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On The Corner of I-277 & Independence
Charlotte, NC

Down near the heart of Charlotte, NC—also known as the Queen City—is an extremely busy intersection: the corner of I-277 and Independence Blvd. For many years, a great supermarket stood on this corner…Compare Foods on Independence. However, due to eminent domain reasons (a highway is being built), it is in the process of closing and relocating.

Through the years, Compare Foods closed down all competitors that attempted to outmaneuver or wheel and deal its customers away. Compare Foods consistently outplayed the competition by using a tactic that has worked for years. Well, they didn't use digital media, nor did they use fancy mail-outs, nor did they use misleading promotions to get customers through the door. The secret to their success was driven by their attention to the produce and meat sections. Compare Foods carried very limited back stock in their produce, and their produce was displayed in a very clean and crisp way. The price tags were always BIG and neatly placed. Customers knew the produce was fresh and this drew them to the store. The meat department always smelled clean because they put great care into cleaning it every night with hot water. (Retailers that don't clean their meat department floors with hot water every night end up with smelly floors, and the smell never goes away).

In addition to their great cleanliness, their flyer strategy always included 10 loss leaders (2 per section) that led shoppers across the entire perimeter, increasing basket ring. This was a simple, yet incredibly successful, operation.

But as they say in this business, location is everything, and as Compare Foods considers a new location about 3 miles down the road, it is at risk of losing its core customer for two reasons: They will lose a lot of their walk-in traffic from nearby apartments and the demographics will also change substantially, requiring a new playbook for this winner.


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