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Supermarkets not slowing down

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Media Contact:
Laura Davies
+61 402 456 902
Laura.Davies@dcwc.com.au

Written by

Managing Director, Infrastructure

With more and more international brands hitting Australian shores and recent reports expressing significant increases in suburban retail vacancy over the past 12 months, the upward trend in online shopping is continuing to have an impact on physical retailers that rely on discretionary spending.

While clothing, electronics and homewares may be experiencing a suburban downturn encouraged by online retailing, the opposite appears to be occurring in the spaces where sensory experiences are paramount: Supermarkets, cafés and eateries. Retail_Shopping_Trolley_Supermarket_smaller-1.jpg

Access to fresh produce, food and drink is a market offering yet to be successfully captured online, and continues to drive competition and growth among Australia’s leading grocery chains. 

Donald Cant Watts Corke has been at the forefront of construction and development in the Australian retail sector over the past decade, offering professional services to both large and small operators as they continually expand and modernise their operations. Speaking about the current state of the retail sector as a whole, newly appointed Victorian Director, Mark Vass, was quick to highlight the ongoing growth in the grocery and fresh produce portion of the retail market:

“It [retail] doesn’t at all appear to be slowing down. We have seen Aldi, Coles and Woolworths all increase their need for more stores, particularly into new shopping centre hubs, as well as a consistent need for updating their existing ones… the retail industry in Australia is continuing to be a growing market, with numerous developments appearing in major metro, outer suburban and regional areas.”

Working extensively with both Coles and Aldi across New South Wales and ACT, Donald Cant Watts Corke is playing a substantial role in various store fit out, extension and refurbishment works, providing cost planning, estimation and managerial services to help ensure that more than 70 stores across a mixture of metropolitan, outer- suburban and regional areas remain equipped to meet the changing demands and expectations of consumers.

Our specialists in bank reporting and financial certification are constantly in demand, working closely with these supermarket chains to ensure all progress claims and reports are delivered to the highest quality, accuracy and within the tight deadlines issued.

In addition, Donald Cant Watts Corke has also been recently engaged in new developments on behalf of Woolworths in expanding Victorian suburbs such as Tarneit in Melbourne’s Outer West, and in more regional centres such as Bendigo. Extending beyond the planning phases, we worked on the tenancy coordination and superintendent functions, helping to create a holistic end-to-end service offering.

Commenting on recent projects, Richard Cohen, a Director of Donald Cant Watts Corke NSW, made mention of the upward trend in development and capital works:

“To date we have seen a significant increase in demand for quantity surveying services in this area [supermarkets], and anticipate this will be a key sector for infrastructure over the coming decade.”

Recognising the ongoing challenges faced by Australian supermarkets and grocery stores, and the increasing competition amongst the big players in terms of market share, Donald Cant Watts Corke specialises in understanding the flexibility, agility and building capability required to deliver high-volume roll outs across broad portfolios of stores and locations through the streamlining and amalgamation of services, while retaining the ability to meet the needs of individual stores.

Donald Cant Watts Corke prides itself in its national strength, local knowledge, relationships with stakeholders and ensuring we are appointed as trusted advisors based on the people we contribute to a project. Our work in the retail space exemplifies our commitment to joined-up thinking – by providing an integrated service offering from initial feasibility through to final account – whereby understanding the needs of retail operators is at the forefront. We have built a reputation for delivering outstanding results in the retail sector, and look forward to continuing to partner with our clients to see this industry grow in the future.

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