GMA SAYS SOLUTION SELLING IS THE FUTURE

MARYELLEN LO BOSCO

WASHINGTON -- Full-service solution selling -- the final frontier in supermarket retailing -- will require radical changes in store design, according to a newly released report by The Grocery Manufacturers of America here.

Titled "Full-Service Solution Selling," and jointly published by GMA, the Food Marketing Institute, also here, and Andersen Consulting, Chicago, the report discusses trends driving full- service solutions, as well as retailer issues and challenges. "Full-service solution selling requires not just a new mindset and a new organizational structure for the retailer," says the report. "It requires some major changes in the traditional layout of the store itself and in existing fixtures and equipment." What is needed, in lieu of linear feet, aisles and facings, is a focus on "groupings of answers to specific needs [and] solution pods and centers."

The report also profiles four retailers who are on the cutting edge of whole-store solution selling: Amelia's Market, GA Food Group, Crown Point, Ind.; D&W Food Stores, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Ukrop's Super Markets, Richmond, Va.; and Vincent's Market, a Division of Bruno's, with three units in Alabama.

In an interview with SN (see Page 22) on the eve of GMA's annual executive conference in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., C. Manly Molpus, GMA president and CEO, said that successful solution selling requires manufacturers and retailers to both think together and work together, from concept to execution.

"I think we are in the early stages of experimentation," Molpus said. "When you really get into solution selling, you are getting into store layout issues; where equipment fits in the store, and a whole host of fundamental issues. The best time for solution selling may be yet to come, as we get into the next generation of store layouts designed with solution selling in mind."

According to the GMA report, the store of the future may need multi-temperature fixtures, for example, or units that can deliver information as well as products. Fixtures may need to be flexible enough to move from location to location, and adaptable enough to promote the store's brand image.

But some retailers have already brought the whole-store solutions concept to fruition.

The report describes D&W's design for its first full-service solutions unit, in Holland, Mich., for example, which was built in a W-shape and has the feel of an open-air market. The supermarket was created by architects with no previous supermarket experience. Meanwhile, architects for Amelia's sought to get away from the "grab-and-go" mentality and invite shoppers to slow down and enjoy the shopping experience.

According to the report, Amelia's Market represents "a new generation" of grocery stores, that combine "food and fun." It is called "a prototype full-service solutions store that opened to rave reviews."

Amelia's solution centers are presided over by Amelia, a woman-sized mascot. Her role is both decorative and directional, as she helps shoppers negotiate the store layout. In addition to elaborate signage in each department, Amelia's makes use of different kinds of music to create "shopping zones."

Some innovative concepts at Amelia's that affect traditional Center Store products include a Salad Center, where all the salad dressings are merchandised next to the salad fixings; a produce area that includes all the frozen vegetables; and a Sandwich Center that stocks hot dogs, sausages and all the condiments, along with a 40-foot display of items for sandwich solutions.

Amelia's also features a Taste of Mexico, which merchandises refrigerated, frozen and dry items in one section, as well as Asian Cuisine, Tutto Italiano, Candyland and Kids Kamp (a child-care center). Special areas and endcaps continue the whole-store solution concept.

D&W's Market Square store merchandises dry and refrigerated items together, in a breakfast center, as well as in its international foods area. Other solutions include "frugal packs" designed for singles, the elderly and small families; recipe cards; wine and food forums; and toll-free telephone customer services.

Ukrop's, a pioneer in solution selling, is continuing to refine its concepts. Vincent's, a somewhat different approach to a total store solution, "is described as a restaurant without seats," the report says.

GMA's newest report is the third in a series. The first report, published in 1997, was called "Solution Selling -- Coming Soon to a Store Near You." Last year's report was titled, "Solution Selling II: Delivering the New Shopping Experience."