Optimal Supermarket size for Jackson Court
As previously discussed there is a proposal to rezone Michel St Doncaster East, along side Jackson Court to allow a five story building comprising Supermarket, Residences, and Reception Centre. this would meen a huge building immediately adjancent to existing homes – up to 19 meters high is proposed, where it is currently 11 meters maximum, and most homes are under 9 meters.
There are also concerns about what sort of Supermarket is viable or best suited for this environment. An assesment was done for the Council a few years ago, around the time the existing Safeway was closing…. Doncaster East Jackson court Needs Analysis for Supermarket – Tim Nott – Oct 2008
An alternative strategy has been suggested and should be considered in the current context for it’s appropriateness, and long term viability in this location.
What do you think would work in this area? Is big better for you ? What is the future of supermarkets ? How will online affect local super markets in the coming years?
As commented today by Doris Tran, A supermarket similar to the Foodworks in Greythorn (approx 350sqm) could be ideal for Jackson Court. Their minimum land area requirement for suitable site is 300sqm. (A single shop site is approx 180sqm)
Today
The Company now has close to 650 supermarkets, food and convenience stores spanning seven states and territories nationally with over 400 of these operating under the FoodWorks brand. Our stores are clearly visible by the fresh orange and green logo design and signage. The past two years has seen the brand go from strength to strength, becoming Australia’s largest truly independent supermarket group supporting $2 billion in annual sales.
Today, FoodWorks prides itself on its fresh, contemporary approach to retail whilst still retaining a friendly, community-focused relationship with its customers.
Unlike any other supermarket brand in Australia, every store in FoodWorks is different and each have a strong sense of independence, which gives them full flexibility to tailor their store to their local community’s needs.
7 Comments
Dragging a baby and a ten year old round a supermarket on a weekend afternoon sucks. The queuing at the checkout, the loading up the trolley, unloading it again, then loading it again then going to the car unloading the trolley and loading the car then unloading the car and loading the house then putting everything away: it’s horrible. This time we spent 20 minutes poking an iPad in front of the telly and it arrived the morning after the next day.
The ordering process is functional but simple (I used Woolworths but Coles offers a similar service). There’s heaps of room for improvement too – having a dedicated app is a must and perusing virtual shopping isles would be great – especially if specials jumped off the shelves at you. If you like shopping for bargains there are still plenty to be had and at the end you get a total showing how much you saved.
Emily C.
We would much prefer a small independent, standalone with no strings attached supermarket among our existing shops in Jackson Court, rather than being cajoled into accepting the proposition that our only opportunity for supermarket will be within the 19 metre high (equal to a 7 storey apartment tower) proposal, we are told if we want a supermarket we must allow this development. I agree with Doris Tran in regard to the emergence of online supermarket shopping where we will see fewer stores required within a decade, which in the event, regardless of any agreement between council and developer to maintain the supermarket, it could well be voided in favor of a more profitable use.
In developed countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and now Australia, online shopping will snowball — transforming supermarket shopping from a physical (requiring visits to stores) to a non-physical activity. Another contributing factor will be the sharp increase in the demand for fast food. Changes in consumer behaviour, eating out or ordering meals online, has led to an influx of new operators offering healthier fast food options. Industry revenue is predicted to exceed a growth rate of 3% this financial year.
Nick
For many people, especially the elderly, supermarket shopping is a social occasion of sorts. It keeps us old folks in touch with each other. Online shopping might be a boon for busy young professionals with families, but it is not for us.
Retired
Once the cost of mileage and parking are factored in, it’s cheaper to order your groceries online by same-day delivery rather than having to go out and retrieve them yourself. For many people, ordering anything from printer ink to a frying pan and having it delivered the same day certainly represents a better use of time than running to the store.
Daisy
We already have a butcher, a fruit and vegetable shop, two bakeries, a pharmacy and two very large liquor outlets but we have no grocery store, so a supermarket would be most welcome in Jackson Court. However I would much prefer it be an independent free standing store in the area already zoned for the purpose. Council has stipulated that the developer must set aside a floor area of at least 1,300sqm for a supermarket which means the remainder of the total retail area of 2,378sqm could be reserved for up to 6 shops. This could result in the owner of this huge 19 metre high conglomerate having full control of who would trade in his shopping centre. I share the concern of council officer’s who said in part:
4.11. It is noted, however that there may be difficulty in restricting the retail space to a supermarket use in the long term and that the applicant could appeal such mechanisms, such as provision of a section 173 Agreement, to Planning Panels Victoria and/or VCAT.
4.12. The unchecked use of this space for other retail activities could have unintended implications for other retail uses within the Jackson Court Shopping Centre
Mary Jane
The main attraction for shopping online is the convenience. The customer can save the hassle of going to the grocery store by shopping online.
The local online grocery stores have their customers select the goods they want and then arrange a time to pick up the goods. With most local online grocers, deliveries can be made for an additional fee. This allows a customer to shop for groceries without ever having to leave their house
Also, after the first order, many of the online grocers let you save a “favorite” shopping list, so that you would only need to add and subtract from your basic list before you order. This will save customers even more time.
Parkmore
Don’t expect Panels Victoria to support this amendment in its present form. The best outcome, short of a total rejection, would be for the authority to follow the officers recommendation for a height reduction from 19m to 13.5m. However, they may refuse it on the basis there is sufficient scope for a supermarket in the immediate area already zoned for this purpose, including rear access lanes for loading and emergency evacuation etc., unavailable at this site, besides, being an ex myself I know that our bureaucrats will usually close ranks.
Clifford