The first phase of the relaunch, which took place yesterday, saw the introduction of a three-tiered product offering across fruit, vegetable and meat categories. Each range will now have its own colour and packaging, and will include a fresh promise of what customers should expect from the product or range.
The retailer's 'No Name' products in its fresh product offering will be repackaged as a Pick n Pay own brand. “Within this range of quality produce, we are also working more closely with farmers to include any fruit or vegetable produce that may at a glance be slightly impaired, yet be of perfect quality. This is an initiative to avoid unnecessary food waste, a critical problem in South Africa," says Frikkie Van Niekerk, head of fresh development: Pick n Pay.
Pick n Pay says the mid-tier range, meanwhile, provides "great quality" and its packaging offers deeper insights into what customers should expect from the product they’re buying. “For example, the new design architecture of our citrus fruit box packaging shows a close-up visual of what the skins should look like,” says van Niekerk.
The new premium range – the very best on offer – will provide customers with an enhanced culinary experience, such as an easy-to-peel mandarin, or a perfectly aged free-range steak.
Close to 80 product lines have been repositioned and 28 new product lines have been introduced across fruit and vegetable and butchery, with more in development. New products now in-store include a strawberry and citrus range (lemons, mandarins, grapefruit and oranges) across various tiers. A new premium baby veg range and range of apple flow wrap 6s are also available to customers.
In the meat category specifically, there will be a greater focus on Pick n Pay’s burger and steak range. Three new premium lines to be launched include 35-day matured free range rump, porterhouse and ribeye steak.
“Fresh fruit and vegetables and meat constitute the largest share of customers’ purchases in fresh foods,” says Paula Disberry, retail executive: commercial and marketing at Pick n Pay. “We wanted to introduce a full range of superbly fresh, quality products that would meet a wide range of customers’ requirements. Each store’s range offering will be tailored to meet their customers’ needs and will focus on better, consistent availability.”
Disberry adds, “To give our customers that extra bit of great value, we’ve also introduced impressive deals. Our fruit and vegetable Take 5 deal, for example, offers customers 25% off when purchasing five products from the over 40 different products on special.
While the initial focus for the relaunch is on the fruit and vegetable and meat categories, customers can also expect improvements in Pick n Pay’s ready-to-eat convenience range, fish and bakery fresh lines in the coming weeks.
The retailer says the fresh promise also extends to how customers’ produce is handle. “We have invested in our staff to provide training on cold chain management and handling. Our butchers, in particular, have also undergone training on how to best handle the meat,” says Disberry.
She concludes, “Our new unifying promise statement – “Perfectly fresh, whatever it takes” – communicates very clearly that what we’re undertaking to do for our customers. Whatever their needs and budgets, we’re delivering guaranteed freshness right across our offering – every day.
