Lowes Foods CEO Wants Grocers to Believe in Magic
What if there was no Christmas holiday to bolster sales in the grocery industry? That question was posed by Tim Lowe, head of retail for Alex Lee and president of Lowes Foods, at Progressive Grocer’s Grocery Impact event in Orlando, and his answer was simple: Believe in magic.
With the food retail industry moving more quickly than ever before toward an uncertain future, Lowe drove home the need for grocers to find small ways to both stand out from the crowd and create little moments of joy for their shoppers.
“The reality is that we need to accept that disruption is inevitable,” Lowe explained. “Simply put, we must recognize the fact that digital technologies and new consumer demands will forever alter our business – the way it's been, the way we know it.”
As Lowe asked next: “What if you can create a Christmas experience every day?"
Lowe went on to share a story about a television set that he bought several years ago, but that his wife had trouble working. When he stumbled upon a universal remote that his wife could use to control the television, Lowe realized that purchasing it would help him meet an unknown, unmet need.
Creating that Christmas experience, Lowe said, simply means meeting and solving the unknown, unmet needs of grocery customers. Unlocking those needs also gives grocers the ability to tell stories in new and different ways that go beyond the traditional format of words.
“We're a penny profit industry. Do we have to be very mindful of our expenses? Absolutely. Cut where it matters least to the guests. Invest where it matters most to the guests,” Lowe explained. “The people interaction is the thing that's getting lost in our industry. So unknown, unmet needs allow us to look for little opportunities.”
For Lowes Foods, those little opportunities run the gamut from a bakery dubbed a “Cakery” staffed by “cake wizards” to a s’mores wagon that travels to stores and events so guests can enjoy roasting marshmallows. The grocer also hosts Mimosa Sundays, tea parties, birthday parties, cheese and wine pairing events, and much more.
All of that, Lowe explained, is part of bringing the community back to the proverbial table.
“The reality of finding magic is that you have to look for the obvious,” he said. “You have to look for the obvious that's right in front of you that you're missing.” Doing so, however, is something that grocers should focus on immediately, and doing so takes a fair amount of momentum.
“If you don't start today and you wait for the right time, it will never happen,” Lowe mused. “No matter how small or how big to start the journey to start creating something new, do not wait for the right time. The right time will never come.”
Concluded Lowe: “We are changing. And it's the influence that you create that is going to make the difference. Our world has never moved this fast, but it's never going to move this slow again. People are going to be craving that connection.”
