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ASCENDANT INDEPENDENT
B&T’s Food Fresh
Fresh produce is big factor in success of this newly converted market in South Georgia. BY DOUG OHLEMEIER
Asign displaying “Farmer’s Finest” over a produce background adorns the wall of the produce department at B&T’s Food Fresh grocery store in South Georgia. It’s symbolic of produce’s importance for the Mount Vernon, GA, store.
Located in the Vidalia sweet onion growing region — a dozen miles west of that onion’s namesake city — the store previously was operated under the Galaxy Thriftway banner. It recently re-opened under new management.
“Produce is an important part of our store,” says William Triplett, store manager. “Produce sells well.”
William Triplett is the father of John Triplett, one of B&T’s co-owners. In December 2017, the younger Triplett and Clark Brunson purchased the store, adding it to their other stores in Rentz, GA and Twin City, GA.
The longtime friends grew up in Sylvania,
GA, east of Statesboro, GA. After college, John Triplett bagged groceries. In the early 2000s, he and Brunson, who worked in avia- tion, purchased their first store.
Fresh Emphasis
B&T’s emphasizes produce, which is a traffic-building category. William Triplett says it sells many bins of storage onions and 10- and 15-pound bags of potatoes.
For several reasons, produce is critical to B&T’s’operations.It’s the first thing customers see upon entrance. “If that department is standing tall and is fresh with attractive color separation, it sets the tone for the shopper for the entire store,” says William.
Eye-catching displays are important. Placing produce in color breaks, which align items by their color across a display, helps sales. “It’s absolute beauty when you display produce in such a way as to separate colors so
PHOTOS COURTESY OF B&T’S FOOD FRESH
you don’t have two orange-colored ones beside each other,” says William. “Separate them as much as you can. You can’t always do it, but you can do it to a large extent.”
When shoppers see the vibrant colors spread across the wall on display, they’ll purchase them, he says. “If we can get them in the produce department and get them to pick up one item — they will buy more than one item. That’s the whole game.”
Signage is a key part in merchandising. If a produce department is promoting an item on sale but doesn’t erect a sign to alert shop- pers of the sale, no one will take advantage of the lower prices. “If you put produce on sale without a sign, it’s like an undeveloped photo,” he says. “You don’t see the whole picture.”
Keeping Up Appearances
William Triplett says the product’s condi- tion trumps other factors. Sometimes, price
18 / AUGUST 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS