Chapleys' innovative drive brings Australian firsts to their Adelaide supermarkets at Frewville and Pasadena
Nick Chapley and son Spero were confident in their vision of delivering world-class standards at their Frewville and then Pasadena supermarkets, under the Foodland banner, that won 2016 and 2017 IGA international retailer of the year awards.
The innovative drive of the Chapley family’s Adelaide supermarkets at Frewville and Pasadena has created Australian firsts such as eliminating single-use plastic bags in 2020 and introducing food tours at Pasadena where the range and specialities have raised it to a food emporium.
Behind that drive from the start was Nick Chapley who began his working life at 14 in his father’s café opened in the small New South Wales town of Moulamein opened in 1951. He learned about innovation and enterprise, buying into his father’s business with brother John and expanding the café by adding a fresh produce department, delicatessen and small grocery store.
The family moved to a mixed business with produce, deli and grocery lines in Redcliffs, Victoria. Their next store., in 1968, was twice as big, with meat, variety and liquor added. It had eight checkouts and 40 full-time employees. A year later, the business was supplying several thousand lamb, pork and beef bodies each week at retail and wholesale level.
But the focus stayed on supermarkets when, in 1978, the Redcliffs store and meat wholesale business were sold for the move to the Adelaide suburb of Craigmore in 1979. With the background of having grown, prepared, served, manufactured, wholesaled and retailed food, Nick Chapley and son Spero were confident in their vision of delivering Adelaide's finest world-class standards at their Frewville and then Pasadena supermarkets, under the Foodland banner, that won 2016 and 2017 IGA international retailer of the year awards.
The drive of the family’s Commercial Retail Group to keep innovating and investing continued with the 2022 announcement to be part of the Locale Consortium developing a market square, urban farm and townhouses at the former LeCornu site on Anzac Highway.
The depth of the Chapleys’ commitment to innovation and range was showcased with its weekly Locale food tours at Pasadena, developed with the South Australian tourist commission. Guests got a hands-on experience including blending spices, insights into chocolate making and wood oven cooking, a taste of coffee culture and an introduction to salumi. The tours were curated to show premium-quality South Australian and international produce sold in the store, with stories of local producers and growers. Seasonal produce included South Australian seafood and fresh fish, locally-cured meats, fruit and vegetables, meat and dairy, as well as selected imported produce. Tastings, expert advice and cooking tips, with a glass of South Australian wine, were followed by an optional Chef’s Table Lunch at Pasadena’s flagship restaurant, Mr Nick’s Kitchen. The Chef’s Table Lunch was a multi-course experience created from produce and ingredients, all sourced instore.
The everyday customer and staff experience was not forgotten with the Chapleys keeping to a commitment of only having personalised checkouts.
