GDU opened three new branches in Punta Del Este, La Barra and José Ignacio, in order to bring its Fresh Market shopping experience to the entire East in the department of Maldonado. In total, there are now eight branches in the department.
The new premises offer personalized attention and solutions ready to eat, such as pizzas and sourdough bread, made based on the formula of the French chef Pascal Menard. In addition, the Fresh Market Disco at Parada 5 in Punta del Este is open 24 hours a day.
On the other hand, GDU opened two HOME stores in the East, one in La Barra and the other in José Ignacio. It also incorporated as a novelty the Beach & Home concept, which mixes home, decoration and beach items.
Carlos Pombo, director of Concepto Fresh Market, affirmed that the expansion for Fresh Market means continuing to give more consumers access to a “successful format” of value and a “superlatively different” proposal with respect to traditional supermarkets.
“Punta del Este is a very significant resort for the Uruguayan tourism industry where the different private sectors that interact with tourists must strive every day to be at the level of the most attractive international tourist destinations,” he said.
Martín Gómez, GDU Marketing Manager; Adriana Alonso, head of Marketing Fresh Market; Carlos Pombo, director of Fresh Market Concept; Jean Christophe Scissors, CEO GDU; Antonio Piñeiro, GDU Operations Manager.
Looking to the future, he indicated that more branches can be added, given the evolution of the consumer and retail. “This summer 2022-2023 was to start a path, accompanying a very accelerated development of tourism towards the areas to the East of La Barra up to the Garzón lagoon, added to a great growth of the ‘tourist’ population out of season. This summer we are talking about four more points of sale, with a total of 700 meters”, indicated Pombo.
According to the director of Concepto Fresh Market, a customer who interacts with a Fresh Market faces a “very special, highly gratifying” shopping experience, in a great setting, relaxed and with “very professional and humane” attention, along with with a well thought out assortment. Pombo highlighted the focus on providing customer solutions “so that everything is easier” and on innovative products, ranging from gourmet and haute cuisine to increasingly strong consumer trends such as vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, organic, lactose free etc.
Homemade food and sourdough
Pombo referred to the importance for the brand of pizza or sourdough bread, which have been setting a trend for the consumption of more natural and healthy artisanal products for some years. “We could summarize it in more homemade products,” he asserted.
Fresh Market of La Barra.
“A situation that occurred almost simultaneously in both pizza and bread, which was clearly seen in the consumer, was a search for these products. It could not be otherwise within the philosophy of Fresh Market to be at the forefront of changes in consumption and decided to develop pizza and sourdough bread. In both cases, after studies among Uruguayan, Italian, and French specialists, an artisanal path was chosen based on sourdough production,” he explained, adding that in the last ten years the carvery was the fastest growing sector.
According to what he said, all the Fresh Markets have production areas with technology and “highly qualified” personnel, to achieve the “best product” of homemade food and at a price that allows it “to be an option for every day.”
A new audience and a new setting
The decision to maintain a 24-hour store at Stop 5 was based on the high influx of tourists in the last days of December and the first 15 days of January, in which a large and unusual movement was perceived between 0 and 6 , “something that had not been seen in previous summers.” “Quickly, the decision was made to leave the Fresh Market at Parada 5 open 24 hours a day, in a key high-traffic point,” explained Pombo.
HOME, a Grupo Disco concept developed several years ago.
In turn, he made reference to the building aspects and highlighted, along with the relaxed and warm atmosphere, the intention of offering a friendly shopping circuit. “A plant where the customer has a 360-degree view,” he said. In addition, he pointed out that they have a storage and production structure with the latest technologies for production, fractionation and packaging that guarantee the highest food quality. The latter, “what we call a laboratory, is what is not in view of the customer and is what takes 70% of the investment in a Fresh Market development.”
Lastly, the director highlighted the contribution of HOME, a GDU concept developed several years ago from his role as a specialist in manage and very avant-garde decoration in the designs of its assortment and at extremely accessible prices.
New premises:
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Punta del Este: Fresh Market at Parada 1 of Playa Mansa, calle 20 corner with Inzaurraga. Diagonally is the Beach & Home.
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La Barra: Fresh Market and HOME on Camino del Cerro Eguzquiza avenue and Juan Pedro López corner.
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José Ignacio: Fresh Market in Las Golondrinas between Los Biguá and Los Cisnes; and HOME on route 10 km 183 and Los Lobos street.
