Sunset Strategic Brands’ Post

Great to catch up with Sally Taylor today, planning our next category strategy project - talking about a diverse range of topics from: * Challenging assumptions (and the role of unconscious bias) * What it takes to completely change or create a category (thinking back to our time at Walkers and how we were both involved in Doritos/Dips launch) * Finding pepsi mirrors in a garage (and what to do with them now) * How long it takes to write a linked-in post.... This slide is one we created for a recent workshop, talking about the need to make category visions impactful (and think differently to stand out from the crowd) and we just keep coming back to it, because it makes us laugh :) #categorymanagement #fridaythoughts #lateralthinking

Retail Today / Retail Renaissance: This is a fantastic read about Sam Walton and his trips to visit stores.❤️ Walmart #samwalton The story behind this story is how many Kmarts Sam visited in his lifetime. It wasn’t unusual to get a call from a Kmart Store Manager, Sam Walton just walked through my store. Sam was always studying the competition and his little notebook. 🛩️ During the 80’s I was operating Kmarts in Miami. It was our “heydays”, we were “Kings of Discount”. Later in 1988, I was promoted to District Manager out of Palm Beach, just as Walmart was moving in. #kmart I loved this part of the article, Sam on the salesfloor engaging associates, teaching and training. ❤️ #leadership #teaching #training #listening #assocites #peoplefirst #customers #coaching What about Sam’s interest in their promotional space? Was it being used to drive sales, with VPI “Volume Producing Items”. #VPI How are you using your PRIME RETAIL REAL ESTATE to drive sales? Think “old school”, end caps, side counters, shelves, sidekicks, midway tables, etc…. #primeretailrealestate #drivesales #retail #retailtrends #retailindustry #shoppingexperience #customerservice #TopRetailExpert

Companies are only as good as the team that keeps them ticking and at Kroger, we have the best team in the business! Today, our Marketing team, led by Tom Duncan, held their annual Freshies awards ceremony. The Freshies recognize associates in a number of categories and are peer-voted. Congratulations to this year’s winners!   The Ripple Effect – Someone whose efforts have an exponential effect on our work and our people, building a better culture for all of us. 🎉Brianna Scharstein🎉   WOW of W.O.W. – Someone who guides us on the path to better ways of working, going above and beyond to improve processes and create efficiencies. 🎉Simone Parquette🎉   Super Jedi – Someone who has mastered what it takes to excel in their field, consistently demonstrating exceptional skill, knowledge and ability. 🎉Rachel (Ribaudo) Lytle🎉    Crunch Time Lifeline – When things get crazy, this person is always a calm and level-headed presence, able to think on their feet and produce creative solutions. 🎉Jonathan Adams🎉    Made to Mentor – The epitome of “people first,” uplifting others and finding ways to help them be their best every day. 🎉Yvonne Starkey-Posey🎉   Rookie of the Year – This person hit the ground running on their first day with Kroger and hasn’t stopped impressing us since. 🎉Marisa M., Jillian Roussel and Emily H.🎉    Dare to be Different – Someone who embraces trying new things, always looking for the most innovative solutions to Marketing challenges. 🎉Valerie Grant🎉    Cross-functional Crew – these individuals worked together supportively, inclusively and collaboratively, combining their individual areas of expertise in pursuit of a common goal. 🎉The Performance RASCI/Wow Team!🎉   #WeAreKroger #Marketing #AssociateAppreciation #Awards

WALMART! So impressive to see this 3 minute video about the kind of organizational culture they have co-created with their "employees", and their concept of LEADERSHIP. https://lnkd.in/gKuqktxM

"📢 Petco names new chief stores officer as COO exits 🚪 👥 The pet retailer also fired its chief merchandising and supply chain officer and named five people to its executive leadership team. 🔄💼 #Petco #BusinessNews #LeadershipChange 🐾" by Retail Dive about Petco

During a trip from my hometown to my workplace with my son, our bus stopped for a lunch break. My son, a fan of Lays chips, insisted on getting a packet. While I don't usually indulge in it, his enthusiasm sparked my curiosity. Reading the packet, he discovered it was a product of PepsiCo Ltd... This led me to ponder the origins of Lays, including how it acquired its name and the factors behind its success. Let me summarize the key points for you.

I was overjoyed by the comments this guest left in her Lowes Foods to Go feedback survey. "Shannon is amazing. I credit her for the excellent job everyone else does. I don't know if she trains all employees directly. However, since I've known her the longest, I assume she sets a positive tone with the other shoppers." Thank you, Ms. Blacker, for your continued praise! #LowesFoodsRocks #guestexperience #onlinegrocery #personalshopping #guestfeedback #traininganddevelopment #leadbyexample #teamdevelopment #guestengagement

After 35 years of being aligned to the #grocery industry, I know that, above all, it is a people business. Our partners at FMI- The Food Industry Association, do a great job of celebrating and recognizing leaders at the community and store level. Here, SmartBrief editor Janet Jones Kendall profiles Kerri Hunsley of PCC Community Markets, a great story about a passionate leader. #foodandbeverage #foodretail #leadership #b2bmarketing #digitalmarketing

Retail Today / Retail Renaissance: Publix’s annouces their new executive team for 2023. This massive grocery chain with 240,000 associates, over 1,300 stores and producing $41 Billion in sales. Now has their team in place for the future. Similar to our discussion last week about Walmart, all three Publix executives started as hourly associates, this is “the MAGIC” of the Retail Industry. My gut tells me they worked very hard, outstanding work ethic, took pride in their jobs at all levels, listened, were respectful and supported their coach/mentor. It didn’t happen overnight, but they put the time in, learned how to develop relationships, improved their skill set with each opportunity. They created new leaders along the way, strengthening the Publix’s team. They probably never “quiet quit” or demanded to “work remotely”, they just found the harder they worked, the more successful they became. So this Thanksgiving Eve, you can get a fantastic turkey at Publix or better yet an “opportunity” that may change your life. #retail #publix #opportunity #groceryindustry #workethic #hardworkpaysoff #organisationaldevelopment #retailindustry #relationshipbuilding #coachingandmentoring

What another fantastic session with the team at Portwest in Killarney this week. I worked with the team on: 💰 Selling styles on the Shopfloor and how to connect, engage and build brand loyalty with shoppers. 🧍♀️🧍🧍♂️Identifing customer profiles on the Shopfloor and having a selling preference for that customer persona. 🛍️🛒 Lots of role plays on how to upsell and link sell with shoppers through meaningful conversations that engage and connect with customers. The heart ❤️ of Retail is felt by shoppers from NOT the products BUT each team members personality on the shopfloor. How you show up is how you lead yourself and your team👨💼🧑💼👩💼 As a Leader in your Business how much of your personality your team’s personality and your companies personality impacts your bottom line??? For many they are all interlinked so if your business is currently not performing as you want it to look 👀 at 👇 🫵 How you are showing up for yourself and your team. ☝️How your team are showing up for one another. 👉 How is your business is showing up for your customers 👈 Owen Clifford ISME Ireland Uniphar Supply Chain & Retail Life Pharmacy Ireland Eurospar Musgrave