The Michel’s Patisserie chain has opened its first ‘store of the future’ in Lilydale, Victoria and the result has been an initial boost in sales.

Franchise operator Retail Food Group has reported a 65 percent increase in average weekly sales against the system average, and an 85 percent increase in average weekly sales against the top 10 comparable sub-regional stores.

Tracey Catterall, marketing and innovations director at RFG, said “Michel’s Patisserie Lilydale is the first of its kind in Australia and features a completely new look including a simplified logo, updated colour scheme, new packaging, an extended savoury menu featuring baguettes, sandwiches and freshly baked croissants, and a modern French inspired cafe store design.”

FRENCH PATISSERIE HERITAGE

Catterall described the new concept as a massive shift in the direction of the brand, “a fantastic opportunity to further leverage Michel’s beautiful French heritage to appeal to the growing patisserie and specialty cake market.”

A central barista service area is a feature of the new design aimed at heightening the coffee experience for customers, she said. And with a renewed focus on customer service the store has also employed a specialist cake decorator to customise cakes, icing and decorating on-the-spot.

“Michel’s offering of speciality cakes, savoury patisserie products and cold and hot drinks has been reinvigorated to suit changing customer tastes and food trends,” said Catterall. “So far the customer reaction to the new look Michel’s Patisserie has been extremely positive and we are thrilled with the sales results.”

The new format will  now undergo a three month trial with the opportunity to refine elements before the concept is rolled out across the network.

PROJECT EVOLUTION

The new concept is part of an ongoing Project Evolution across all RFG brands, based on two years of research undertaken around the world for international trends and in-depth consumer testing.

Catterall said “Project Evolution is about evolving our brand systems by anticipating consumer trends and the future of the retail environment.”

Michel’s is the second brand to get the Project Evolution treatment; in December 2012 Donut King’s concept store opened in Queensland and sales are continuing to trend at 58 percent above comparative suburban stores.

Images: RFG