Nestled amid a sea of industrial land and factories sits billionaire Adrian Portelli’s bright and shining new beacon of hope: a supermarket.
Portelli, known for his publicity stunts and cash giveaways, opened his latest venture, an LMCT+-branded store in Deer Park, 25km west of Melbourne and home to vacant land and a notorious women’s prison.
He has billed the store, known as LMCT+ Market, as a challenger to Coles and Woolworths, promising discounts of up to 10 per cent on many products amid Australia’s cost-of-living pressures.
‘It’s day one of the supermarket and it’s fair to say that I’m bored. I’m coming in absolutely swinging, it’s time to stop playing games,’ he said in a video.
The Daily Mail visited the former IGA site, now rebranded with blue and white advertising and adorned with a deflated grand opening hot air balloon.
Unlike traditional supermarkets, customers must scan a membership barcode linked to Portelli’s subscription service before entering in what feels like a more dystopian approach to shopping.
For those not already signed up, several kiosks and a staffed service desk were available at the entrance alongside a large screen showing glossy clips of Portelli.
Membership starts at $99 per year, paid upfront for the ‘petrol saver’ fuel and market discount, but can cost as much as $999 for the annual ‘elite’ level.
Billionaire Adrian Portelli opened his latest venture, a LMCT+-branded supermarket in Deer Park (pictured)
Portelli has linked the supermarket membership to his discounted fuel servo at Preston (above)
The Daily Mail visited the store to see how the groceries compared to Coles and Woolies
As the automated gate swung open, the Daily Mail stepped into aisles that looked like any other supermarket across the country.
There was little to distinguish the store beyond large, flashy adverts for Portelli’s subscription service displayed on kiosks at the entrance.
The store was compact, clean and tidy, with shelves fully stocked and produce prominently displayed.
But the shop seems unsure of its USP, selling both discounted grocery staples and premium products, ranging from Tim Tams for $2.90 and strawberries for $2.90 to Wagyu burgers priced at $18 per patty and imported Greek olive oil costing $42.
So for the ordinary Australian, how does it match up if wanting to replace routine pantry items?
Bread: At LMCT+, a Just Wholemeal Loaf costs $3.70 while the item is priced at $4 on both Coles and Woolworths websites.
Milk: If picking up a two litre bottle of The Milk Guys Farm Fresh Full Cream Milk, LMCT+ would cost $3.20. The retail giants do not list the brand on their website, but similar items have a higher price, with Coles running a special on Devondale Full Cream Milk two litre at $4.20 and Woolies listing a $4.20 special on Dairy Farmers Full Cream Milk two litre.
Eggs: For a 12 pack of Sunrise Eggs Free Range XL, LMCT+ would cost $5.75 while Coles sells them for $7.40. Woolies does not stock Sunrise but a similar 12 pack of Open Range XL is sold for $7.40.
Some items proved to be cheaper than Coles and Woolies, while others were roughly the same
During a visit, there were as many customers in the shop as there were staff stocking shelves
The store stocks a mix of discounted staples and premium products, including wagyu beef burgers for $18 per patty
Beef: Premium mince, wrapped in air-tight 1kg packages at LMCT+ costs roughly $13, a small discount compared to the retail giants which offered their own brand of 1kg beef mince for $15 each.
Chicken: About 567g of breast fillets cost $8.51 at Portelli’s store, compared to Coles RSPCA Approved Chicken Breast Fillets, sold for $8.70 for approximately 600g, and Woolworths RSPCA Approved Chicken Breast Fillets weighing 650g costing $9.50.
Bananas: A kilogram at LMCT+ cost $3.99, while Coles sells a bananas mini pack of 750g at $4.90. Woolworths sells Cavendish bananas at $0.81 each, so for four bananas a customer would pay $3.24.
In short, savings are small and dependent on the deals of the day.
LMCT+ appeared to have almost no own brand items – a significant selling point of Coles and Woolworths – apart from the independently bagged mince or 600ml bottles of ‘artesian spring water’ for $1.99.
The supermarket opened earlier this month and, on a first visit on October 15, staff vastly outnumbered customers. During a second trip on October 25, the numbers were equal.
‘It’s been like this all day. I was surprised when I started on Tuesday that it’s not as busy as I thought it might be,’ a shop worker told the Daily Mail as only a handful of customers moved through the aisles.
He said an ‘obstacle’ to attracting people was the membership requirement, with some shoppers ‘unwilling’ to sign up.
LMCT+ appeared to have limited own-brand items, a selling point of Coles and Woolworths
The store is compact, neat and clean, with shelves stocked and arranged with precision
Portelli converted an IGA into his first supermarket
‘I think the prices are pretty good, but we need more variety,’ he added.
At the rear of the supermarket, the dingy entrance to the store’s warehouse is visible from the pothole-ridden road.
Three dumpsters were overflowing with cardboard and rubbish, while used crates and pallet bases sat outside a loading dock.
Portelli is right to go after the big two supermarkets but, given the price comparisons to Coles and Woolworths, he may not have come out ‘swinging’.
He has acknowledged competing with the big two will be a ‘challenge’ due to their significantly greater buying power.
He also told followers some Coles and Woolworths prices would be ‘difficult to beat’ given the thousands of products stocked across their networks compared with his single supermarket.
Portelli remains confident his supermarket model will push ahead with a roll-out of his chain across Victoria.
Membership for the supermarket is also linked to Portelli’s LMCT+ service station discounted petrol deal.
In short, savings are dependent on the deals of the day, such as $2.90 for TimTams
The produce looked fresh and staff diligently kept stock moving from the back to the store
