![]() ![]() “The best way of communicating that to the consumer is by changing the brand name.” “They’re trying to improve and modernize the interior, improve customer service, and increase their availability of unique food items,” said Lee. Price Chopper’s desire to compete more effectively against competitors and expand its customer base probably drove the company to the new approach, said Eunkyu Lee, a marketing professor at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management. “It’s not as much a name change as it is an appearance change.”Įxperts generally agree that the move is smart for business. “It doesn’t make much of a difference,” said Cohen. Elihu Cohen, 88, has been a loyal Price Chopper consumer for 10 years and says the change will not deter his shopping habits. “We’re all taking well to it.”Ĭustomers, too, are, as well, that is. “It gives the place a homey feeling,” said Katrick Smith, a produce employee, or “teammate,” at Syracuse’s Price Chopper. Such positive feedback was common for both customers and employees alike at the Price Chopper in Syracuse located at 2515 Erie Blvd, which has already started changing some parts of the store in accordance with the new Market 32 color scheme. However, other customers on the Facebook chat welcomed the change and said they felt the new concept would add a new type of competition to similar low-priced grocers in their areas. ![]() Some questioned the investment in a new brand versus raising employee wages and wondered why the name “Market 32.” Price Chopper held an open chat on its Facebook page last week to gather customer feedback on the Market 32 evolution. All together, the initial investment phase comes to more than $300 million, money that some customers said would be better spent elsewhere. More than half of the chain will be converted within five years, according to Golub. Over the next eighteen months, the company said they plan to convert another 10-15 stores. Golub said they are starting the evolution next spring by converting three Price Chopper stores into Market 32 stores: Shopper’s World in Clifton Park, N.Y. Price Chopper, based in Schenectady, N.Y., operates in 135 locations throughout six states in the northeast. “We held up a mirror to the name ‘Price Chopper’ and the name wasn’t reflecting the great strengths we have in addition to low prices.” “We’ve redesigned so many concepts within the store and modernized it,” Golub said. The name change, referring to the store’s founding year of 1932, is simply an extension of customer wants, she added. Golub said the rebranding stems from extensive market research that revealed changes in customers’ wants and needs, communication around shopping, need for convenience, and interest in trends, such as local sourcing and higher levels of customer service. She said the company is ultimately aiming for a modern, contemporary shopping experience. Market 32 will build upon today’s Price Chopper, but will incorporate a new display and layout into stores, bring in a variety of products, and emphasize customer service, Golub said. Golub Corporation is now in its fourth generation of family ownership. The company then rebranded into Price Chopper in response to a struggling economy, also one of the nation’s first grocery stores to declare itself “Open 24 Hours.” #Proce chopper fullThe next generations of the Golub family transformed the business into upstate New York’s first full service market in the early 1930’s, Green Island Public Service Market, which gave way to similar stores and inspired another name change, Central Markets, which held until 1973. Golub, who has been with the family company for 30 years, said Price Chopper as it is known today started out in the early 1920’s as Golub Cash & Carry, a wholesale grocery warehouse. “We’ve been successful for over 82 years because we’ve known when to change.” “Our customers are changing, and we need to change with them,” said Mona Golub, vice president of public relations and consumer services for Golub. The Golub Corp., the parent company of Price Chopper, said the decision is part of the “evolution” of the store. ![]() Price Chopper announced last week its decision to rebrand the company into a new kind of grocer, Market 32. ![]()
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