Supermarket Perimeter - October 2020 - 3

Editor's note

Editorial
JOHN UNREIN
Editor
ANDY NELSON
Managing Editor
EMILY PARK
Digital Associate Editor
Publishing
TROY ASHBY
Publisher
JAMES BODDICKER
National Sales Manager
LILY ALVAREZ
Sales Manager Classified Ads
MICHAEL BARBEE
Audience Development Director
DUSTIN PICKMAN
Audience Development Analyst
LINDSEY SHERIDAN
Audience Database Specialist
CARLEA SCHULER
Audience Development Coordinator
JON HALL
Director of Digital Media
CARRIE FLUEGGE
Digital Advertising Manager
NORA WAGES
Advertising Manager
ANNIE FOURNIER
Advertising Coordinator
ELISABETH SPILLMAN
Design Services Manager
MARJ POTTS
Production Specialist
BECKY WHITE
Senior Design Consultant
FIONA DANKER
Graphic Designer
JIM WHITE
Promotions Manager
ABBY CHRONISTER
Promotions Media Designer

Forward facing
Pulling into the parking lot of my local grocery store recently, I was shocked to find the front
of the store covered in scaffolding and plastic and a plywood corridor where the front door
used to be.
Did I sleep through a tornado? Was the store being converted into an Amazon
fulfillment center?
Once I stepped inside my fears were put to rest. The floor had been torn up, much of the
merchandise was in flux, moving from one part of the store to another. Whole departments
had been taken out for repurposing.
A major renovation, mid-pandemic?
Turns out the idea wasn't as crazy as I thought, at least according to one industry expert I
happened to be interviewing for another story.
"Many grocers have experienced impactful monetary increases due to the virus," said
Chad Ott, co-president/owner of consultancy Storemasters. "With other food options limited
across the country, grocery stores have picked up volume as consumers have been forced
to eat at home. These increases are going to spark a large volume of store remodels, case
change outs and an overall push to reinvest in the stores."
Some of these reinvestments, Ott said, will modify stores so they're better equipped for
the current normal created by Covid-19.
"Judging on the pulse we get from our vendors, factories and manufacturing/fabrication
lines for store equipment is at capacity. We are already seeing long lead times on cases and
equipment."
My local supermarket isn't alone. The Giant Co. is in the midst of revamping two of its
Pennsylvania stores, one in Camp Hill, the other in Mechanicsburg.
The Camp Hill Giant's overhaul will include installation of a new food court, cheese shop
and deli, according to a story on pennlive.com. Renovations at the Mechanicsburg store will
include a new Beer & Wine Eatery, new deli and organic departments and a designated area
for plant-based products.
It's nice to see at least one sector of the economy looking to the future with hope.

WHITNEY HARTMAN
Sales Coordinator
Corporate
CHARLES S. SOSL AND
Chairman and CEO
L. JOSHUA SOSL AND
President
STACI GRECO
Chief Financial and
Administrative Officer
MEYER SOSL AND
Chief Operating Officer
and Executive Editor
JIM SAL ADIN
Chief Marketing Officer

ANDY NELSON
anelson@sosland.com

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OCTOBER 2020 - 3

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Supermarket Perimeter - October 2020

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