Lowes Touts 'Local' with New Ad Campaign
In advance of Harris Teeter's further expansion in the southeast as well as Publix opening its first store in the North Carolina Triangle, Lowes Foods is seeking to regain its competitive edge with a new advertising campaign that underscores the Winston-Salem-based grocer's commitment to local sourcing.
According to a report in the Raleigh, N.C.-based News & Observer, the grocer's new campaign is part of a larger strategy to fight for market share against the area's existing and emerging supermarket competitors, which will be accompanied by major remodels of 10 stores and the closure of four underperforming stores.
A spokesperson for the company did not respond to Progressive Grocer's request for comment at press time.
Lowes, whose parent company, Alex Lee, ranks 46 on PG's Super 50 list of the nation's top-ranked supermarkets and whose Raleigh area market share is pegged at 5 percent, aims to tout a superior customer experience in an effort to defend its turf compared with the retail heavy-hitters that can rely on price competitiveness. Walmart currently holds the largest market share in the area at 23 percent, followed by Food Lion (19.5 percent), Harris Teeter (16 percent) and Kroger (7 percent), according to the report.
Lowe's new remodels will include a full slate of new features that support the campaign's slogan, "You Can't Fake Local," including a farmer’s market-style produce department where shoppers can have their produce chopped, diced or sliced in-store; a beer den with craft beers on tap and a select-your-own six-pack option; as well as chef talks, recipe tastings and in-store how-to sessions.
Additionally, signage will prominently denote locally sourced products across store shelves, including 20 flavors of North and South Carolina-made sausages as well as homegrown fruits and vegetables
In conjunction with the new campaign, Lowes also launched a new website, which explains: "By now you probably noticed that our logo is different and our website has been given a makeover. That's because Lowes Foods is in the process of launching a new look on the outside to better reflect what we've always been on the inside: local and proud of it.
"As time goes on and changes are made at more Lowes Foods stores, you'll begin to feel a homegrown element at every turn. From the fixin's served at the Chicken Kitchen to the wooden textures throughout the aisles to our billboards on the highway, we want our passion for being a family-owned, Carolinas-based company to shine in everything we do.
"Thank you for being loyal to Lowes Foods. Join us as we continue to evolve and as we create the finest homegrown experience around."
The full article referencing Lowe's future plans can be found here.