Breakfast with ...
Friday, February 8
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast with Evan Juro
Room: Versailles 1 & 2
Taking Customers Surveys to the Next Level:
Connecting with Customers – And Why That’s Good Business
This session will describe how No Frills Supermarkets has taken customer surveys to the next level by applying the results of feedback from customers to make everyday tactical decisions at the store level. The result is that customers are recognizing that not only is No Frills listening to them, but connecting with them; truly responding to what they want and need.
This presentation will first bring attendees up to date on the survey research No Frills has been doing, then discuss specific ways No Frills has been using the results to increase customer loyalty, sales and profits. Senior management can monitor the day-to-day performance of individual stores and the satisfaction of their customers – otherwise difficult to achieve without being at the physical location. And store managers and department heads are learning how to sift through data to get information they can use every day; “decode” customer comments to pinpoint those demanding immediate attention; and respond to customer comments quickly and easily, as part of their daily routine. Attendees will learn how No Frills is building a “customer-centric’ business by encouraging everyone – from senior
management to checkout clerk – to connect to their customers.
Moderator
Rich Juro, Chairman & CEO, No Frills Supermarkets
Speaker
Evan Juro, Marketing Consultant, No Frills Supermarkets
Breakfast with Chuck Coonradt
Room: Versailles 3 & 4
The Better People Leader
The success or failure of any business— no matter the market, technology, money, or 
strategy—also comes down to the people involved in it. But as Jim Collins points out in Good to Great, “People are not your most important asset. The right people are.” No doubt you can think of experiences when the success of a project hinged on a person you employ or manage. Was the project ultimately successful because you had the right person who stepped up and excelled in a pinch? Or was the project a debacle because the person couldn’t handle the pressure, didn’t have the skills, or wasn’t motivated to perform? Getting, training, and keeping the right people needs to be at the core of any successful business strategy. A strategy isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on if it isn’t executed. That puts tremendous responsibility on the manager of those people. Whether you are the CEO of a multi-store chain with a staff of thousands under your direction, or a single store operator, as a leader of people you wield the power to enable and ennoble those you manage. You also wield the ability to demoralize and crush them. How you wield that power will appear not only in the faces of those you lead but in every financial, sales, inventory, and miscellaneous report that lands on your desk. It’s a belief in the expandability, not expendability, of people. It’s trusting that people will rise to the challenge of their responsibilities as they are led responsibly and reasonably.
Moderator:
Jimmy Wright, President, Wrights Markets
Speaker:
Chuck Coonradt, President, The Game of Work, LLC
Breakfast with Art Turock
Room: Versailles 1 & 2
Retail Format Innovation: Designing Store Layouts and Shopping Experiences
The emergence of any fast-growing trade channel or supermarket chain is usually jump-started by a retail format innovation—that is, a type of store aligned with a business model that delivers a unique value proposition to an underserved customer base. Convenience stores were designed to serve quick grab and go shoppers who didn’t want to wait in long lines. Supercenters were conceived as an ideal setting for time starved shoppers seeking one-stop shopping trips. Upscale supermarkets were built to serve the needs of “discovery shoppers” seeking to learn about new foods, recipes, and cooking equipment. With changing customer needs and stiffer competition, an increasing number of supermarkets are realizing they must become multi-format retailers. This session will reveal the strategic reasons to account for the success of retail format innovations such as category killer specialty stores (Pet Smart), dedicated ethnic stores (Ranch Markets), hybrid stores (Whole Foods) complimentary midweek shopping format (Tesco’s Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market) and even signature departments. Attendees will also contemplate imaginary retail format innovations that could
potentially address major consumer trends that will emerge in the next 5-10 years.
Moderator:
Emile Breaux, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Strategy, Associated Grocers, Inc.
Speaker:
Art Turock, President, Art Turock and Associates
Breakfast with Robert Kelley
Room: Versailles 3 & 4
Navigating Your Business through Permanent White Water
Many of us remember the good ole days that were filled with occasional down-time, so that we could catch our breath and get ready for the new project. Forget it! Those days are history. The new model of business requires the 21st century employee to be resilient and operate with physical and mental acuity. This is a “must attend” session for senior leaders, human resource professionals, and business owners who want to help their teams work through very challenging environmental pressures stimulated by new competition, worries about terrorism, new technology installation, aggressive growth plans, government regulations, and new product entries. This presentation will offer suggestions concerning how leaders can build a culture that can handle the rigors of 21st century business life.
Moderator:
Jill Hickman, Student, University of Alabama
Speaker:
Robert Kelley, President, Pure Culture Consulting
