i2i — Raising the Bar on Fresh in Small Format Stores
Small format grocery stores — and convenience stores, in particular — are taking fresh foods to a whole new level. Once a place to gas up the car and grab a soda and bag of chips, convenience stores are becoming part of the “What’s for dinner?” solution by offering fresh and healthy grab-and-go meals. And small format grocers appeal to shoppers with a middle ground alternative to traditional supermarkets and convenience stores. One thing all small format stores have in common is a desire to meet shoppers fresh and fast expectations without sacrificing quality, food integrity and profit — all within [...]
Woo Early Morning Shoppers with Front-of-Store Breakfast Stations
No doubt about it, breakfast presents a big opportunity for retailers. Research shows that Americans increasingly consider breakfast to be an essential meal. However, 53% of consumers often skip breakfast, according to digital pollster, Instantly. The main reason is familiar: Consumers just don’t have time to prepare a meal, especially as they’re running out the door for work or school. That’s where the opportunity lies for supermarkets. Serving up convenient, nutritious, portable breakfast foods can meet shoppers’ demand and drive sales at a typically slow part of the day. The key is merchandising for shopper convenience. Here are a few [...]
Paying for Building-Level Energy Projects: PACE Makes It Possible
The AMS Group Solar power, wind power, fuel cells. These and other alternative approaches to producing and using energy still have an air of newness for most people who are not in the energy business. While the technologies themselves are not new, the traction they are gaining in a more mainstream application and adoption is. This, in large part, is because they are becoming easier to pay for. In two previous posts, we covered how food retailers can maintain positive cash flow while paying for energy projects through on-bill financing and even traditional financing. These are great options for energy-efficiency [...]
Infographic: Island 2 Innovate (i2i) Makes Destination Centers Easy
Hillphoenix’s new Island 2 Innovate (i2i) modular island system makes it easy for retailers to offer creatively merchandised, healthy food selections within any size footprint. The i2i island system is a multifunctional, modular display case that can be configured to include heated, refrigerated, wet and dry products in virtually any combination. With i2i, any retailer can create fresh Destination Centers — regardless of store layout or size.
Casting the Right Talent for Destination Centers
By Margie Proctor Hillphoenix Marketing & Design Specialist No one would expect a cashier to assume the role of produce manager or butcher. The same goes for staffing Destination Centers. These roles require a genuine interest in food and robust people skills. Staff should be able to share product knowledge and engage customers – and enjoy doing it. Culinary talent Chefs and other culinary professionals bring authenticity and expertise to menu development, food preparation, and food presentation. To fully benefit from their strengths, don’t hide them away in an enclosed work area. Bring them out where shoppers can see them [...]
Why You Shouldn’t Dismiss Traditional Financing for Energy Improvements
The AMS Group The initial cost of energy-efficiency retrofits is the single biggest hurdle to initiating projects. That’s because the cost of a project is more salient than the amount of money to be saved by energy efficiency. But what if you compare the cost of a project with the cost of energy wasted instead? The two propositions are the same, but the second one shifts focus to costs on both sides of the equation. A retrofit project costs money but so does not doing a project, especially for grocery stores, where energy consumption is among the highest of all [...]
Lack of uniform modeling solutions hinders natural refrigeration adoption
Last month, we discussed the lack of effective performance baselines for natural refrigeration systems and how that makes it difficult for utilities to provide natural refrigeration incentives. In this article, we’ll talk about the second challenge faced by end users and utilities: the lack of good modeling software for natural refrigeration systems. When seeking incentives from utilities for natural refrigeration, modeling new system performance is key to calculating anticipated savings. “Modeling” entails determining what the energy consumption of a particular technology is, taking all variables into account and using mathematical formulas to ensure that all numbers are accurate. It’s important [...]
Add the element of surprise to create engaging closed-case displays
By Margie Proctor Hillphoenix Marketing & Design Specialist Here’s a challenge for all of you store merchandisers tasked with building great displays behind closed-case doors. Surprise and delight your shoppers with at least one unexpected design element inside the case. Imagine new possibilities Small creative touches can add interest to your in-case merchandising. Here’s a great idea for showing off sandwiches in a taco holder. The holder creates the perfect angle for displaying sandwiches — upright but not fully vertical. Plus, the taco holder’s zigzag shape adds some playfulness. Another easy idea is to display cartons of egg whites in a [...]
Smooth Operators: Small-format retailers simplify ongoing operations with CO2
Over the past several years, some notable trends have brought changes to the retail refrigeration space. Grocery stores are getting smaller, fresh-food options are gaining ground at retailers of every size, and ozone-depleting refrigerants continue to be pushed out by natural and sustainable options. At the spot where small-format, fresh-format, and sustainability converge, retailers may find themselves in unfamiliar territory when it comes to selecting refrigeration equipment for a new location or a store remodel. With the old distinctions between big- and small-format offerings becoming more than a little blurry, retailers are in need of a new kind of refrigeration [...]
