The soon-to-retire David Dillon, chairman of the board of directors at the Kroger corporation, told those gathered at this month’s 2014 Consumer Goods Forum that although online shopping for groceries is growing exponentially, bricks-and -mortar is not dead.
“These days,” he stated, “anybody who sells anything sells food and drink as well.”
“Food is available almost anywhere.”
Dillon implored the audience to always remember that shoppers are more concerned about the price of some products than of others, i.e., a jump in price for foodstuff A may not turn consumers to another retails, but the same increase in price for foodstuff B may.
He made the noble point that the purpose of a retailer - or business of any sort - is to serve communities, rather than make a profit, though for this to happen, profits have to be made.
Food banks represent one example of this.
The point was made in Dillon's interview that Americans have a greater sense of having a personal relationship to supermarkets than they do in Europe, and will often speak of “My Kroger”.
© 2014 - European Supermarket Magazine by Peter Donnelly
