Declaration of Independents

VIEWPOINT

Declaration of Independents

KEVIN COUPE

FOUNDER MORNINGNEWSBEAT.COM

Hate to say it, but not all grocers are created equal

Some have more financial resources than others. Some have better human capital than others.

There are grocers with better imaginations than others. And, let’s be honest, there are some who somehow remain in business for reasons unclear to you and me. But so it goes. I’ve been thinking about this lately, especially when it comes to traditional/ conventional independent retailers. We’ve all seen the statistics, about how there are fewer of the breed than there were a decade ago, suggesting that obsolescence is at hand. We’ve all heard the doomsayers, prognosticating about the possibility/ likelihood that the biggest retailers simply have so much power and so many resources that it may be almost impossible for smaller independents to survive. I don’t think that’s true. At least, not necessarily. And not everyone. Sure, there will be independents that, because of circumstances beyond their control or operating methods that are not up to the moment, will not make it. But there also will be plenty, I believe, that will not only survive the competitive tsunami that threatens to swamp the industry, but will thrive – because they understand the power of creative differential advantages. In the interest of both quantifying and qualifying some of those advantages, I’ve composed what I am calling a Declaration of Independents – eight things that I think retailers can say and do to plant their flag and establish their viability and credibility in the marketplace. 1. We will focus on doing things that bigger competitors cannot do or will not do. 2. We will establish a culture in which a primary tenet is that “everything we do will bring us closer to the customer, not distance us from the customer.” (Outsourcing of certain tasks and technologies is okay, as long as it is within that framework.) 3. Each fresh department will have at least one totally unique item that the competition does not have … and will be charged with creating at least one new completely unique item each quarter. No exceptions. Total employee participation will be not only encouraged, but rewarded. (One additional priority here: Henceforth, we only will use the term “fresh food.” Never “perishables,” because perishables rot.) 4. We will work diligently and tirelessly to eliminate friction from every part of the customer experience – whether in the physical store or online. Friction gets in the way of the shopper-shopkeeper connection. It is intolerable for the customer, and ought to be intolerable for us.

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5. We will endeavor to make sure that every dollar we spend is an investment in the business, not a cost. This isn’t just a semantic difference, and at the very least must be applied to employees, who are keenly aware if they are seen and treated as assets, as opposed to liabilities. (Plus, if employees feel invested in, then they will be far more likely to be invested in the store’s success). It may be impossible to apply this across the board, every time we cut a check, but it is critical to make the leap to having an investment mindset in the business.

6. We will immediately establish a twoyear, two-pizza team … small enough that it can be fed with two pizzas (an old

Jeff Bezos maxim), and charged with determining how the business can and should be fundamentally different in two year’s time. It will have front line employees, as well as middle managers and executives. It will be diverse in terms of ethnicity and gender. It will be seen as a privilege to be on this team, shaping the future of the business. And every year will see the formation of a new two-year, twopizza team, so that innovations always are in the pipeline, and imaginations always are working in the interest of the business. Plus, it will firmly establish the priority within the business to have an innovation mindset. 7. Constant communications – with both employees and customers – will be our north star. That means every employee will have a company email address, which will be the way in which we create community within the business, allow them to communicate with management and peers, and access critical information that will allow them to be better at their jobs. And, to jump-start the process of communicating more effectively with customers, every store and department manager will be tasked with determining (not just through shopper data, though that obviously is important) who their top 10/20/30 shoppers are, and then communicating with them directly via email or phone, asking them what they like and more importantly, what can be done to make their shopping experience better. And then, the CEO will compile his own list and reach out to the entire company’s best 10/20/30 shoppers. 8. We will work together to know, understand, and communicate our story.

There are few things so powerful as a compelling and consistent narrative, and we want every part of the business – the people we hire (especially on the front lines), the way in which the store is laid out and products are displayed, the ways in which we communicate with our customers – to reflect our story. This is not just about marketing and strategy, though these things are important.

Rather, it is about having a deep-in-ourbones sense of our values and value, and of why and how we are essential to the people we serve. That’s it. At least for the moment, because a declaration like this can only be a starting point for a retail business – a retail community – that is independent in the most important ways. Not tied to old world thinking. Not in thrall to a “we’ve always done it that way” mindset. And never … never, ever … so proud or entrenched or stubborn that we are unwilling to try something new that will deepen our narrative’s meaning, strengthen our connection to employees and customers, and enrich our roles as independent-minded retailers. ■

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