That's it.’s Post

Here's our Top 5 takeaways from the downfall of Foxtrot. 1. Even For Grocery, It's All About Ambiance: Foxtrot's upscale shopper base craves the same curated retail environment at a convenience store that they do at a Saks Fifth Avenue. 2. If You Launch Local, Stay Local: Early on, Foxtrot prided itself on serving coffee sourced from nearby roasters. As it scaled nationally, it started serving La Colombe out of Philadelphia to coffee drinkers in Chicago, D.C. and Texas. A small act that symbolized losing its soul. 3. Gamification of Snacking: Foxtrot's unrivalled assortment of "rare items" aka hard to find drinks, snacks, and candies created a deeply loyal fan base who adored the experimental merchandising. But the store's parallel emphasis on ready-to-eat foods like lasagna blurred its focus, leading to unnecessary "side quests." We're wondering, if Foxtrot been more relentless in its focus -- fresh items grocer, a legendary snacks cornerstore or a simple coffee shop -- could it have survived the vibecession? Either way, its downfall is a tragedy for snack lovers and a loss for the retailing community. #Foxtrot #FoxtrotClosing #FoxtrotChicago #FoxtrotDC #FoxtrotDallas #RetailNews #Top5 #Takeaways #Retailing #CPG #Innovation #Thoughtleadership

So, here’s what I found out about Greggs while nosing around: They don’t just open one shop and call it a day. Oh no. They go all in and pop up at every street corner like it’s a neighborhood invasion. Why? Because if you’re tripping over a Greggs every 50 feet, you’re definitely not going to anyone else. It’s genius. And sneaky. Kind of like Starbucks, where you can sip a latte while staring at another Starbucks right across the street. The point is, these guys go one locally dense. They want you to have zero excuses not to choose them. But what do some other restaurant operators do? They spread wide, like spreading butter too thin on toast—barely making a dent anywhere. They rush to plant flags all over different cities like they’re playing a game of Risk. But there’s a problem: in each city, they’re just… there. Not dominating, not owning the space, just existing. And supporting those faraway stores? That’s a headache on a whole new level. Recruitment? A nightmare. Marketing? Forget it. You’re basically running around trying to hold things together with duct tape and hope. But here’s the kicker: While you’re busy playing Whac-A-Mole with operations in six different cities, copycats swoop in. Enter the #SamwerBrothers, the German kings of copy-paste businesses. They see your scattered effort and think, “Ah, yes, perfect. We’ll take it from here.” Now, I know what you’re thinking. "Going one locally dense? Slows down expansion, doesn’t it?" Sure. But here’s the thing—what if instead of trying to be everywhere and impress no one, you became a #LocalLegend? What if you focused your marketing on the people who could literally walk to your restaurant? So, you can either be the restaurant a few have heard of — or you can go deep, dominate one block at a time, and make sure no one even considers the competition. Me? I will be Greggs-ing the heck out of every street corner I could find. #RestaurantBusiness #RestaurantOperation #RestaurantScaling

Three retail observations/experiences from the holiday week that stuck with me ... Two from outside grocery and one from a local supermarket. 1) The consumer education focus at Total Wine & More. My husband and I stopped in before the Fourth of July, and I immediately noticed the multiple sampling stations and detailed wine pairing posters. When we checked out, I asked the clerk if they did wine tastings and classes. Indeed they do — tastings are already available, and a classroom is in the works. (The location is a remodel.) I wasn't surprised at all because everything about the place screamed, "We are the experts. Anything you need or need to know, we are ready to deliver." It was impressive. 2) The experiential nature of shopping at Scheels. As you enter, you walk under and through an aquarium. Further through the entrance is a Ferris wheel. Upstairs, there are designated spaces to try out a softball bat, hone your golf swing, test a bowling ball and more. It's also one of the increasingly rare places where it's easy to find an associate to help you — and they're friendly and take the time to have real conversations. We went for fun and ended up spending money. 3) The enduring and underestimated value of customer service at Hy-Vee, Inc. I told the gentleman at the meat counter that I've been working on getting better at meal planning and meal prep and asked if I could call ahead sometime and get items cut and prepared for particular dishes, and he responded that they actually had those options ready to go already but that I'd certainly be welcome to call so they could get the whole order together in advance, too — "whatever is most convenient for you," he added. I have to give Hy-Vee a shout-out because I've had one excellent experience after another with their meat/seafood folks in particular. We shop multiple banners, but I talk to family, friends and fellow professionals about Hy-Vee an outsize amount, and customer service is the reason why. #freshproduce #grocery #retail #customerservice #shoppingexperience #customerexperience #training #consumereducation #customerloyalty #wordofmouthmarketing

Q: How do you stand out in the land of 1000 Pizzerias? 👇👇 A: You HAVE to be visible ... and more importantly ... you HAVE to be memorable. 1st - Where is the land of 1000 Pizzerias? Um ... that would be Chicago, of course ... where it seems there are 5 pizzerias in every neighborhood. Serving great pizza isn't enough ... that's table stakes in the Chicago market. The key is to focus on your brand. Paraphrasing Seth Godin here ... "Nobody remembers average ... everybody remembers remarkable." Driving in heavy Chicago traffic a couple weeks ago, I saw Bartoli's Pizza. Actually, what I saw was Bartoli's Pizza delivery truck - a heavily branded 1950s vintage Metro truck. The restored truck itself is memorable, the branding is remarkable, and you can be sure that when this truck drives in the neighborhood, the Bartoli's brand is visible. It was the truck that prompted me to snake through a maze of 1-way streets to circle back and stop in at Bartoli's to order a slice and chat with the owner about the truck ... their #1 marketing tool. Makes you wonder ... how am I making my business visible, memorable, and remarkable? This post was prompted by Andrew Holliday's post about Pink's Window Washing today ... check it out 👉 link in the first comment. #marketing #branding #strategy #smallbusiness

