LaManna’s CEO on curating a personalised supermarket experience for the holidays

LaManna, the 10,000sqm independent supermarket located at Essendon Fields, is rising to the Christmas occasion.

Typically, consumers seek out department stores and shopping centres to get in the holiday spirit but LaManna has managed to position itself as the exception.

The food emporium has earned a reputation for its hospitality-first approach in the grocery sector and its strategy for the holiday season will follow the same playbook.

Inside Retail spoke to the supermarket’s CEO, Patrick LaManna, to discuss why its unique Christmas offering stands out and attracts heavy foot traffic year after year and what it takes to prepare a supermarket for the holiday season.

Inside Retail: How has LaManna differentiated its holiday season offering from other supermarkets? 

Patrick LaManna: At LaManna, we’ve built a reputation for delivering an unparalleled Christmas experience, offering over 900 unique Christmas-specific products sourced from around the globe as well as dozens of products that are made by us for the festive period. Moreover, our emphasis on creating a vibrant in-store atmosphere with festive displays and personalised customer service makes shopping at LaManna more than just a transaction – it’s an experience. 

IR: What are some returning best-selling products from past years, and what’s new this year? 

PL: Our range of LaManna curated hampers are always a favourite for our customers, alongside our Otway Free Range Pork Hams that our butchers hand select and have expertly smoked by our supplier partner over the past 14 years. We have over 150 different Panettone on sale this year which always sells well, and from a fresh food perspective, our Pacific Oysters fly out the door on December 24. Last year the Zonzo Limoncello Spritz launched in-store and we sold 962 bottles the week of Christmas and this year with cherries being at a more affordable price point than they were last year, we are planning that they will be on everyone’s shopping list.  

IR: How does the supermarket have to prepare/work differently during the month of December as opposed to other months? 

PL: December is our busiest month, and preparation starts months in advance. From a logistics perspective, we scale up significantly – ensuring that stock levels for high-demand items are carefully forecasted and that our supply chain runs seamlessly. Because we make so many products ourselves, be that at our Essendon Fields store or at our manufacturing site, a lot of planning goes into the increased volumes and production days changing to accommodate not only the big week, but the two days we are closed after December 24.

In-store, we increase our staffing levels, with extra team members focused on assisting customers in stocking shelves promptly to keep up with demand. Operationally, we also extend trading hours to provide flexibility for our customers to make shopping as smooth as possible. 

IR: Do you have any statistics that you could share with me about the volume of products sold or foot traffic during the holiday period? 

PL: More specifically around the last seven days of Christmas, we see an increase of over 120 per cent in our retail departments, mainly around the fresh food areas. People come from all over Melbourne to visit  LaManna for the most important occasions for them throughout the year, and no better occasion to celebrate than Christmas, which truly brings the family together. Foot traffic is harder to measure for us, as we have five different areas in the store where customers can transact, with customers able to have breakfast or a coffee in the Café, do their grocery shopping, stop at the Canteen to pickup a salad or the Tiramisu Bar for Pistachio Papi Tiramisu to take home, head to the Patisserie and purchase a Santa Cake or even the Fornoria section for a Pizza al Taglio to eat later, but you know its busy when we can’t cut watermelon quick enough for the customers to take off the shelf.

IR: What do you hope customers experience if they visit/shop at LaManna in the run-up to Christmas?

PL: We aim to create an environment where customers feel the joy and warmth of the festive season from the moment they walk through our doors. Whether it’s through beautifully curated displays, the aroma of fresh food, or the smiles of our friendly staff, we want every shopper to leave with a sense of excitement and inspiration. Ultimately, our goal is for customers to associate LaManna with the magic of Christmas, knowing that they can rely on us to make their celebrations truly special.

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