A membership-only Indian and South Asian wholesale supermarket dubbed the “Indian Costco” has opened its first store in Penrith in western Sydney.
The new supermarket, called Grosco, is owned by Exotic Grocer and calls itself “Australia’s first members only Indian grocery store”, and claims to be the largest in the country.
Grosco says it can sell Indian groceries at lower prices than traditional retailers due to its membership system and warehouse-style shopping experience, similar to US wholesale giant Costco, which has three stores in Sydney and 15 Australia-wide.
“Indian families in Australia spend thousands every year on groceries at retail prices they shouldn’t have to pay. Grosco exists to change that – permanently,” the supermarket said.
“Traditional grocery stores mark up products 30-50%. We don’t do that. Grosco runs on razor-thin margins because we’d rather have thousands of members saving money than charge a few customers inflated prices. The membership fee is what keeps our business running.”
Grosco said on its website it also sells Australian brands, along with fresh and frozen food, and claims to be 40% cheaper than other Indian grocery stores.
“A family spending $100/week on Indian groceries saves approximately $1,200-$1,800 per year at Grosco compared to any other Indian grocery store. That’s a holiday. That’s school fees. That’s money back where it belongs in your pocket,” the supermarket said.
The supermarket said 6,000 customers visited during the launch weekend earlier this month, which was attended by Penrith City Council Mayor Todd Carney.
The store has had a mainly positive response on social, with some calling it the “Indian version of Costco”, and others asking if it would be opening in other cities.
Header image: The Grosco grand opening (Facebook).