Retail Landscape Evolving: Jacksons Food Stores and Others Expand Footprint Jacksons Food Stores is making a strategic expansion into Washington's Tri-Cities, marking a significant step in their growth. This is part of a larger acquisition by PacWest Energy, signaling a strong commitment to community development. Additionally, The Spinx Company is enhancing its presence in South Carolina, Enmarket is collaborating with Bethesda Academy in Georgia for a new store, TravelCenters of America is expanding in North Dakota, and Stewart’s Shops has opened a new location in New York. These expansions reflect the dynamic nature of the retail industry and its role in driving economic growth in various communities. Keep up with the latest in retail expansion: https://hubs.li/Q02cZxl90 #RetailGrowth #JacksonsFoodStores #EconomicDevelopment #IndustryExpansion

Foxtrot Market is a different kind of grocer and convenience store. At a time when the last standing corner stores seem to be disappearing from Australian suburbs, Foxtrot is running 32 stores in four US cities: Austin, Chicago, Dallas and Washington. Right from the get-go, back when the first Foxtrot Market opened in Chicago’s West Loop in 2015, the store has focussed on sourcing products that have a local connection, or that are centred around social impact. The Foxtrot Market brand has become synonymous with trend-setting food and beverage products that you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere. Think Geem seaweed snacks and Ting’s Jackfruit Chips, amongst an endless variety of others. To keep things fresh in store, Foxtrot Market created ‘Up & Comers’, a category that is dedicated to emerging snacks. In the selection of these exciting new products, Foxtrot team elects winners for five main honours: Hero (based on taste and brand purpose), Innovation, Classic Product Reimagined (A Friendly Bread’s frozen grilled cheese sandwiches were a past winner), Just Damn Good and Best Packaging. Read more about Foxtrot Market’s trendsetting product selection process at Fast Company—link below. https://lnkd.in/gifiNqst Here at YOZO, we exist to help SMEs harness opportunities at the right time. To learn about our fast, simple and transparent funding, visit yozo.com.au. #trends #groceries #grocer #food #snacks #fresh #foxtrotmarket #emerging #yozo #yozofinance

How do you go from being "THE" place to being "Just Another" place? I am about to date myself - I remember when TGI Friday's was cool. The Greenville Avenue location in Dallas, Texas wasn't the first TGI Friday's, but it was the prototype of what would the chain would become. It contained a raised square bar that was perfect for mingling and quality food choices ... or at least as quality as you can get for burgers, potato skins, and frozen cocktails. That restaurant broke records for revenue and profits. It also launced the TGIF franchising boom. So what happened? Basically, customer preferences changed, the chain grew stale, and its competition grew in number and quality. On the other hand, the average life of a restaurant is 8 - 10 years. By that standard, TGI Friday's has had an outstanding run. That is the lesson: Not every business is built to last. Many, by their nature, have a natural shelf life. Your business might not thrive in perpituity. It can flourish in the time that it has. #businesscontinuity #thrive #flourish https://lnkd.in/g7UzttmF

I'm honestly surprised it took this long. Wendy's is the first large chain to announce a test of dynamic (aka surge) pricing. When digital store shelf tags started becoming more commonplace years ago, I figured this was the next logical step in stores. If not by time of day, you might consider weather, inventory, and the lighthouse of personalization. Today there is pricing by inventory (clearance sales) and personalization (personalized coupons) but this makes it more turnkey at shelf. Or at drive-thru as the case is now. Giving a discount to someone to upgrade to a Double Baconator the first time makes logical sense. But it doesn't make sense to do it once they are loyal to that unreasonable greatness. That said, shoppers (diners) expect to have consistent pricing, so HOW this is done is as critical as the fact that it's being done. If they can manage that and the PR issues, I expect that we'll see more of this beyond Wendy's in the future. What do you think? EDIT: by a quick scan of related articles, I realize this may be a controversial view. But I contend, it's all about the execution. #Wendys #surgepricing #turningshoppersintobuyers

Publix Super Markets continues to grow and goes bigger and bolder with a new store prototype in some locations in the Southeast. The grocer just opened its third location under the new experience-focused design — a 55,701-square-foot store with an olive bar, outdoor seating, a Publix Pours area with wine, beer and kombucha on tap and other features to address customers' desire to enjoy more upscale features while also having a more traditional grocery shopping experience. Grocery Dive reports that the grocer has been investing more in its stores and its capital spending totaled $2.3 billion in 2023 — a nearly 28% increase over the nearly $1.8 billion it spent in 2022. Publix opened 33 supermarkets, including nine replacements, remodeled 79 locations and closed four during the nine months that ended September 30, 2023. They currently have 1,365 stores across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky. #groceryretail #grocery #gbtrealty #buildingvalue #growth https://lnkd.in/eEES_Tsa

There are a couple of fascinating points in this piece: 1. When did we move from black coffee and espresso drinks to Harvest Spice Energy Infusion, Iced Maple Bourbon Latte, and Melon Burst Iced Energy Drink? 2. There is a lot of chatter about the end of commercial real estate, but all of these retail locations are looking for the same thing: a retail strip center end cap. These days, the hottest commercial real estate in most cities is known as the “end cap,” the far end corners of a shopping center or strip mall that allow for a cafe and drive-through to be built. -- Personally, I am curious as to who is financing all of this expansion. #starbucks #realestate #retail #coffee #midwest