Record-Setting Management Class Provides Solutions to Global Challenges

In all, a record-setting 80 attendees from 10 different countries and 22 states gathered to learn about global trends, discover best practices, and share experiences with their global peers in classes lead by IGA Coca-Cola Institute President Paulo Goelzer and other retail specialists.

How does talking to a peer from across the globe help us make sense of the retail environment in our own backyard? The challenges and opportunities are remarkably similar whether you’re in South Africa, St. Kitts or St. Paul, Minnesota, says IGA CEO John Ross, and those retailers who are listening, learning from each other and identifying ways to differentiate in their own marketplace are the ones who will remain relevant today’s shoppers. “Your peers from across the world are doing new and exciting things, and you have the opportunity to learn from them. Experts are coming in, looking at the industry top down and across that can teach you new ways to solve problems in your store. Embracing the resources at your disposal and opening your mind to new ideas around you are the first steps in making your business more competitive.” - John Ross, IGA CEO

Day 1: To Lower Prices or Raise Standards

Relevance and differentiation were reoccurring themes throughout all four-days, beginning with Harold Lloyd’s first-day presentations on becoming a better leader, identifying your five points of difference, merchandising effectively, and making your store a stand-out for fresh. Lloyd, president of Harold Lloyd Presents and author of four books on leadership and business management, had several key suggestions for how independent retailers can drive customer satisfaction through fresh.

Pro Tip: Differentiating through Fresh

• Remember, your fresh image begins to form outside the store; your landscaping, signage, parking lot painting, etc. 
• Your employee uniforms and name tags convey your level of commitment to freshness.  How do you look?
• Displays that can be moved, should be moved at least six feet at least monthly. ‘Stale’ looking displays negatively affect your fresh image.

Day 2: Building Sales, Controlling Costs!

Norman Mayne, CEO of Dorothy Lane Market, shared a captivating presentation on how his four-store, 800-employee independent chain manages to build sales year after year while controlling costs. With decades of experience running what is largely considered to be one of the best independent specialty grocery chains in the US, Norman stressed the importance of valuing employees, saying “If we treat the people who work underneath us right, they’ll treat our customers right.”
Next up, asset protection experts Bill Alford and Joe Laufenberg shared ideas for protecting profits, people, and business, like taking the time as a manager to make sure operations procedures are being followed and identifying learning opportunities when they are not.

Pro Tip: Asset Protection

• Create a refund log to identify patterns that may point to fraudulent practices.
• Restrict access to all compactors and dumpsters. Lock them down after 5 pm.
• Record all receiving errors. After three from any one company, send a letter of concern.

Day 3: The Power of Passionate People

From onboarding and retaining team members to inspiring them to greatness, Day 3 focused on maintaining an environment that creates, nurtures and supports passionate people. Lloyd’s session on engaging team members for a better service experience stressed that when you want a specific result, you have to start with specific and meaningful instructions.

Pro Tip: Effective Communication

• Tidying up the parking lot can be a 15-min task or a 2-hour project. Be specific about the time a task should take. This provides an understanding of the level of proficiency expected.   

Day 4: Company Culture & Performance

The final day of the class began with Paulo Goelzer, President and CEO of IGA Coca-Cola Institute, presenting several sessions on proactively managing store culture, from understanding that culture exists whether management recognizes it or not, to realizing that culture has to be proactively managed before your people can reach their true potential.  

Pro Tip: Characteristics of a positive / strong culture

• ADAPTABILITY:  Are you generating change in response to market/customer changes?
• MISSION: Do people have a good sense of purpose and direction?
• CONSISTENCY: Are the different departments of store working together well? People agree and perform throughout the store on consistent basis. 
• INVOLVEMENT /ENGAGEMENT: Are your associates enthusiastic and committed to their work?  Do people care for each other?

John Ross, President and CEO of IGA, closed out the class, forecasting an optimistic future for IGA retailers. "Mass discounters will see stable to small growth. Dollar chains will continue store openings, but comp sales will flatten. Specialty and organic stores will grow. But overall, it’s independent grocers who have the most potential, "Ross said." Shoppers are looking for fresh, local, convenience, great service…all the things IGA retailers are known for. If we embrace the tailwinds and invest in that differentiation, we’re going to win." Ross stressed that opportunities for increased sales and increased shopper loyalty lie in providing fresh and convenient meal and snack occasions to busy shoppers.

Pro Tip: Focus on Occasions

• Instead of worrying about your competition, focus on what it would take to get just one more meal / one more snack occasion from your best shoppers.

 Ask yourself:

1. What percentage of total nutrition occasions do you get from your shoppers?
2. What percentage of snack occasions does your store supply?

Ask your shoppers:

1. How many times a week do you shop and how many meals do we (as a store) actually serve
   to your family?

Brainstorm solutions:

1. Think about snacking occasions. How could we bundle solutions for the key snack occasions, like after school / pre-sports practice, midday work energy boost, etc.?
2. Think about how restaurants market to grab new occasions, i.e., holiday, value meals, snack boxes. How could we merchandise our stores the same way?

Special thanks to our event sponsors: