Theatre of food: Inside Food Lover's new R100m Cape Town flagship

Source: Marius Del Carmé for Hamiltons Advertising

Located at the intersection of Link and Vryburger Roads, Food Lover's Bothasig is a standalone store with a strong emphasis placed on creating an environment of fresh and sustainable shopping.

This includes energy efficiencies, such as remote cabinet monitoring capability, ice storage systems for air-conditioning and a solar panel that will generate 359.7 kWp DC of renewable electricity annually. These innovations form part of Food Lover’s Market’s environmental sustainability journey spearheaded by its Earth Lovers division.

Source: Marius Del Carmé for Hamiltons Advertising

Says Brian Coppin, CEO and cofounder of the Food Lover’s Market Group, “From the overwhelmingly positive response before the opening, we are certain that this will become the preferred store in the neighbourhood. We’re confident that we’ve created the best store in the community - a superior shopping destination, where the quality and variety is exceptional and will delight every single consumer.”

“We’ve really thought long and hard about what it takes to be the best store in the community in the current economic climate and have realised that it’s about offering a ‘whole’ shopping experience. It’s not just about theatre - although we are the best at creating that visual appeal in our stores. It’s also about supporting the community by offering value, quality, and choice.”

Source: Marius Del Carmé for Hamiltons Advertising

The new store is designed to offer customers a unique one-stop shopping experience. According to the retailer, its close supplier relationships allow Food Lover's to stock a wide assortment of grocery products that is competitive in terms of range and price.

The gourmet butchery's team of 25 employees aims to deliver a premium meat counter with the feel of a traditional butcher. Other departments within the space include fresh produce, an on-site bakery, a wine section, a fresh seafood department, cheese and deli counters.

Source: Marius Del Carmé for Hamiltons Advertising

Hot food offerings include Crispy Chicken, Bubs Fish & Chips and Pie O’My, while The Fresh Society, Love Health and Health & Happiness will appeal to the health-conscious shopper. The Grab & Go includes a sushi counter and a biltong bar, and a Seattle Coffee Co will also be available at the entrance to the store.

Source: Marius Del Carmé for Hamiltons Advertising

Creating visual interest

Adults and children alike with be delighted by the animatronics dotted around the store. Food Lover’s Market looked to transform the traditional bricks-and-mortar space into an emporium that delights the senses, and therefore incorporated various animatronics and digital screens into the space to keep the customer informed, entertained and engaged while shopping.

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The retail theatre starts with a nine-metre windmill beckoning shoppers from the road. On arrival, customers will be greeted by a tree of life as they enter the fresh produce section, followed by a band of fresh produce characters - an apple, avocado, strawberry, carrot and broccoli.

A dancing banana performs musical theatrics, and shoppers with a sweet tooth will be entertained with the dancing doughnut in the bakery section.

Source: Marius Del Carmé for Hamiltons Advertising

The Bothasig store will be managed by Valentino Ricciardi, who has been part of the retail group for the past 29 years, since its inception. He leads a 150-strong team of employees, many of whom have been sourced from the local area and surrounds, including Du Noon, Milnerton and Edgemead.