If you are like most Americans, your shopping patterns - as well as your customers’ habits - have changed drastically in the past several weeks. More people are buying fresh produce to stay healthy, and for good reason: a diet that includes lots of fresh organic produce is a great way to keep your immune systems strong in these uncertain times.
James Morrell has over 25 years experience in natural foods retail management. Over those years he’s done a lot of hiring. I’ve written about hiring in this column before, but for a fresh perspective I turned to James, now a consultant in fresh category management. What do you look for when you’re hiring? The resume and past experience are a starting point but [...]
Eastside Food Co-op Minneapolis, MN Year founded: 2003 Member equity: $100 Number of members: 6,500 Number of employees: 100 Retail square feet: 9,500 Eastside Food Co-op in Minneapolis, Minn. had one of the highest sales per square foot in the nation, but this wasn’t all good news. The store’s small size meant that it couldn’t carry enough of what customers wanted. Survey results showed [...]
Current discussions among food cooperatives often turn to the presence of food deserts in our cities and towns and what co-ops might do to address them. Mari coined the now-popular term to describe neighborhoods where mainstream grocers are distant. The statistically significant impacts on disease and life for people living in food deserts are well known. There won't be a single solution to the [...]
