Hi-Lo Food Stores at Manor Park in St. Andrew now has a brand new

Owen Thompson, produce attendant, restocks potatoes in the farm produce section

look after being closed five weeks for refurbishing. The store, which re-opened its doors on March 22, has been re-designed to make grocery shopping a delightful experience, thanks to wider aisles and an attractive display of both local and foreign products on the shelves.

In addition to these features, shoppers now transport goods in royal blue and black shopping carts, which are far less noisy than the regular stainless steel ones. Hi-Lo has consistently supported local agriculture and that is very evident at Manor Park. In a very spacious setting, farm fresh produce such as yams, green bananas and potatoes are attractively displayed in metal and wooden boxes placed inside wooden compartments covered by thatched roofs, giving customers a market feel.

Devon Paul, supervisor and merchandiser of the dairy section of Hi-Lo Manor Park, assists Lorna Ford, a customer in selecting cheese from the new deli.

The beverage section of the floor bears the resemblance of a distillery as bottles of fine wine and age-old rum are nestled on wooden shelves and crates. The deli cheese section is a true paradise for any cheese lover as a wide variety from different countries is available. Mouthwatering smoked pork chops, chicken and turkey are there for the taking in the deli meat section including the popular smoked pork belly rolls that meat cutter Fitzroy Atkinson highly recommends for a tasty Sunday meal.

Andrew Ho, General Manager, Dairy Industries Limited and long standing Hi-Lo customer, checks out the wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

In order to accommodate the new deli meat and cheese sections of the store, the floor space have been expanded from 14,000 square feet to 16,000 square feet. Some of the floor space has been re-allocated and sections re-shifted but boldly marked signs hang above each section, enabling customers to find their way around the store easily. There are also new check-out counters equipped with state-of-the-art cash registers which make cashing of items easier and quicker. The customer service area is much bigger, brighter and more welcoming while a wide variety of pharmaceutical items readily available for

Meat cutter Fitzroy Aitkens tells customers about the popular pork roll, one of the popular items in the new meat section.

consumers are neatly stacked on the shelves behind the counter. A branch of First Global Bank will also be established at the supermarket in May to offer customers the regular banking services when they need it.

According to Hi-Lo Manor Park's Manager, Annette McDonnough, the customers, some of whom are very loyal, were overwhelmed with the store's new design. She noted that some who had shopped elsewhere are now returning home. " Our customers' response has been tremendous since we reopened in March. They are excited about our new opening hours which are now more flexible for persons who leave work late," she said. The store's new opening hours are Monday to Thursday 8:00a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 8:00a.m. to 11:00p.m. and Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

It was felt among the executives of Grace, Kennedy, operators of the Hi-Lo Food Stores that the Manor Park branch needed a little "sprucing up" hence the refurbishing exercise as a means of retaining existing customers as well as attracting new ones.

Pastry chef Lincoln Mullings restocking the shelves in the bakery.

Mrs. McDonnough further explained that the Hi-Lo Manor Park Store caters to a wide range of customers from neighbouring areas such as Constant Spring, Stony Hill, Oakridge, Norbrook and Stony Hill while some travel from as far as Port Antonio to Manor Park to do their weekly shopping. Emphasis is also placed on good customer service at the store, which the manager explained will not in any way be compromised.

Phone in orders

For busy customers who have no time to spare for grocery shopping, a phone in order service is also available at the store. Customers can simply phone in their shopping list to 924-1411 and the orders will be filled by the supermarket staff. Persons can pick up their shopping later when they pay, thus saving themselves the time to walk the aisles and search the shelves, tasks for which they may not have the time. On average, the store gets nearly 10,000 customers per week, which indicates that it is indeed a popular shopping spot in the Manor Park area. "We recognize that several of our customers have busy lifestyles and they are looking for a convenient shopping facility where they can get just about any grocery item in one place. With this in mind, we try to keep our stock very current and so after re-opening last month, we revamped our juice section and extended our dairy section by adding more products." Hi-Lo guarantees value for money with a wide variety of Hi-Lo branded products of the highest quality at great prices.

Hi-Lo customer Owen Russell tries the new check-out counter.

Consideration was also given to staff members during the refurbishing process as the staff lunchroom and restrooms were given a facelift and showers with hot water installed.

The supermarket has also established a bakery section in the store to satisfy the appetite for those with a sweet tooth. Though still in the early stage, the bakery has already been taking cake orders. Some of the more tempting pastries on offer are Black Forest Cake, Chocolate Mocha Cake and Cookies'n'Cream. So if you are in the Manor Park area and have not yet done your shopping, then step inside Hi-Lo Food Store as a spacious setting, friendly staff and comfortable surroundings await you.

Posted: April 29, 2005