Farro Fresh to open new store in Auckland’s CBD

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Farro Fresh will open a new store in Commercial Bay later this year, bringing a smaller version of their upmarket boutique supermarkets to Auckland’s CBD.

Farro does not yet have an exact date but expects doors to open from the last week of October or the first week
of November.

The store will fill a 50sq m space on Commercial Bay’s ground floor, near Bluebells Cakery and activewear brand Lorna Jane.
The size of the space has led Farro to “significantly tighten” their offerings, co-chief executive Garth Sutherland told the Herald.
The store will house Farro’s usual counter with a select range of salads, sandwiches, deli goods and more ready-to-cook meals. It will also stock a curated range of its regular grocery products.
Farro plans to make additions to its usual range, too, with a focus on convenience. The store will stock breakfast sandwiches, yoghurt cups and prepared fruit and take pre-orders for office catering. It will also see the launch of cold-pressed juices, which have been in development for over a year.
Sutherland felt the ongoing construction around Sky City had shifted “the heart of the city” to the waterfront.
“A quick spin around the food court at lunchtime is proof positive that it’s still a thriving professional hub, and the complex has broad enough appeal that we see it staying busy and bustling right through summer.”
The downtown premises have been chosen as Farro perceives it to have a “bustling mix of professionals, shoppers and tourists,” Sutherland said. Following pressure from Government and employers for employees to return to their workplaces, it’s expected there will be more workers in the city rather than working from home.
The time of year also played a role in Farro’s decision. Sutherland expects warmer weather to bring more tourists into the nearby ports and the upcoming holiday season to cause commuting workers to seek convenience on busy days.
“It’s ideally located to service the needs of a wide range of customers.”
At this stage, Farro is treating the opening as a trial. A few factors could lead the supermarket to deem the trial a success and look to the viability of a long-term stay.
“We’ll be interested to see how the space works from a crowd-control perspective, and if the scope is enough for us to provide a suitably broad range. We’re only a small team, so logistics will play a big part, and, of course, it has to be commercially viable.”
Currently, the Commercial Bay shopping mall houses a food court on Level 2 with a mix of casual and fine dining. Farro Fresh will be the first supermarket offering within the Commercial Bay complex – Woolworths Metro on Albert St, Four Square on Customs St East and New World Metro on Queen St are currently the closest supermarkets to the mall.
In February, Farro Fresh also opened a new store in the Smales Farm commercial hub in Takapuna on the North Shore.
Other locations for the chain include Mairangi Bay, Ōrākei, Grey Lynn, Mt Eden, Epsom and Lunn Ave.
Farro Fresh was founded by Janene and James Draper in 2006. The first store was opened in Mt Wellington.
Madeleine Crutchley is a Multimedia Journalist for Viva and Lifestyle for the New Zealand Herald, based in Auckland. She covers stories relating to fashion, food, art, pop culture and travel.
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