Earlier this year, Coles opened a concept store in Rose Bay. Dubbed a “fancy” or “bougie” supermarket, the store boasted a self-serve doggy treat bar, a self-serve coffee and juice station, and for those with a sweet tooth, a gelato and mochi ice cream parlour.
A second Coles Local store has popped up in Chatswood Westfield and as with the previous store, caters for the residents of the local area. One such innovation that sets the Chatswood and Rose Bay stores apart is the creation of a beauty and cleaning product refill station, which according to Business Insider Australia, is the first Australian supermarket to do so.
The refill station includes a range of ecostore shampoos, conditioners, body washes and laundry liquids that you can purchase in bottles made of recycled and sugarcane plastic. You simply fill them up, pay for them and bring them back again and again when your beauty bits run out.
“As we make progress on our mission to be Australia’s most sustainable supermarket, we’re increasingly looking at new and inventive ways to reduce packaging on certain products,” Coles chief sustainability, property and export officer, Thinus Keevé, said in a statement. “This new ecostore station is a first for an Australian supermarket, which we hope will resonate well with customers.”
Ecostore has launched more than 80 refill stations in supermarkets across New Zealand and hopes to replicate the success of these stations here in Australia, which would help Aussie consumers reduce their amount of waste when it comes to beauty product and cleaning packaging.
“People are used to bringing in their reusable supermarket bags; now they can also bring in their reusable ecostore refill bottles to conveniently refill their home and personal care products at the supermarket,” ecostore managing director, Pablo Kraus, said in a statement.
The new Coles Local in Chatswood also includes products from 35 local Sydney suppliers including baked goods from Sonoma and pasta from Pasta Pantry as well as over 200 plant-based products, a dedicated aisle of Asian products and 800 different ready-to-eat meals.
According to Business Insider Australia, these meals have been designed with Chatswood residents in mind, with 87% of them working professionals who are more likely to shop for dinner ingredients after work. On average, residents in Chatswood spend 10% more on their pets and as such, can also buy pet food ice cream for their furry friends from the Coles Local store.