LOS ANGELES -- SN visited one of the newly opened Gigante stores in the South Central part of the city. Here is what Justo Frias, president of Gigante Holdings International, pointed out:
oduce section with nearly 300 varieties -- more than most chains, he pointed out, to accommodate demand for fresh ingredients for homemade foods.
Island produce displays on stainless-steel fixtures with shallow wooden boxes fitted in so products look like they just came from the fields. Frias said the boxes also facilitate rotation, giving Gigante the ability to replace sold-down displays quickly without inconveniencing customers or requiring clerks to move large quantities of merchandise.
A wall of values opposite the produce section -- the only area of the store that uses warehouse shelving -- for weekly specials. Signs above the section graphically communicate the message "more for your money," showing a plus sign ("mas," or more, in Spanish); an X (meaning "por," or "for"); "tu" (Spanish for "your"), and $ (for money).
An in-store bakery, or panaderia, on the store's back wall, featuring items cooked 100% from scratch, Frias said. "Everything is baked fresh at the store, just as it is in Mexico. We don't bake off a single item."
A tortilleria adjacent to the panaderia, which manufactures three varieties of tortillas: traditional corn; green corn (using jalapenos); and red corn (using tomatillos).
A prepared-foods-to-go section in front of the tortilleria. "We added only two or three items to accommodate the African-American customers, but most are very basic items, like fried and roasted chicken, that should do well in that area," Frias pointed out.
Gigante's version of a takeout soup bar in front of the prepared-foods counter: a serve-yourself display featuring two stew-like Mexican specialties -- pozole (chunks of pork cooked with beans, whole chiles and cilantro) and menudo (tripe cooked with hominy and tomato sauce). The chain began testing both items at the two urban stores earlier this month.
A large dairy section for milk and eggs on the back wall.
A seafood counter that regularly features three types of shrimp, priced daily at $3.99 a pound for small shrimp, $4.99 for medium shrimp, and $5.99 for large shrimp. "Seafood is a very popular item, with shrimp a big weekend seller when families make ceviche," Frias noted. "In fact, there are times of year when seafood outsells beef."
A service meat counter with thin cuts, marinated meats and offal, with a floor-to-ceiling glass wall separating the service meat area from the preparation area, similar to what's done in Mexico, Frias pointed out, "so customers standing in front of the case can see everything that's going on in the back room."
A salchichoneria (delicatessen) at the end of the meat counter offering a variety of cold deli meats and cheeses, plus chorizos (Spanish sausages) that are brought in from outside and displayed in a refrigerated case behind the service area.
A multi-deck display of self-service meats on the store's left wall, flanked by island displays featuring a variety of traditional cheeses and an expanded selection of Mexican cheeses.
Everything 99 cents in the front-left corner of the store, a section Gigante began installing at its stores about 18 months ago "because we find it's a good complement to what we offer, and we've had great success with it."
A grocery section in which all products are integrated, Frias said. "There's no import section. We merchandise salsas with ketchup, canned chile with condiments, and Jumex juices next to Tree Top apple juice."
A frozen food section that's approximately 60% smaller than what's available at conventional supermarkets because of the Hispanic preference for fresh, Frias said.
