Looking for a top spot for your weekly food shop? Popular supermarket chain Wellcome has well over 300 outlets in Hong Kong, and this brand new one in The Westwood, Sai Wan, is little short of a grocery goldmine! We took a spin down the aisles to see what we could find.
Fact file
Name: Wellcome Fresh
Location: 3/F, The Westwood, 8 Belcher’s Street, Sai Wan
Size: 50,000 square feet
Zones: 14
Inventory: Over 15,000 items
What you’ll find
Dubbed “Hong Kong’s largest supermarket”, Wellcome Fresh carries grocery items and fresh ingredients sourced from across the globe; these are located in 14 different feature zones, with thousands and thousands of premium products, from fine wines to locally farmed produce. Here’s just a taste.
Fresh Produce – 10 highlights
- Large collection of tropical fruit sourced from Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia
- Organic mushrooms from Hong Kong, farmed in Yuen Long with premium seeds from the Netherlands
- Saveol tomatoes from France, including Belle-de-Coeur, Black Marquise and Torino varieties
- Locally farmed, no-hormone-added black Iberian pork
- Wagyu beef, pork and poussin from Kagoshima, Japan
- Free range chicken from Qingyuan
- 120-day grain-fed Angus beef from Australia
- Close to 100 types of live and chilled seafood, including premium items from Japan
- Over 80 types of chilled and frozen seafood from around the world
- Wild-caught king crabs from Norway
One huge bonus at Wellcome Fresh is that most of produce isn’t pre-packaged; you’re free to handpick items – pieces of fruit, for example – in quantities to your liking. (Good for you; good for the environment!) Also noteworthy is the presence of a resident seafood chef who can cook your selections to your liking.
After you’ve ticked off all the items on your fresh produce list, head down Food Street for some grab-and-go goodies for your next meal.
Food Street – 10 highlights
- Fresh, daily made barbecued and roasted pork, soy sauce chicken and lo mei (a special Chinese marinade)
- Signature roast duck is made with 12 secret sauces and eight secret spices
- Canto stir-fry, steamed dishes, baked meals and vegetarian options
- Local and Thai desserts, from mango sticky rice to sandwiches, salads and fruit platters
- A bakery with wheat, grain and gluten-free bread, French croissants, German rye sour dough, cakes and more
- A Japanese section managed by a seasoned sushi chef and offering sushi, onigiri and don bowls made fresh daily
- Korean family recipes of kimchi, sizzling meals, stone rice and Korean fried chicken
- Western favourites, from pizza and pasta to snacks and soups
- Chinese baked snacks from The Walnut Shop, including egg rolls and pork jerky
- Over 30 types of traditional dried fruits and nuts
Other zones to explore
In addition to all the fresh produce and ready-to-eat items, you’ll find everything from a vegetarian zone and a made-in-HK noodle zone, to a baking supplies zone, a $10 specials zone, a pet zone and more. And a shout out to the décor, too; it features earthy tones and timber accents, and colourful murals and objects to mark the different zones, such as the mural of marine life and the hanging fishing nets you’ll find in the seafood zone.
Green features
We’ve already mentioned that Wellcome Fresh has uses far less packaging for its fresh produce than you’ll find in many stores in Hong Kong. Here are a few more of its environmentally-friendly features:
- Sparky red floors made with a mix of used glass and mirrors.
- Trolleys made with recycled plastics, which take one-third less energy to make and transport.
- Bakery, Food Street and Florist countertops made using recycled glass bottles.
- Energy-efficient LED lighting used throughout.
- Wellcome Fresh exclusive shopping bags at checkout that you can reuse again and again.
Grab a grab bag!
In celebration of the store opening, there are special Wellcome Fresh grab bags for sale. Each grab bag is just HK$20, but has items valued at around HK$300. There’s a daily quota of 100 bags, sold on first-come, first-served basis. There’s also an on-site lucky wheel for earning more prizes and participating in a lucky draw with a small minimum spend.
Wellcome Fresh is open from 7.30am to 11pm daily.
See more in our Living in Hong Kong section
