Business Writeup by Tanya Outridge

As Christmas races towards us, it is reassuring to know that you can not only walk into a single store and buy groceries, food, gifts, decorations and homewares, but also that it is a family owned store that prioritizes support for local suppliers and communities.

White’s IGA Forest Glen Store Manager, Karen Baker said “supporting local suppliers is just so important, because it means that money stays in our local economy, and it is more sustainable, as goods don’t have to be transported so far.”

Via their Locavore Program, White’s IGA Forest Glen store has over 200 local suppliers, many of which are gourmet and award winning.

“Incredible care has gone into the planning of this store and we are always getting feedback about what a great vibe it has,” she said. “The gathering table in the coffee shop is a terrific meeting spot for people and it is not uncommon to see people wandering around doing their shopping with a coffee in hand. It is so much more relaxed and is changing the way we do our shopping.”

The team at Forest Glen IGA can help at this time of the year with their fabulous platters which can be customised to suit your needs.

“We have a very good selection of savoury, sweet platters and fruit platters to choose from and we can also make changes to suit our customers,” Karen said.

Now is the time to place your orders for Christmas, and you can collect your goods right up to and including Christmas Day.

“We can look after you for roast chickens and pork, hams and baked hams, Mooloolaba prawns and fresh seafood, salads and platters,” said Karen. 

“We also stock gourmet dessert lines like The Pudding Lady Christmas puddings and Koko Pod chocolates.

“Being open every day takes a lot of pressure off people because you can call in even on Christmas Day between 6am and 1pm to collect your order and last minute gifts, or top up fresh fruit and veggies, meat and groceries. When you are hosting lots of guests or are entertaining, there are always bits and pieces that you need to get.”

You can find order forms for platters in store or online and the White’s Catalogue, which runs in conjunction with IGA catalogues, has some fantastic specials to help with the cost of Christmas. It will be available between December 4 and December 18. 

“This is always such a busy time of year, but we aim to take some of the stress and pressure out of it for our customers by creating a beautiful shopping environment as well as loads of ‘done for you’ options to make entertaining that little bit more enjoyable.”