Visit new stores in your areas
Store openings are an opportunity to communicate
We talk a lot about working on the relationship with your customers. This is not just something that happens when you have 1 or 2 face to face meetings with them. You should be looking for opportunities to develop that relationship throughout the year.
Recently we had two Freshco stores open in the Halifax market. This is a new banner/format for this region. We have had some No Frills open but this is the first Sobeys discount we have seen.
Store openings in your area are great opportunities to develop the relationship with your existing customers. If you sell into Sobeys, you can send them a note to say you were in to see the new store and hopefully you found a few positives to share with them. If you are selling into other retailers, you can be more objective and provide them with an update and some information. It is challenging to be a supplier in a region other than Toronto where many of the retailer’s offices are located. One advantage you have is when something happens in your region you can be a source of information. This helps develop your relationships.
Information is worth a lot. Even if you are selling into the bakery, you can share some news about meat or grocery. Your point of contact will pass it on and take credit for it! Here are 10 opportunities for you to capture some information to share with customers when you visit a new store opening in your area:
New promotion programs
Take note of the different programs they are using to promote ad items, in store specials and other promotions. Share a quick summary of what you are seeing and some photos if you can get them. Most retailers will have one program to support the items in the ad. They will have another program to highlight the in store specials and some generic signage to draw attention to good deals or other items.
Your customers will appreciate the information to help them understand if the competition has used the new store opening as an opportunity to launch something new or if they plan to use the same programs.
Share the opening week flyers
Almost every store opening will be supported by a flyer for that store. Often these are better than the price points you see in the weekly flyer because they need to get people in the new store and try to break their old habits. Enticing prices for 2-4 weeks can get people into a new routine and develop them as regular shoppers.
Share the flyer with your key contacts. They could retrieve it online but if you share it, they don’t have to. They will be very interested in the items and prices. When they see some of ‘their’ vendors in there offering better than average deals they will use that next time they have a store opening.
Send photos of off shelf displays
Similar to the flyer, your key contacts will be very interested to see which suppliers are paying for over and above space. It might not mean much to you, but it will be interesting to see for the merchandising people to see the items, prices and size of the displays.
Try to get photos of any displays, even if they are not in your department. People in merchandising will share with the right people.
Capture the social media promos they use to promote the opening
Most retailers geo target social media to promote store openings. In other words, you only see it if you are using social media in the specific area they are paying to promote. If you are in the region, you will see it but the person in the office in Toronto will not. We have also seen ads for the openings come up on Amazon Prime when we are watching a show. Yes, the no ad streaming service that now has ads, unless you want to pay to get rid of them. Seems like a classic case of bait and switch…
Your merchandising contacts do not develop advertising but again they will pass it along to the appropriate people.
Share photos of your category
Grab a few photos of your category. Do your best to be objective. You might see some pricing or shelf alignment you would like to comment on. This can be risky because you enter the territory of telling them how to do their job. If you just share what you see then they will probably see it too.
The line up of items and positioning of private label is of interest to them. If you remember when we visited the new Loblaw store, they had changed how they merchandise private label. Some stores are opportunities to launch new initiatives and others are not. They will figure it out.
Price check your category
Pictures are great but they can be a challenge to get the correct prices. If you are doing regular category reviews you should have a spreadsheet with the items listed. Check the prices and note any new items or sizes you have not seen.
Similar to the photos try not to comment or give them advice. They will not appreciate it!
Take note of any new merchandising units
New stores are great opportunities to test or launch new merchandising units. Check out your department to see if there are any changes. New tables or configurations for end caps mean something to your customers. Smaller tables could mean sales are declining and they want to reduce the inventory on the floor.
Take note of any new signage
It was interesting to see electronic shelf labels in the Freshco store. There is nothing your customer can do about their competitor’s signage but they might be considering the same move in their discount stores. All of the information is valuable to them. The permanent signage on the walls is important too. There can be messages about matching the competition’s flyer or regular prices where they will match.
When they pay the money to paint it on the wall it is usually a program that will stay for a while.
