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customers for local winemaking.
“It’s a huge attraction for our niche
market,” says Valoroso. Along with the grape shipment, the truck picks up a variety of produce from California to sell in the stores at that time.
Sustainability is a big part of the Cana- dian culture, she says. “Specifically, in British Columbia, the climate allows for agriculture,” says Valoroso. “Everyone has a garden, shops for local produce and visits wineries.”
Healthy and seasonal foods such as produce are popular thanks to trends such as the interest in farm-to-table, she adds.
THRIFTY FOODS
the largest private employer on Vancouver Island, and since 2004, the company has operated an online grocery service to the Vancouver metro area.
In its corporate responsibility statement, Thrifty Foods says it “takes pride in the sustainability of our supply chain and in setting policies that will ensure we maintain ethical trading practices, engineer our stores for maximum energy savings, fund free community programs to fight the epidemic of childhood obesity and commit to healthy labeling.”
Scott Fairbairn, produce category manager for Thrifty Foods, Central Saanich, BC, says the company’s core value of supporting local business is the best way to operate.
“Thrifty Foods has had this as our No. 1 core value for more than 30 years now,” he says. “It’s not just a strategy for us anymore — it’s who we are.”
Fairbairn says the company’s key to success in the produce department is not being shy about building big, bold displays of local produce and dedicating the best merchandise spots to local produce when- ever and wherever possible.
“We work closely with our longtime
grower/partners to try to improve size, grade and quality of what they grow,” he says. “We aren’t afraid to ask how we can help them in improving what the consumer is ultimately purchasing.”
Fairbairn says Canadians care about what they eat. “Increased fruit and vege- table consumption goes hand-in-hand with that belief,” he adds.
QUALITY FOODS
headquarters. The chain now boasts 14 locations in British Columbia.
Quality Foods introduced the first preferred shopper program in the Canadian grocery industry in 1991 and Western Cana- da’s first online shopping service in 1997.
Bill Brown, produce specialist for Quality Foods, says the company sets itself apart from the competition with its wide variety of cut fruit and chopped vegeta- bles. Also, the stores draw customers in by offering them a station to squeeze their own fresh orange juice.
“We also transitioned from selling items by the pound to by the each, so we increased our price point,” says Brown.
Another way Thrifty Foods has succeeded in keeping customers engaged is its “Appy Hours,” where one produce item is featured at half price on the company’s smartphone app between 4-6 p.m.
“We’ve been using the app for promo- tions since its launch in September 2010,” says Brown. “It generates pretty good sales.”
Additionally, the stores use theme displays to catch customers’ attention, such as the tropical-themed display they built with grass huts featuring pineapples, mangos and other citrus items along with point-of-sale materials about the produce. Actress Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on “Gilligan’s Island,” visited stores to drive home the tropical island theme.
Another creative cross-promotion came from an external partnership with the local Seaside Cruizers Car Club’s “Father’s Day Show and Shine” in Qualicum Beach.
One year, a Quality Foods store had a watermelon promotion with one of the watermelon queens in town for the car show in attendance. The store built a train- themed display with a train engine, stacked watermelons and precut watermelon samples.
Brown says Quality Foods prides itself on its knowledgeable staff and says stores are always working to improve customer service, which helps it compete for customers.
Brown believes the health-conscious reputation of BC residents is generational, as younger customers have become more aware of what they’re eating and drinking.
“Snack foods in the store are declining in sales,” he adds. “People are drinking more water bottles than soda bottles.”
PERSIA FOODS
With seven current locations in British Columbia, Persia Foods Ethnic Markets opened its first store in 1996.
These stores include many imported and private-label products and offer online grocery deliveries.
Sobbuh Behrouzi, director of Persia Foods, says the stores’ customers are looking for more prepared or semi-prepared products, along with fruits and vegetables.
“While the focus on nutrition and health keeps growing, we’re seeing that most customers are trying to balance that with convenience,” he says.
“Eating habits are changing, and while we are seeing customers buying more variety, we also see them buying more staple produce items as things such as meal prep and batch cooking grow in popularity.”
Behrouzi says he doesn’t see a big differ- ence in buying tendencies between coastal Canadian and U.S. customers, at least in larger cities such as Seattle, Portland, OR, and Los Angeles.
“There’s been a large push away from the typical supermarket ‘center-store’ to fresh produce, meats, refrigerated and frozen items being relocated to those areas, and that’s working its way into the rest of both countries.” pb
In 1982, the first store for Quality Foods was opened in Qualicum Beach, BC — its current
The Thrifty Foods chain was founded in 1977 and now has 25 stores on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, BC. It’s
CPMA CONVENTION SUPPLEMENTPRODUCE BUSINESS / APRIL 2018 / 15