Southeastern Grocers’ Hucker Looks Forward

As seven more Harveys stores prepare to open in Florida on Aug. 2, bringing the total number of locations operating under the banner to 77, Anthony Hucker, interim president and CEO of Harveys' parent company, Southeastern Grocers, is excited about the venerable banner’s potential.

In an interview with Progressive Grocer, Hucker described Harveys as being the “best equipped to deliver quality, service and value” to shoppers in the form of a “personalized shopping experience.” All seven stores are conversions from existing Winn-Dixie locations, and two are entering central and west Florida markets for the first time.

Noting such store features as a new $1 Zone, “Low and Staying Low” items called out by distinctive yellow signage and reduced-price offerings identified by “Great Low Price” tags, Hucker said that around 3,700 items across Harveys were available at value prices on a daily basis. He added that all of the latest stores’ attributes – which also include a new custom façade and color palate with refreshed interior signage, and an updated produce department with local fruits and vegetables – were in place across the banner, since “delivering consistency across brands is really important.”

Regarding further rollouts of Harveys stores, Hucker said that the company was waiting to see how these latest stores would perform before unveiling future plans. “We really let the customer tell us,” he said, adding that Jacksonville, Fla.-based Southeastern was committed to listening “really, really loudly” to shoppers.

Asked to describe the company’s overarching strategy, Hucker, who took over the helm upon the departure of Ian McLeod in June, replied that it was “to give our customers a store that they trust to deliver quality, service and value,” regardless of banner, and that his focus was on Southeastern’s “greatest asset of all” – its associates – as well as customers.