How grocers are offering value in the face of inflation
Giancarlo Trimarchi, president, Vince’s Market: “At Vince’s, we tackle inflation by doubling down on freshness and quality. We source locally to keep our fresh departments stocked with the best produce, meats and dairy. Our in-store made, value-added items like fresh bakery goods and readyto-eat meals offer convenience without compromising on taste. By building strong relationships with local suppliers and focusing on in-house production, we keep costs manageable and pass those savings on to our customers, ensuring they always get great value.”
Danny Brannagan, CEO, Goodness Me!: “At Goodness Me!, we understand inflation is a tough issue facing our customers. This past year, we introduced Healthy Deals, our new program that offers discounts ranging from 10% to 20% off hundreds of products each week. Additionally, we have launched our free loyalty program that offers customers an additional 5% off all Healthy Deals for even greater savings. These strategies aim to help customers manage costs while still accessing healthy and quality food options, allowing our communities to discover the power of food!”
Nena Pidskalny, associate vice-president, food, Federated Co-operatives Limited: “We offer value by taking a multi-faceted approach. Our private-label program delivers great value daily, while our Value Priced Everyday initiative ensures competitive regular pricing. We also execute strong, relevant promotions to provide additional savings. Beyond pricing, we focus on exceptional customer service and quality through our in-store butchers, bakeries and convenient meal solutions. By addressing both cost and customer needs, we ensure our shoppers receive value that extends beyond just price, even amid inflation.”
READ: Annual inflation falls to 1.6% in September, smallest yearly increase since 2021
Brad Fletcher, president, The Village Grocer: “Offering customers added value in times like these requires out-the-box thinking. Transitioning traditional centre aisle products to freshly made ‘in-house’ products is one option. Focusing on environmental stewardship opportunities such as returnfor-refund packaging for products like fresh squeezed juice or condiments in glass packaging are a couple we have embraced in our store. On a bigger and more strategic scale, the work done around Canada’s grocery code of conduct serves as an excellent example of how the grocery industry can add value to consumers from coast to coast.”
Monica Walker, head of food and grocery, Healthy Planet: “Healthy Planet’s mission is not only to offer value from a pricing perspective, but a true one-stop-shop in customer experience. What people have least of these days is time. Consumers are looking for a true added-value experience. We provide a solution to these problems by offering free on-site consultation by trained holistic nutritionists; buy online pickup in-store service; daily food and supplement demos that allow customers to taste and test products before they buy them; and full-service cafés in five locations that offer organic, fresh, made-to-order healthy meals, smoothies, specialty coffees and teas.”
This article was first published in Canadian Grocer’s September/October 2024 issue.
