A son of a baker, Norm Reddrop began his career as an apprentice in 1956 at Crooks National Grocery Store in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. It was there that he met and married Margot, a daughter of a dairy farmer. Maybe it was in the blood, maybe it was fate but in 1973, the two packed up and moved their family to Alexandra, Victoria to open their first supermarket. A generation later, Norm and Margot’s son met the granddaughter of a butcher and history repeated. In 1998, Michael and Tina moved to Alexandra and bought the business.
50 years on from opening the doors of its first store, the group has evolved from one store to 27 (and growing) and employs more than 1300 team members. While many things have changed, the family business’s commitment to consistently do better by its customers, communities and people has not. Michael and Tina are still very much involved in the business, but their family has now grown to include an incredible group of specialists who are equally passionate about the communities and customers they serve.
OUR BRANDS
Prior to October 2014, there were six supermarkets in the Reddrop Group. They all traded in regional North East Victoria and under the FoodWorks brand. In October 2014, the group ventured out and opened its first ‘Go to Grocer’ concept store in Prahran. Four years later, the group commenced operating its first IGA branded store.
‘Go to Grocer’ was established in 2014 with the launch of the Reddrop Group’s first independently bannered store in Prahran. The Reddrop Group now have eight ‘Go’ bannered stores across Victoria.
‘Go to Grocer’ is a convenient and boutique offer with each store catering uniquely and differently for the geographic community it serves. With its mid-century style of customer service, each store prides itself on being the grocer for the locals.
“We’re big enough to bring you great value, but small enough to care about what you need. Our aim is to become a valued member of your community. We’re here to help with home delivery when you need it; to source exotic ingredients when you want them and to smile when you come by. We care about the little things. So, no matter what you need, from the freshest gourmet produce to your back-of-the-pantry basics, you can trust we’ll go to any lengths to bring it to you. We’re your ‘Go to Grocer’.
FoodWorks stores are a part of the Australian United Retailers (AUR) network of independently owned supermarkets. The Reddrop Group has seven FoodWorks stores across both Victoria and New South Wales.
“We (Foodworks) are a part of the local community. We play netball/football together, our children attend the same school, our concerns are your concerns. We take pride in providing our customers the best offer and service possible because our customers are our friends, family and community. We are good enough and nimble enough to support the needs of our community.”
Independent Grocers of Australia (IGA) is an Australian chain of supermarkets. IGA is owned by Metcash, however, individual IGA stores are owned independently, it is the fourth largest chain in Australia with more than 1,400 stores. The Reddrop Group own Werribee Supa IGA store.
“… At the beginning of each day, we open our doors for one reason and one reason only, to deliver a shopping experience how the locals like it.”
