June 2021 Volu me 18, Issue 06 Southwest Presence News Whole Foods Market Announces Consolidation of Departments Inside this issue Last month, Whole Foods Market announced plans to streamline operations across multiple departments Southwest 1 including merchandising, store-level operations, technology, and human resources. In a letter to its staff and accompanying online statement, the company announced it will consolidate the global and regional Northwest 3 merchandising teams into one team responsible for companywide purchasing. Regional operations East 5 teams will now focus solely on store-level operations, including merchandising execution, eCommerce, West 6 and store support. According to Whole Foods Market, the move will create new regional leadership roles in local product development and supplier relationships, while also elevating the selection of local, Midwest 9 exclusive, and emerging brands. In 2020, Whole Foods Market said that it introduced more than 950 Rocky Mountain 11 local brands, over 10,000 local items and more than 650 exclusive brands. Under the centralized purchasing structure, local, emerging, and exclusive brands will continue to be supported. The new Distributor News 12 structure will also provide staff with better-defined roles, new growth opportunities and clear paths for Data Update 14 advancement within operations and merchandising. The memo did not specify if the consolidation would result in layoffs at global or regional offices, but it did confirm that no jobs at the store and distributor Food Policy 16 level would be affected. Coffee Talk 19 Whole Foods Market is refocusing its technology department toward software engineering, technical New Hope 20 products, and program manager roles. This change is expected to keep the company responsive and Presence Gives 20 adaptab le to the changing technological landscape, allowing for rapid development of new tools for the business and for customers. The human resources department will also be reorganized in order to In Memoriam 21 provide consistent support for all regions in areas such as recruiting, training, compensation and Milestones 22 benefits, and career development. Additionally, the company will advance its use of the Workday Help Wanted 23 cloud -based platform for human resources management, allowing staff to focus on team member development and business objectives. Special points of interest In the letter to employees, Whole Foods Market called out the significant growth milestones it achieved over the past year. It has surpassed 500 stores, exceeded more than 105,000 employees, and Amazon Go Rebrands as Amazon Fresh – successfully launched pickup and delivery services nationwide. Last year, Whole Foods Market opened Page 4 18 new stores, creating more than 10,000 new jobs, and there are at least 40 new stores currently in development. While online sales remained strong last year, tripling from March to December, the brick- Wegman’s Growing Southern Roots – Page 5 and-mortar sale s a re down significantly year over year. Last quarter, Seattle-based parent company Amazon reported a 15.5% decline in in physical store sales. The executive team is confident the Smart & Final Acquired Again – Page 6 strategic reorganization of key departments and its commitment to innovation will reposition the chain for success. “As shown over the past year, Whole Foods Market’s industry leadership is a result of our Raley’s O-N-E Expands to THREE – Page 7 ability to remain nimble, be responsive, and continuously innovate,” Whole Foods Market said in the Lucky’s Opens Flagship Store – Page 7 employee letter. “As a company rooted in our higher purpose, we are confident these changes will position us to better support our stores and serve our customers as we continue to grow.” Presence Thrive Market’s Bigger Purpose – Page 8 Marketing/Dynamic Presence will continue to share updates as details on these changes become more concrete. Grocery Chains Relax Face Covering Requirements – Page 9 Kroger Launches Drone Delivery Service – Page 9 Bob Mariano To Open Dom’s Kitchen and Market – Page 10 ACME Celebrates 130 Years – Page 10 UNFI Adopts Transportation Technology to Reduce Emissions – Page 12 Our Data Team Looks at Trends Post COVID-19 – Page 14 U.S. Senators Introduce Bill to Legalize CBD’s – Page 16 Remembering Carla Bartolucci – Page 21 Remembering Rebecca Ruth Reinhardt Roy – Page 21 © 2021 Presence Marketing, Inc. 1 Royal Blue Grocery in Dallas Rebranded as Berkley’s Market Royal Blue Grocery is closing its original Dallas location at Highland Park Village and is rebranding its two remaining Dallas locations – in Trammel Crow Center and at The Mercantile – under the name Berkley’s Market. Royal Blue Grocery is a small, urban market concept that was founded in Downtown Austin, Texas in 2006. There are currently six locations in Downtown Austin, three in Dallas, and one location in San Antonio. According to the owners of the Dallas locations, Zac and Emily Porter and Cullen Potts, the rebranding marks a break