Supervalu announced a new “Premium Fresh & Healthy” store design program. As Supervalu explained in its release:
Premium Fresh & Healthy highlights the best of the combined efforts of SUPERVALU’s Merchandising, Marketing and Store Development teams and applies it to SUPERVALU’s $1 billion remodeling and new store campaign.
Unlike a traditional announcement of a “new prototype” store that is going to be rolled out, this program provides stores a series of modules that can be used as appropriate for local demographics and competitive conditions:
Here is how they explain it:
The Premium Fresh & Healthy program is tailored to meet the unique demographics of each individual store. Examples of the Premium Fresh & Healthy menu of modules include:
Expanded perishables, including produce, meat, seafood, bakery and deli departments;
Shop the World®, an international foods destination department;
Wild Harvest®, a store-within-a-store focused on natural and organic products; and
Enhanced and expanded pharmacy and health and beauty care (HBC) departments to support healthy lifestyles.
Although not as specific to foodservice, the concept of mix and match sections reminds us a little of the “pods” approach Wegmans is developing and which we dealt with here.
Supervalu has been testing this program slowly but is now committed to it:
Examples of stores leveraging the Premium Fresh & Healthy program include the Acme store in Doylestown, Pa., the Shaw’s in East Hampton, Conn., and newly-opened Albertsons stores in Las Vegas and San Diego.
As new stores open, they will incorporate the Premium Fresh & Healthy module, and the majority of major remodels and new stores in the next year will leverage the Premium Fresh & Healthy approach.
Supervalu’s approach to perishables is still up in the air. Produce was set up as a separate organization, W. Newell & Co. and the plan had been to follow a similar model with the other perishable departments. Then Supervalu bought Albertson’s, and the plan was stopped to allow integration of the new acquisition. When and if it will be revived is uncertain.
