3/02/2010 Borrowing Facility

There were also reports this week that 125 of the more successful stores could be saved under the Woolworths brand name, although Deloitte was unavailable for comment.
Woolworths opened its first UK store in Liverpool in 1909 but went into administration last month as debts and losses mounted.
Restructuring specialist Hilco had earlier failed in its attempt to buy the company's stores for £1 and assume a major share of its £385 million borrowing facility.

27/01/2010 Convenience Factor

The CBD’s most exciting retail development enex100 features a stunning new look Woolworths which caters for the ever-increasing residential and working CBD population. The demand for a central and convenient fresh food superstore has never been greater, with the City’s working population estimated to increase by 25,000 by 2012.

enex100 Woolworths offers shoppers a fabulous and welcoming store with over 25,000 product lines, wider aisles, more checkouts and a great range of fresh produce delivered daily, giving customers a more pleasant shopping experience.

With a total of 2,539 square metres of shopping space, new offerings at Woolworths include a deli express section with an enticing range of prepacked options and a self-serve chicken warmer with delicious BBQ chickens that customers can grab-and-go on their way home.

Woolworths Store Manager, Darren Beveridge says the fresh food superstore caters to the busy on-the-go lifestyle of the City worker; “We are committed to providing our customers with the most enjoyable, quality shopping experience possible. To do this we make sure we offer the finest quality fresh food, with the best possible customer service.”

Adding to the convenience factor, enex100 Woolworths trades from 8am to 7pm from Monday to Thursday and extends their opening time to 9pm on Friday nights. The fresh food store is open on Saturdays from 8am to 5pm and Sundays from 11am to 5pm.

20/01/2010 Woolworths unveils major Australian rebranding

Woolworths has today unveiled its new look as part of an Australia-wide rebrand, which is being rolled out across its 780 supermarket stores. 

In May's issue of Marketing, Scotland wrote a long feature all about the need for the major players to bring a more entertaining and engaging experience to the Australian supermarket shopping environment, and this announcement by Woolworths shows that the need for more innovation in the industry is being taken seriously and acted upon.

Woolworths general manager of marketing, Luke Dunkerley, said that the rebranding reflects Woolworths’ commitment and track record of providing Australian shoppers with quality fresh food and groceries at competitive prices.

"We are rebranding stores to retain our leadership position in what is an extremely competitive market. We have only achieved this leadership position by ‘walking the talk’ and Australian shoppers are voting with their feet," he said. "The refurbishment of the supermarkets that is accompanying the rebranding will deliver customers wider aisles, brighter supermarkets and a more pleasant shopping experience."

Twenty one years after the introduction of "The Fresh Food People", the company will introduce a new icon reflecting Woolworths’ strong commitment to fresh food, convenience and value for customers. The new branding was created by leading designer Hans Hulsbosch of the Hulsbosch Agency who recently updated the iconic Qantas identity.

13/01/2010 Woolworths Quality Assured

To enjoy fresh food at its best, it's important to be mindful of food safety. This section provides some quick and easy tips on how to buy, store, prepare and cook fresh food to ensure it stays safe, healthy and delicious!

As part of Woolworths' fresh food promise, all our growers and suppliers of fresh food are certified through the Woolworths Quality Assurance program. The Woolworths Quality Assured logo means the produce you are buying is fresh, safe, and of high quality.
• To enjoy fresh foods at their best, ensure heavy grocery items are packed separately to avoid bruising or splitting. Damaged skin allow the air to penetrate and encourage growth of micro organisms.
• For items that won't be eaten immediately, always check the "use by" date. This is particularly important for dairy products with a short shelf-life - such as cottage cheese, cream cheese, yoghurt, and sour cream. Take a look at the understanding product labels section for more information on other useful terms used on food labels.
• For freshness and flavour, fish and seafood should be eaten within 24 hours after purchase. Fish can be frozen for eating at a later time. Chicken can also be frozen, but will keep for up to two to three days in the fridge. To ensure meat or seafood retains its flavour and texture, always thaw before cooking.

6/01/2010

Woolworths’ mission statement and main strategy is ‘to deliver to customers the right shopping experience each and every time.’
Woolworths’ vision is to provide quality products and services to its customers all the time through price strategies, fresh food strategies and human resource strategies. Woolworth’s main strategies are to increase efficiency and be cost effective. To achieve this Woolworths has integrated and implemented several strategies which include every-day low price strategy and; Project Refresh strategy. The every-day low prices strategy addresses this, and attempts to offer customers everyday lower prices through price reductions on all products. Project Refresh is a strategy designed to drive the cost of doing business down. Organizational structure, staff leadership and stakeholders all play an important role in implementing and integrating strategies. Woolworths’ has experienced great success and should continue along the same path through innovative, tactful and profitable strategies. Woolworths’ fulfillment of its strategies it due to it core competencies and its ability to reposition itself on the market and efforts to differentiate itself. Woolworths are now recording their first billion-dollar profit.