Grocery, Private Label Vet Founds Consulting Firm
Jill Dearing is now stranger to the worlds of grocery and private brands. For three decades, she has worked in various roles throughout the grocery industry with such notable companies such as C&S Wholesale Grocers and Save-A-Lot.
Now, Dearing is moving in a new direction with the launch of Dearing & Company, her new firm she says is dedicated to redefining executive guidance, support, and services for the grocery industry.
"My career has been fueled by a passion for advancing grocery through innovative strategies and a focus on customer engagement,” she said. “Dearing & Company is the culmination of this journey, where deep industry understanding meets cutting-edge solutions to drive our clients' success."
Dearing recently spoke with Store Brands about her new company and how she plans to leverage her experience to help move the grocery and private label business forward.
STORE BRANDS: What inspired you to open your new consulting firm?
JILL DEARING: I wanted to work differently. I wanted to do food and grocery differently. I want to do private brains differently and I want to make a larger impact. I've had all the personal experiences that I've had and I want to serve and support many in the industry.
"When we get stuck behind a desk, we get so caught up in just getting the work done that we don't have permission to do things differently. We also need time to think and reflect on what we’re doing and see how we can do things differently. What I want to do is help others."
— Jill Dearing, Dearing & Company
STORE BRANDS: What do you mean by your desire of wanting to do things differently?
DEARING: (The grocery) space hasn’t changed much. So how do we work differently? How do we think about the grocery business differently? How do we build a private brand differently? Those are things that I think need some thoughtfulness and some new energy behind them. And when we get stuck behind a desk, we get so caught up in just getting the work done that we don't have permission to do things differently. We also need time to think and reflect on what we’re doing and see how we can do things differently. What I want to do is help others. I love the idea of supporting the many versus the one.
STORE BRANDS: Given your lengthy career in grocery, what unique insights do you think you bring to the marketplace?
DEARING: My career has been crazy, but a good crazy. I started in retail design and store planning and have worked in visual merchandising, construction, risk management, marketing, consumer insights, public relations, and pharmacy. This background allows me to look at things through the lens of all those experiences and businesses where I have worked. When you look at all the touchpoints I have in my career, few others have that.
STORE BRANDS: How have those experiences shaped your approach to doing business?
DEARING: For example, during my 16 years at Save-A-Lot, there was constant transition. There were seven CEOs during my time there, so there was a continual change in direction from new leadership. All of that change allowed me to grow my executive persona and I became very determined and learned to be confident in navigating the ambiguity that comes with all those changes and the impact it has on people throughout the company. My approach in that environment was to take what was ambiguous and provide my teams and other people in the organization with the stability, structure, and guidance needed to make sure that they were happy, healthy, productive people. During my time at C&S Wholesale Grocers, I started a mentorship program in 2022. I brought together a committee and we launched it. I feel really good about that program and being able to offer that type of executive support is something people can expect of me.
STORE BRANDS: It appears that one of your strengths is the ability to identify weaknesses within an organization and remedy the situation.
DEARING: That’s what I love to do. Having someone just hand me a business and say ‘run it’ is not for me. Give me the big problems or say there is more that can be done within an organization and let me start pulling the strings apart. That is what I thrive on.
STORE BRANDS: Information about your new company talks about being dedicated to transforming customer experiences in the grocery industry. How can this be done?
DEARING: To make this transformation possible we have to talk about the customer. If you’re working in a store you’re thinking about the customer. But the farther removed you are from the store, the less likely you are to be thinking about the customer and the more likely you’re thinking about things such as the cost of an item, procurement, or how the trucks are being filled. My role will be to make sure that every conversation starts with ‘How will that impact the customer?’
STORE BRANDS: What will make your consulting firm different from others in the marketplace?
DEARING: I’ve never held the title of consultant, so in one way I’m already different. For me, I have had many professional-level tests that have served to make me a high-performing grocery executive. I’ll be able to draw on my 30 years of industry experience. When working with various clients, I want to sit with them, become a part of their business, and make them feel like I am a part of their organization. I’m not just going to develop something, hand them a piece of paper, and be gone. I will work on the problem with them directly until we get it fixed.
STORE BRANDS: You’re also focused on leadership development. What are some keys to assisting a company develop leaders?
DEARING: I was a leader very early in my career and I thoroughly enjoy helping people grow. But people need to understand that as leaders sometimes you have to think differently, stay calm in pressure situations, and not sweat the small stuff. The business cycle can be crazy and while it’s important to have financial acumen and interpersonal skills, it’s also important to have the agility to adapt to changes and challenges in the business.
STORE BRANDS: The private label business has experienced some tremendous growth in recent years. From your point of view, how can retailers and suppliers stay ahead of trends as well as their competitors?
DEARING: We always hear people talk about innovation, but that is what I consider a fluffy word and what does it mean? I think any growth comes from working to improve yourself and being aware of what is happening around you. Often, people get caught up in their own work and they forget to look around now and again to see what’s going on. It’s important to find time to step away and take a look at what is happening in a given industry. We often times hear people say ‘Someone should invent something’ to solve a problem. Why wait for someone else to invent something when you may be able to do it yourself?
STORE BRANDS: When you look at the grocery business, what trends should we be watching?
DEARING: There are many, but I think consolidation is the most important topic within grocery. The other is the growth of private brands. While not new, private brands continued to gain additional visibility and continue to grow in the hearts and minds of consumers.
