FairPrice Group has opened a new 24-hour supermarket at Elias Mall in Singapore, with nearly half of the store dedicated to fresh, chilled and frozen food.
The Pasir Ris location has been designed around shopper feedback and combines features associated with traditional wet markets with a modern supermarket format. FairPrice said fresh food occupies a significantly larger share of the store than at a typical FairPrice Super outlet.
The centrepiece is a 24-foot, two-tier seafood ice bed, the largest in the FairPrice network. The store also offers live seafood, an expanded fruit and vegetable range and a dedicated fresh pork counter.
Customers can have fish portioned and vacuum-packed, while a token collection system allows them to continue shopping while seafood is prepared. Fresh Service Ambassadors are also available during the morning peak period to provide product advice and cooking suggestions.
The store adds prepared food options including hot chicken bentos and sushi, while a connected Unity wellness area combines Western supplements with selected Eastern wellness products.
David Goh, chief executive of Supermarkets, Cheers and Unity at FairPrice Group, said the format was built around what local residents said they wanted from a neighbourhood supermarket: freshness, personal service, convenience and accessibility.
The opening gives FairPrice another test bed for a more service-led fresh-food model as supermarket operators across Asia invest in formats that make physical stores more distinctive from online grocery.
