Catering to “experiential shoppers” has underpinned the strategic rationale behind the redevelopment of the food court at Greensborough Plaza in Melbourne.

The revamp will see the introduction of a new fresh food market to be launched as early as mid-year. The plaza’s new fresh food precinct will include a mix of fresh food, cafes, and health and beauty style retailers.

It will also see the relocation of complementary existing retailer, Growers, moving into the ex JB Hi-Fi tenancy. Several other tenancy changes will take place – all aimed at striking the right mix in keeping with the boom in fresh food markets seen in Australia over the past decade, as consumers seek more from their shopping experiences.

According to Nielson data, fresh food sales have grown by as much as $2 billion in ten years and TV shows such as ‘MasterChef’ and ‘My Kitchen Rules’ have propelled the trend.

“Centre court on level one will be going through a transformation from February 2017,” said Isaac Tait, centre manager at Greensborough Plaza.

“As part of this, the precinct will evolve into an engaging ‘market-like’ atmosphere.

“We are also widening the walkway between centre court and the fresh food precinct to create a more open feel and connectivity for customers”.

This is the second major redevelopment the centre has undergone as part of their plan to “holistically transform” the shopping experience. In December last year, the centre launched Tables on the Green, a casual dining precinct with an urban inner city feel that aims to complement the fresh food precinct.

The precinct introduced five food retailers including Schnitz, Dumpling Chef, Groove Train, Flame400 and Fukutonei Ramen, along with a luxury upgrade to the precinct’s Hoyts movie theatre and the introduction of a new Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Store.

According to CBRE research, the changing shopping habits of consumers and the rise of experiential shoppers is driving an increased demand for food and beverage options within shopping centres.

“The fresh food precinct will take on a whole new ambience which will be complementary to Tables on the Green,” said Tait, who said the works are expected to be completed by the end of July ahead of an official launch in August 2017.

“We recognise that our customers are looking for changes in their shopping experience and so we’re determined to make fresh food shopping an experience the whole family can enjoy,” he said.

Suzee Brain, director of Brain & Poulter food consultants, said consumers are increasingly dining out however supplement the additional expenditure by seeking cheaper dining options.

“Overall food catering has only risen by five per cent in the last five years however the casual dining sector is really driving this growth and has risen by 30 per cent,” she said.

“Consumers are looking for more affordable dining options that still allow them to dine out rather than at home, which is why casual dining is rising at a rate six times higher than that of other dining categories such as fast food and fine dining.”

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