Johannesburg – In July this year, the very first SOKO District opened in Rosebank Mall.
A few months later, SOKO identified an opportunity to test a locally sourced grocer within the Rosebank District and partnered with The Grainery on a concept called Gather Grocer.
Gather is a curated grocery concept store with local producers of quality food products sold on a consignment basis.
“Gather is the child we really considered and studied before deciding we were going to bring it out into the open. Hundreds of hours went into the forethought, the systems, the brand acquisition, the visual language, and most importantly, the business model. We are proud of its complexity and solid foundation,” says Gather’s curator and owner of The Grainery, Twila Cannell.
Moreover, SOKO says the intention is to create a grocery store collective that changes the shopping experience by giving the expert crafters of food products the ability to reach customers in a considered, immersive and curated way in a convenient location, “a space that makes sense for food retail”.
“We are confident that not only will this store become a destination shopping experience in its own right, but that it will also bring much-needed traffic and repeat footfall into the district, benefiting all retailers within the district,” Said Hanré Truter, Head of Space at SOKO
In a statement, SOKO explained that a special focus will be on the offering at Gather. “The brands which have come on board are special. They are a true celebration and testament to the tenacity and creativity of the South African food entrepreneur”.
Respectively, Gather would like to extend an opportunity to as many food brands as possible, any local producers of grocery store product offerings can email eat@gathergrocer.co.za to find out more about being part of the Gather Grocery.
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