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known South Australian brands like FruChocs and Golden North, to local farms and boutique producers,” Mr dos Santos said. In recent years, Coles has introduced Coles Local, a small format supermarket that is said to be designed to inspire customers and provide quality food through an in-store experience specifically tailored to the local community. Voted as one of the top 30 food retail stores worldwide to visit in 2020 by IGD RetailAnalysis, Coles Local partner with local butchers, bakers, and cafes to offer a “bespoke” range of high-quality foods for local residents. “With six Coles Local stores spread across the country (Surrey Hills, St Kilda, Glenferrie, Rose Bay, Chatswood and Manly) we are able to constantly test and trial locally produced goods, see what’s working and scale from there,” a Coles spokesperson said. “Another way we support Australian suppliers is through the Coles Nurture Fund, where we work with existing and new small to medium sized businesses to help them innovate and grow. “Through the nurture fund, they can apply for a grant of up to $500,000 to help them develop new market- leading products, technologies, and processes. In FY20, the Coles Nurture Fund awarded grants to 15 businesses that are working to produce more Australian food and beverages, improve sustainability or rebuild after bushfires.” In the lead up to Christmas, both Woolworths and Coles offered customers West Australian Rock Lobsters at $20 each, half the price they were in 2019. At the time of the announcement in December, Woolworths said its support of the lobster industry with the purchase of five times more product than the year before, came at a time when many businesses had been heavily disrupted by export restrictions. Coles’ purchase of Western Rock Lobsters, according to the retailer, provided an avenue to move volume domestically by purchasing 29 times the number of lobsters compared to 2019. Coles General Manager for Bakery, Deli and Seafood Andy Mossop says TO PAGE 36 AUSTRALIAN MADE JAN/FEB, 2021 RETAIL WORLD 35