October 2011
A distinct problem
Quebec’s Provigo is crying out for help from the new president of Loblaw
18 road-tested ways to recruit, retain and reward your staff
No shortage of consultants will tell you how to find and keep crackerjack staffers. These consultants will even charge you big bucks for the privilege of their advice. But we know the smartest staffing tips don’t come from so-called experts. They come from people just like you: grocery owners and managers, who live and breathe this stuff every day. That’s exactly who we turned to as we started to compile our list of the best ways to recruit, retain and reward store-level employees. The retailers we spoke with gave us their best “road-tested” tips; the ones they use in their own stores. If you’re looking for innovative staf ng ideas and tips, we can think of no better place to start than right here.
Freezing hot
Time-starved consumers are driving growth of quick-and-easy frozen entrees. Especially pizza
Rice rises up
Thanks to significant innovation by manufacturers, the category has evolved well beyond boring bags of plain white grains
A tale of two grocers. And restaurants
And the surprising benefits of operating a business with both
Home Ice Advantage
Brent Battistelli's small-town grocery store is all about community and people. And a bit of hockey, too
Golden Pencil winners 2011
Reading through the names of past recipients of the Golden Pencil Award is like going through a who’s who of Canadian grocery industry history: Sam Steinberg, Anthony Longo, David Sobey and Wallace and Harrison McCain. This year will see two more remarkable men bestowed: Frank Coleman, of Colemans stores in Newfoundland; and Philip Donne, president of the Campbell Company of Canada. They were chosen from dozens of nominations from the industry and the executive committee of the Food Industry Association of Canada.
Fabulous or forgettable?
Most new products flop. Our 12-point checklist will give yours a better chance of survival
Let’s get sexy!
In the hunt for young talent, grocers are losing out to consumer packaged goods companies. But they shouldn’t
Black ties and shiraz
Loblaw’s private-label gourmet line aims to take grocery shoppers upmarket. And add another price point
Maritime man
Paul-Emile Légère became the first Acadian to lead Co-op Atlantic when he took over as CEO in May. He spoke to Canadian Grocer about eating local, competition and the co-op movement
Private label vs. national brands
Name brands have been winning the war for customer dollars lately. But don’t count out private label products just yet
Words worth sharing
The secret to your store’s success isn’t as complicated as you might think. I know, I asked
