In an environment characterised by fierce competition, commercial success is dictated by a number of factors including location, quality products, comparable prices and convenient hours, to name a few.
Shoppers say that beyond all these, the type of service provided by retailers, be they owners, managers or employees would dictate their preference of the retail store.
Indian Supermarkets score high points on this score, for, a majority of them are not only owner-operated, but have the benefit of their presence all the time.
“That is a major difference,” says Dr Rita Sasidharan, a regular shopper at Saluja’s Food & Spices (located at Bishop Junction near Botany Downs in South Auckland).
“This Supermarket is not far from my residence but the main reason for my preference is the friendly service that customers receive from its owners. This is also one of the few Indian supermarkets which accept all credit cards. Another main attraction is that I am able to get my copy of Indian Newslink,” she said.
Dannemora resident Arun Khotkar agreed, saying that he and his family feel ‘at home’ whenever they visit Saluja’s Food & Spices.
“They always look after us and ask if there is more that they can do to help in our shopping. I think this is a distinguishing feature of this supermarket,” he said.
Customer patronage
Maneesh Saluja, who owns the Supermarket with his wife Aparajita, is pleased with such customer feedback.
“Saluja’s Food & Spices has been a successful operation since it was established in 2006 and we owe this success to the patronage extended by our customers. We are proud that this Supermarket has grown to cater to people of Indian origin, including those from India, Fiji, South Africa and other parts of the world, Malaysian, Chinese, people from the Middle East and Kiwis. Our customers always say that they find our retail store clean and hygienic,” he said.
The increasing number of shoppers bear testimony to such a belief. According to them, Saluja’s has made a difference in an area, which has almost all the mainstream supermarket chains established over several years.
“There are many items that cannot be purchased in Countdown, Pak N Save and other major supermarkets. We depend on Saluja’s for a wide range of Indian spices, bulk foods, frozen items, rice, wheat, Indian soft drinks that are healthy and tasty and many other products. These are available at competitive prices and hence we do not find the need to go elsewhere,” they said.
Mr Saluja was obviously pleased with such comments.
An extensive range
“Such customer sentiments are encouraging. From a modest beginning, we have grown to stock more than 5000 items that are in constant demand. The anxiety is to increase the product reach, include new brands and items and sell at affordable prices to suit most budgets,” he said.
He imports a majority of items directly from India and enjoys the benefit of bulk purchases from main importers and distributors in New Zealand as well.
“We realise that most of our customers would like Saluja’s to be a one-stop-shop for their daily and weekly requirements. In tune with such a market need, we do our best to provide almost all the items that a family needs every day. These include fresh fruits and vegetables and a host of other products,” he said.
