Canyon Market is a natural foods and specialty grocery story that serves the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco. Owner Richard Tarlov spoke during the latest installment of SFA’s Working with Buyers webinar series about the transitions that the market has had to make during the pandemic, how makers can approach retailers with new products, and how makers can show their appreciation for retailers during this time.
Making Adjustments
“We are in a neighborhood that is very small, but diverse and served by public transit,” said Tarlov. “We have a lot of commuters. But that has suddenly changed.” Though public transportation is running in San Francisco, it’s running at majorly reduced levels and many people are choosing to stay home instead of commuting. However, a strong local presence has helped keep the market in business.
“I guess we are lucky because we’re an essential business,” noted Tarlov. “We were able to stay open and keep our 100-person staff employed.” But to stay open, Canyon Market has had to work with the public health department, vendors, and employees to maintain a safe environment for shoppers. For example, the market has pivoted its normal self-serve operations like the salad bar and soup station to either be offered behind the counter by employees or as space for pre-packaged foods. And it’s been very successful for the market. Pre-packaged olives, for example, are experiencing sales way beyond pre-COVID levels. The market is also offering pre-packed charcuterie trays and full meals made from prepared foods that are normally sold separate in the store.
Many customers of the market are environmentally-conscious and didn’t like the idea of ditching their reusable bags for plastic ones. So, Canyon Market set up a repack station outside on the patio in front of the store so shoppers could repack their items into their own reusable bags.
Through its foodservice operations, Canyon Market was able to provide commodities like flour and yeast when it was harder for customers to find them in packaged form. The market has also prioritized supporting small producers, even buying from some that the retailer doesn’t normally use to support them in this difficult time.
Taking on New Products
Though Canyon Market hasn’t been able to take on as many new products as usual, it has been trying to get back into the habit of doing so. “Normally we have a weekly grocery team meeting where we go through new products and try them, but we haven’t been able to do that more than one or two times during the pandemic,” Tarlov said. “But we’re trying to get back to that.” The market has had lots of emails introducing new products and companies and it has tried to respond to each one individually.
Though Canyon Market buyers aren’t quite ready to start taking on new products yet, Tarlov suggests that makers email the store and share what new products they have and the message will get directed to the appropriate buyer. In addition, Canyon Market is seeking products that are available through one of its distributors; it helps to simplify the ordering process.
How to Help Retailers
“We always appreciate information that we can turn into signage,” suggested Tarlov. If makers can send along a brief but informative description of an item, or a short description of why it’s unique, Canyon Market can use that to sell the product on the shelves.
Discounts and refills are also appreciated by the retailer, as well as anything that expresses gratitude to the store and its employees. “We’ve had a couple people send us things to share with our staff and our buyers, just to say thank you,” Tarlov said. “Anything that expresses appreciation and thanks to the folks working through this is great.”
from Specialty Food News https://ift.tt/38KnLoU
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