The man who could 'save' grocery stores

Supermarket design guru Kevin Kelley says traditional grocery executives are scared of the future and stuck in their ways, to the detriment of their business.

In a long-ranging interview and article by New Food Economy, a new nonprofit website covering the food industry, Kelley says he still struggles to persuade traditional grocers to make fundamental changes that are designed to excel at what e-commerce can't do: convene consumers over the mouth-watering appeal of fresh ingredients and prepared food.  

Kelley says grocers can’t be satisfied with providing a place to complete a chore. They’ll need to provide a top-notch experience.

According to the article, Kelley says one way to ramp up experience in food retail is restaurants. Although the "grocerants" concept is of course not new, not enough grocery stores and food retailers are embracing it. 

Delis, cafes, and in-store restaurants increase dwell time and facilitate pleasure while operating with much higher profit margins and recapturing some of the dining-out dollar that grocers are now losing, Kelley says.

“I tell my clients, ‘In five years, you’re going to be in the restaurant business,” Kelley says, “‘or you’re going to be out of business.’”

Read the article here.