketing lecturer said those that did not evolve with the changing expectations of consumers would suffer.
"Times are changing — it's adapt or die," he said.
"We don't get community much anymore, and people are looking for that social and emotional conscious, as opposed to bigger supermarkets where you feel anonymous," he said.
Dr Hughes said he had seen a surge in a marketing technique called 'brain stories' where businesses tell the stories of their staff and store.
"It's really important for consumers because we've gone past 'what's on special this week' to 'what do you stand for?' People are now seeking that deeper connection."
He said more businesses were turning to social media for help with telling their "brain stories".
But he said equally important to "personalised service" was providing local products and adapting an environmental conscious, whether by supporting charities or being eco-friendly.
And supermarkets seemed to be following suit, stocking everything from bamboo charcoal toothbrushes to beeswax food wraps.
"If you don't evolve nowadays, you're going to go under," Dr Hughes said.
"If all you do is what the big chains do, then people won't come to you — you need to offer value which is unique."
Dr Hughes said making this shift was not only important for small businesses, but also for the Canberra community.
The protectiveness of community shopping centres was the first thing he noticed when moving from Brisbane to the capital.
"It's really unique to Canberra," he said.
"I've been here 16 years now but when I moved it was like 'wow, Canberra values small community centres because they're part of the community'."
Thus Article In-house chefs, florists and Instagram: How these 'uniquely Canberran' grocers stay thriving
You are now reading the article In-house chefs, florists and Instagram: How these 'uniquely Canberran' grocers stay thriving with the link address https://coneknews.blogspot.com/2019/03/in-house-chefs-florists-and-instagram.html
0 Response to "In-house chefs, florists and Instagram: How these 'uniquely Canberran' grocers stay thriving"
Post a Comment