5 minute read
STORE REVIEW: DRAKES LIGHTSVIEW
Drakes Delivers Delight
A solid and diverse food offering paired with a customer-centric approach has made Drakes Lightsview a cornerstone of the community.
Words Thomas Oakley-Newell
SITUATED IN THE bustling inner-northeastern suburbs of Adelaide, Drakes Lightsview has carved a niche in the competitive supermarket landscape, focusing on providing exceptional value and a personal touch.
John-Paul Drake, Director at Drakes, explained that they always want to surprise and delight their customers.
“Lightsview is a growing suburb in South Australia’s inner north-eastern suburbs, with lots of young families and professionals who live a busy lifestyle, so we really took the time to canvass the area and listen to what our customers wanted before we set out to design the store.
“Good old customer service was what they missed in the area, so we made sure that was a core focus for us.”
Focus on food
At the heart of Drakes Lightsview's appeal is its food offering, which has been designed to cater to the fast-paced lifestyles of the local community.
“We have a full-service delicatessen, including our The Little Kitchen and Nonna’s Pasta options, where customers can grab a quick hot meal, customised salad or pasta cooked fresh in-store,” said Drake.
Drakes Lightsview also features unique offerings such as the F’Real thickshake machine and a popcorn machine, both of which have become hits with younger families in the area.
Drakes is built on supporting our ecosystem first – our team, our suppliers, our customers and the communities in which we operate. Any decisions we make hinge on what is best for our ecosystem first, because when the ecosystem wins, we all win.
- John-Paul Drake, Director, Drakes
“We are constantly looking for new concepts to add even more value to the shopping experience.”
The store has also expanded its food and drink offerings to cater to a diverse customer base, with its international food section growing in response to customer requests.
“We’ve expanded our international range, particularly our Asian food offering, as our customers requested the products that they would normally pick up from a specialty store.”
This open dialogue between customers and staff is highly encouraged at Drakes. If a customer can’t find a product in the store, the team will do their best to source it.
“We always encourage our customers to speak to our in-store team if there’s a product they can’t find on the shelf, and we’ll try our hardest to source it for them.”
Customers also have access to freshly prepared hot meals throughout the day, including roast dinners and fresh pasta made in-store, with Drake highly recommending the roast pork stating that the crackling is perfection.
A cornerstone of the community
Having a connection with the community is important to Drake, which is evident through customer feedback playing a pivotal role in the design of the store, but also in ensuring that customers have a personalised shopping experience.
“Customers want value for money, but at the same time they’re looking for a personal touch to their local supermarket – they want to know who they’re being served by, who’s making their dinner, who they’re supporting.
Drake explained that at Drakes they are customer-led, and the main priority is to give its customers a choice in how they spend their money.
We are constantly looking for new concepts to add even more value to the shopping experience.
- John-Paul Drake, Director, Drakes
“Listen to your customers and empower your team. Drakes is built on supporting our ecosystem first – our team, our suppliers, our customers and the communities in which we operate. Any decisions we make hinge on what is best for our ecosystem first, because when the ecosystem wins, we all win.”
Building relationships
Alongside its commitment to quality customer service, Drakes has the same mantra with its suppliers. The company has built strong relationships with supplier partners, which has been a cornerstone of the company’s success.
“At Drakes, our relationship with the people we do business with is absolutely critical – people do business with people they like. We focus on building long-term relationships with our supplier partners, as well as working out fair deals for all; everyone needs to win along the way.
“We encourage open communication – they can pick up the phone and give Dad or myself a call if something doesn’t feel right. We would not be where we are without the support of our suppliers. At the end of the day, they are the ones who spend money doing the Research and Development (R&D) for the products we sell, and we recognise the importance of this.”
The quality R&D that suppliers do is evident to Drake in the demand for new products by customers in-store.
“Our customers are keen to try new things, so New Product Developments (NPD) from our suppliers is critical, as is speed to market. If they see it on social media, they expect it on our shelves straight away.”
As with everything Drakes does, the customer is at the centre, and Drake believes other retailers need to recognise this if they want to stay relevant.
“Customer-driven retailing will ramp up in the coming years, and if retailers want to be successful, they will listen to what their customers are telling them.”
