Wegmans: Luring Shoppers with Healthful Choices
"Eat well, live well" isn't just an empty slogan at Wegmans, a 68-unit grocery chain in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Virginia. Company initiatives like the "Strive for 5" promotion in the produce department, and the availability of online nutrition facts about store products, convince shoppers that the chain really does want to help them make better food choices.
Jim Schaeffer, operations director of food preparation, points to numerous changes the chain has made for the health-conscious customer. The store now offers a house-made whole wheat bread for its submarine sandwiches, an option that almost 30 percent of sub customers choose. In early 2004, a whole-wheat pizza joined the pizza program and is gaining momentum each week. Whole-wheat wraps on lavash account for about 20 percent of the in-store prepared sandwich category.
"We're selling unbelievable quantities of roasted vegetables," says Schaeffer. One popular combination featuring baby carrots, Brussels sprouts, and delicata squash caused a boom in Brussels sprouts sales, probably because shoppers were inspired to prepare these often-neglected vegetables at home. The store's quarterly magazine, which resembles a glossy national food magazine, features a column by Wegmans' corporate nutritionist, and a section of "eat well, live well" recipes with reduced calories and saturated fat.
In 2004, the chain switched to a trans fat-free vegetable oil for all its deep-frying and pan-frying. Schaeffer's team also developed a basting oil for kitchen use based on grapeseed oil and herbs. Shoppers can go online to check the nutritional facts on many of the store's baked goods, deli meats, prepared salads, and more.
Expensive efforts, all, but Wegmans believes it's good business. "No question," says Schaeffer. "It's a point of difference for us. We're interested in having a long-term impact on our customers."