Price check the top 10-20 items
You should have enough experience to know the top 20 items in the store. This is the overall store so items like bananas, ground beef, sliced white bread, milk, ketchup etc. A quick price check of these items will help your customer understand how the store is positioned in the market. Pricing is complicated and retailers will use different retails in different regions.
Talk to staff
You have heard us say before you can learn a lot from the people working there every day. They will be busy during an opening and some will be new. Try to visit on the second week mid morning when the store is not as busy. They will probably share how things are going and if something has really exceeded expectations or disappointed them. You don’t need all the details but some interesting news might be valuable to your customer.
This does not take too long and you should be in the new store anyway to see what is happening. Everything you are sharing is available to the public; you are just putting it in a neat package for your customers to see. Visit store openings and use the information you gather to develop relationships.
I do have travel coming up to Toronto, Guelph, Winnipeg and Vancouver so if you want to connect or have an event in any of these locations give me a call or send me an email.
Peter
SKUFood Recipes for Success Podcast
In this episode of SKUFood Recipes for Success, we explore how a new generation of brands is rethinking hydration through ingredient integrity, format innovation, and clear positioning. As the electrolyte category continues to evolve, standing out requires more than functionality, it demands a differentiated product and a brand consumers can trust.
We dive into what it takes to build a real ingredient electrolyte product, from sourcing directly with farmers to formulation and creating a clean label offering without added sugars, dyes, or artificial flavours. This conversation also unpacks the strategic decision to innovate beyond traditional formats, introducing a freezer based approach that challenges how and where consumers engage with hydration. By combining fruit first ingredients with functional electrolytes, this model highlights how format can become a powerful lever for differentiation in a crowded market, while navigating the real trials and tribulations of building a business from the ground up.
We also explore how brands can scale while staying true to their core product and positioning, particularly outside of traditional beverage aisles. From maintaining quality and consistency to making thoughtful, detail driven decisions at every stage of growth, this episode highlights the discipline required to build something new in an emerging format. It’s a look at how strong foundations and attention to detail can support long term success in a highly competitive category.
If you would like to be a guest send us a note. We are always working on the upcoming episodes.
We hope you are ready
The back and forth between Canada and the US continues. Every time the President shares a social media post that is insulting to Canadians, more shoppers in store look for Canadian products. It is one thing consumers can do right away to support Canada.
We have been trying to tell people in the industry it needs to be so obvious you are 100% Canadian. The big US brands continue to wrap themselves in the maple leaf. The store opening I visited had a big display of Hostess chips with ‘Made in Atlantic Canada’ signage. Yes, made here with Canadian potatoes but any profit is going to the US and there is a good chance they donated to the Republican party.
Government of Canada Strategic Response Fund
Last week we watched an online session from the government fo Canada to explain the details of the strategic response fund to support the national food strategy. Organizations can access $10 million to $50 million per project in federal funding to support transformative investments that enhance domestic food resilience, with up to $350 million available overall.
If you are considering a project with this program, give us a call. We can help you figure out the sales component and what resources you need in place to support the sales as you improve your capacity. This is a great opportunity for Canadian food and beverage.
From the website:
We are seeking organizations with 10 or more employees that are incorporated in Canada and are pursuing commercially viable projects in key industries, such as:
- food and beverage processing
- food-grade packaging and materials
- industrial manufacturing systems
- agricultural inputs and critical food-system components
Applicants must demonstrate:
- support for one or more of the initiative’s areas of focus
- financial capacity to complete the project
- a clear commercialization or operational pathway
- strong economic and strategic benefits to Canada
- Canadian industry participation
- the ability to begin implementation within a few months
Projects will be competitively assessed based on how well they support the National Food Security Strategy’s objectives, including strengthening Canada’s food production and processing capacity, improving supply chains, and creating economic benefits.
Projects must align with one or more of the following strategic investment areas:
- building new domestic capacity
- modernizing existing capacity
- strengthening supporting infrastructure
With the focus on Canadian food and beverage we wanted to share a program we have developed with Alain Bosse, the Kilted Chef. We partner to share insights about Canadian food and beverage at conferences and events. We talk about where products come from, share insights about some hidden gems and of course Chef Alain has great tips for using the products at home. This is designed to be entertaining and engaging. Not just for food industry audiences, it works for everyone.