A Look at Coles’ New Sustainable Store and Everything on Offer

Grocery shopping is a boring chore at the best of times, but Coles may have found a way to jazz things up a little. The new premium supermarket in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, has raised the bar for the average food shop.

Supermarket of the future

Designed to be a concept store for Coles’ sustainable strategies, the Moonee Ponds location offers a range of neat new services. Let me tell you, after reading all the features this supermarket has, I don’t just want to shop in this supermarket, I want to live there.

One of the biggest changes is a reduction in plastic packaging which sees a refill station for laundry soaps, detergents, body wash, handwash, shampoo and conditioner in the store.

A fruit and veg bar is another new innovation that allows customers to bring their fresh items to the bar to have them sliced, diced or juiced right in front of them. This helps to combat food waste as the riper fruits can be used for juicing.

Moonee Ponds also has upgraded fishery and pizza sections. The fishery will serve up local catches and staff will fillet seafood upon request. The pizza section will be run by local pizza stars Tremila, who will cook pizzas in an Italian pizza oven. These pizzas are then sold whole or by the slice.

But that’s not all the fresh food that’s on offer. Vietnamese restaurant Roll’d is located in-store with a full menu. The artisan cheese section is also packed with local cheeses, including a bunch of vegan options from Vegan Dairy.

And just for something else different, Moonee Ponds Coles has set up a SISU health station that provides free computerised health checks, as well as a pick-and-mix bar for pet treats.

Sustainable practices

The new store is part of the Coles Group’s ‘Together to Zero‘ sustainability strategy which introduces a range of new targets for the company. The new commitments include:

• to deliver net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050;
• for the entire Coles Group to be powered by 100% renewable electricity by the end of FY25, building on the progress already made towards this target through renewable power purchase agreements, onsite solar and agreements with renewable electricity generators; and
• to reduce combined Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by more than 75 per cent by the end of FY30 (from a FY20 baseline).

The Moonee Ponds Coles puts a lot of these targets into practice. Coles is trialling new misting and colding plates to remove the need for packaging from certain fresh food products.

Other elements throughout the store will also be made from recycled plastic. Hand sanitiser stations, cardboard boxes, shopping bags, trolley baskets, single-use produce bags and team member polo shirts will all be made from recyclable materials.

There are also recycle stations where customers can place their coffee cups and a Redcycle bin that turns soft plastics into benches and furniture.

You can see the full list of innovative practices the Moonee Ponds store is using here. If you live near Moonee Ponds, please check this store out and allow us to shop vicariously through you.

Oh, and whilst you’re there — if you want a cheeky discount on your groceries (including a neat up to 20% off), it’s worth stopping by our Coles coupon page, too.