Lessons From the Front: Going to Market
(September 2011)

Price is important—but it’s not everything. Shoppers are looking for more than just good deals from their grocery store. According to the 2011 AlixPartners Grocery Shopper Preference Survey, shoppers say food quality and store atmosphere are equally as important as price. And if they don’t find them at their regular grocery store, they will shop elsewhere. In other words, your customers could be headed out the door. Read Lessons from the Front: Going to Market to learn how to stop them.

Lessons From the Front: Taming Technology
(April 2011)

The technology landscape grows increasingly crowded each day as mobile devices, social networks, e-commerce, network security, and more join the fray. It can be confusing and, if approached haphazardly, unnecessarily expensive. This edition of our grocery management series provides a roadmap for planning and managing technology investments.
 
Lessons from the Front: Extracting Value from Loyalty Card Programs
(December 2010)

The December edition of our monthly grocery newsletter discusses the value hidden in the data generated by loyalty card programs.

Lessons from the Front: Return on Invested Labor
(September 2010)

Grocers take note: approaching payroll as an investment, rather than an expense, can increase sales by as much as 10%, at a rate of return that far exceeds any other typically available.

Lessons from the Front: Un- "fixing" the Private Fleet
(August 2010)

Private Fleets are often considered a mostly “fixed” expense. But, we’ve seen as much as 80 basis points of improved operating performance with a rigorous transportation improvement program.

Lessons from the Front: Price Repositioning
(July 2010)

You face a perplexing situation: Consumer spending for non-discretionary items is weak. Unemployment is high. Talking heads are speculating about the chances of a double-dip recession. Retailers are fighting a “pricing war”—and grocers are on the front lines.