from the Royal Blue Grocery brand in Austin. They are taking Berkley’s Market in a new direction, with a focus on counter service, prepared foods and custom selections driven by the neighborhoods it serves. Their two downtown stores will transition to Berkley's Market on July 1st. The owners are closing the original Royal Blue Grocery store, founded in 2015 in Highland Park Village on June 27th. "For our Highland Park customers, this isn't goodbye, it's see you soon," says owner Emily Porter, who says a new location for their original store is in the works. Central Market to Reopen Tornado-Damaged Preston Royal Location in Dallas H-E-B-owned Central Market is reopening its store on Preston Road in Dallas on June 30th. The store, referred to as Preston Royal, was devastated by a tornado that swept through a 15-mile stretch of North Dallas on October 20th, 2019. Central Market immediately went to work on a complete renovation and rebuild of the Preston Royal store. The surrounding shopping center sustained irreparable damage and had to be leveled. In addition to rebuilding the store, Central Market helped the community rebuild with a $1 million donation to Dallas-area schools hit by the tornado. The also company donated 50 trees to restore the neighborhood’s signature canopy of trees and gave $50,000 to rebuild school libraries in the affected area. Central Market made the most of its reconstruction efforts by adding several new features and amenities to the Preston Royal store including curbside service, expanded produce, seafood and floral departments, additional grocery selection, a larger sandwich bar, a new and improved coffee bar experience and additional customer seating in the upstairs mezzanine area. The store was built with energy efficient fixtures and equipment. The construction materials and architecture highlight the Mid-Century modern aesthetics of the original building. “With every cloud there is a silver lining, and this has certainly held true in the Preston Royal neighborhood during this time of recovery and rebuilding,” said Butt. “Throughout this process, the entire community has stepped up to help each other through clean-up efforts, meal delivery, donations and volunteers. We are more than ready to get our doors reopened so we can start seeing and serving our loyal Preston Royal customers again.” The retailer reached out to brokers and vendors for incredible deals to “start the store off right,” in the words of Guy Chandonnet, BDM of Frozen/Dairy. According to Guy, the grand reopening deals will also apply to the Midway store since they will lose some customers to Preston. The promotions will be distributed over the course of the first month, including hot deals of at least 25% off or better, Buy One Get One Free offers, and Foodie freebies. Reach out to your Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence Account Executives for Central Market: Bill Wilson at [email protected], Peggy Simms-Watley at [email protected] or Tina Robbins at [email protected] with more information. MOGO Market Opens in Mixed Use Residential Apartment Community MOGO Market, short for Modern Goods, is a new convenience store concept in The Village, a massive residential apartment community owned by Lincoln Properties in Dallas. The 300-acre, 17-property campus is a walkable entertainment, shopping, and restaurant mecca. The community has high-end restaurants and shops, plus a lagoon-style pool and beach with swim-up bar, boutique hotels, a tiki bar near the putting green, and a food hall with eight vendor stalls. MOGO Market is an on-the-go convenience store and market offering staple products, snacks including natural and organic options, a signature soda fountain, ice cream parlor and outdoor seating area. MOGO sells beer and wine, healthy snacks, grab-and-go meals, produce, novelty goods, shakes, malts, gourmet sodas, and a kombucha station. If the MOGO concept is successful, Lincoln may replicate it at other properties across the U.S. Whole Foods Market Best at Implementing COVID-19 Safety Measures Whole Foods Market received the top spot in Ipsos’ Health and Safety Best Brand Awards, based on the results of the latest “Consumer Health & Safety Index,” a benchmarking study that assesses how retailers are operating amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the third Consumer Health and Safety Index issues since the pandemic. Ipsos is a global market research and mystery shopping firm that delivers actionable consumer data based on public opinion. In spring 2021, the firm surveyed 2,000 Americans to find which health-and-safety attributes customers prioritize. Ipsos then conducted almost 3,500 mystery shops to evaluate in-store compliance across more than 25 brands in four key industries, including grocery and big-box retailers. “The brands receiving Ipsos’ Health & Safety Awards are being recognized for their responsiveness, diligence and excellence in creating safe in-store experiences for both customers and employees,” said Shohini Banerjee, SVP, U.S.