It only opened in Grafton Shoppingworld less than a fortnight ago, but Australian owned and operated food warehouse Fresh & Save is already proving to be extremely popular with Clarence Valley shoppers.

With the country’s supermarket sector primarily dominated by two large companies who have a significant share of more than 60 percent of the grocery market, a spokesperson for Fresh & Save told the Clarence Valley Independent they offer customers a completely different shopping experience.

“We provide a genuine alternative for Australians to save more on their grocery bills without skipping out on the brands they know and love or passing up on quality,” they said.

“Being a warehouse style store allows us to buy more stock and hold it in-store to keep prices lower for longer.

“It also provides a lot of efficiencies in the way we merchandise stock.

“Our stores are extremely spacious with very large fresh food departments, and having butchering and baking onsite also gives us great credibility in fresh foods.

“Customers enjoy a very spacious environment (in our stores) where our aisles are almost twice the width of those of our competitors.

“Australians also love to support Australian owned and operated businesses, so it’s a win-win for everyone.”

The spokesperson said as an Australian family-owned business, Fresh & Save can resonate with their customers more than their corporate competitors.

“We genuinely work to keep our prices as low as possible for Australian families,” they said.

The addition of Fresh & Save in the Clarence Valley has created more than 100 local jobs in the region with the spokesperson also revealing Grafton was selected as the prime location for the new store, the second Fresh & Save to be opened in NSW behind Armidale, after the business was approached by the McConaghy Group who own and manage Grafton Shoppingworld.

President of the Grafton Chamber of Commerce Carol Pachos said the opening of Fresh & Save in the region is a big win for Grafton, adding it will attract shoppers from across the Clarence Valley and beyond.

“That can only benefit all businesses (in Grafton),” she explained.

“I can see a lot of people coming to Grafton to shop at Fresh & Save, and they will also see the other local businesses we have here.”

Fresh & Save currently have nine stores open in Australia, two in NSW and seven in Queensland, and there are also plans to expand further across both states.

The spokesperson said Fresh & Save is looking forward to becoming part of the Clarence Valley community.

This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 4 June 2025.