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Supervalu 'Hyper-Local' Effort Enlists Managers

Supervalu's store managers can double their incentive bonuses under the retailer's new "hyper-local" initiative, which turns control of certain merchandising displays and buys from central control to local store managers, Sherry Smith, Supervalu's chief financial officer, said in remarks at the Goldman Sachs Global Retailing Conference.

Jon Springer, Executive Editor

September 7, 2011

1 Min Read
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JON SPRINGER

NEW YORK — Supervalu's store managers can double their incentive bonuses under the retailer's new "hyper-local" initiative, which turns control of certain merchandising displays and buys from central control to local store managers, Sherry Smith, Supervalu's chief financial officer, said in remarks at the Goldman Sachs Global Retailing Conference here Wednesday.

"We've always had [incentives] driven around the metrics of the store performance in terms of sales and earnings," Smith said, "but now if [store managers] exceed those earnings at a certain level, they have the ability to more than double the incentive they had in the past. So as they think about these different endcaps from what they're putting on display, it's not all just about what might drive the sales, but it is also what's going to help drive more profitable sales throughout the store."

The hyper-local program, launched in 1,100 Superalu-owned stores earlier this year, gives store managers control of 50% of the endcaps in their stores. Supervalu is supporting the effort through a "dashboard" tool that provides store managers with demographic information about their neighborhood including income demographics, ethnic makeup, and an estimate of the store's share in the market.

Managers can use this information along with their own observations to drive merchandising decisions, Smith said.

About the Author

Jon Springer

Executive Editor

Jon Springer is executive editor of Winsight Grocery Business with responsibility for leading its digital news team. Jon has more than 20 years of experience covering consumer business and retail in New York, including more than 14 years at the Retail/Financial desk at Supermarket News. His previous experience includes covering consumer markets for KPMG’s Insiders; the U.S. beverage industry for Beverage Spectrum; and he was a Senior Editor covering commercial real estate and retail for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Jon began his career as a sports reporter and features editor for the Cecil Whig, a daily newspaper in Elkton, Md. Jon is also the author of two books on baseball. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-Journalism from the University of Delaware. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family.

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