DCI Digital Newsletter Volume 1 Issue 2
Fall Edition
October / 2 / 2017
Board News
Clockwise from top-left: Barry Lanteigne (Lococo's) - Chair,  Dave Powell (Atlantic Grocery Distributors) - Vice Chair,  David La Mantia (La Mantia's Country Market) - Treasurer, Rina Virgilio (Concord Food Centre) - Past Chair, Cori Bonina (Stong's Markets) - Director, Mike Williamson (Central Meat Market) - Director, Nigel Oliver (Vince's Country Market) - Director, Tony Cataldi (Cataldi Fresh Market) - Director, Jacques Beaudry (Beaudry Cadrin) - Director, Debra Ramage (Drayton Food Market) - Director
A Message from the DCI President and CEO
As we put together the next issue of the DCI Digital Newsletter, the DCI office has been busy planning for the remainder of 2017. We are getting ready for a strong fall and holiday season with upcoming Power Buys, promotions and our DCI Fall Annual General Meeting, happening on October 25 th . The Fall AGM will consist of a short meeting with our members to really understand the needs and opportunities for the betterment and advancement of DCI and its relations. As well, you can find DCI at the upcoming Grocery Innovations Canada event, October 23 rd and October 24 th at booth 1329 where we are excited to meet other members, supplier partners and industry professionals.

I would like to thank you all personally, from participants to sponsors for the success of our DCI Business Summit and the DCI/CFIG Charity Golf Classic. I hope to continue with new initiatives, and to see everyone out next year on June 11 th for the Charity Golf Classic and June 12 th for the Business Summit. I took a lot from the events, and have been reviewing and cleaning up Partner contracts to ensure that we continue to create value for both our Shareholders and Supplier Partners. I have also been exploring new leads for members and are excited about the next few months as we grow our membership. We are meeting potential new partners as well to understand the value we can create for each other and we hope to solidify more deals and contracts for 2018. If you know any retailers or suppliers that can benefit from DCI, please feel free to direct them to our website or have them contact me through email or telephone.

As always, I hope to continue working with the Board of Directors to elevate DCI’s image and the quality of our events, promotions, agreements and operations. Please feel free to call or email me with any suggestions or ideas that DCI can benefit from. We are here for you – our Shareholders and our Supplier Partners – we really want to make DCI your partner in selling. 

Here’s to a strong last quarter of the 2017 year.  


Marc Fortin, DCI President and CEO
Planning Ahead
From the Martimes to British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec - the DCI Board of Directors have been working hard with DCI's President and CEO, Marc Fortin in forecasting the future of the company. Together, they have created a multi-year action plan to continue elevating DCI's image and providing value to all Shareholders and Supplier Partners.
Up Close With Barry Lanteigne - DCI's Chair of the Board
As the General Manager of all four Lococo's stores, Barry Lanteigne has always found himself knowing that he wanted to work in the grocery retail industry.

Growing up in St. Catherines, ON, Barry recalls his childhood hometown as being a close knit community where he still maintains his long lasting friendships. Later, Barry decided to attend Mohawk College in Hamilton, studying in Business Administration, Marketing and Management. For him, he found that getting into grocery retail was a smooth transition, with a lot of available opportunities because of his networks within the Greater Hamilton Area.

Starting at an independent pharmacy chain, Barry has been working since the age of 13 - first as a cashier, then, moving towards stock clerk and even doing delivery driving. He then worked for Commisso Food Markets from 1990 to 2006, working himself up to Produce Management, and was involved with the new store expansion team and produce merchandising responsibilities.

Barry joined Lococo's in 2006 starting in sourcing wholesale customers in the Hamilton Area, then moving into a Store Manager role. After expanding with new locations in 2013 (Rymal Rd.) and 2017 (Brantford), Barry happily serves as the General Manager of the Retail Division.

In his spare time Barry enjoys golfing and bicycling, but you will most likely find him cheering on his favourite sports teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Bills.

After asking about his best part of the year so far, he states that he's the most proud of his 4th store opening, as well as stepping up as the next DCI Chairman of the Board. He is looking towards more expansion and growth for both Lococo's and DCI. As the Chairman, he wants to continue trying to get the word out there in the industry, the benefits of joining DCI, and getting more participation and traction on the events and promotions. For Barry, it's about creating an overall stronger and cohesive image for DCI.

You can reach Barry through email at blanteigne@lococos.ca .
DCI News
New Members & Supplier Partners
We take great pleasure in announcing further additions to our growing retailer membership.

We have 4 new retailers from Ontario & Quebec.

Sayers Foods Ltd.
Apsley, ON.

Cloverleaf Grocery (Emo) Ltd.
Emo, ON. 

Pym’s Village Market Ltd.
Wellesley, ON.

Euro Marché
Multiple Locations, QC.

And 2 new Supplier Partners from British Columbia and Ontario.

Imprint Plus
Richmond, BC.

Federated Insurance Company of Canada
Mississauga, ON.
Save The Date! 2018 DCI Events
We are excited to announce the dates for next year's DCI Charity Golf Classic and DCI's Business Summit 2018:

June 11th, 2018 (Charity Golf Classic) & June 12th, 2018 (Business Summit).

Mark the dates on your calendars and get ready to network in the sun while playing a round of golf, and enjoying a full-fledged conference experience as you create and strengthen business relations and learn about industry insights!

As well, the highly demanded DCI Business eXchange (DBX) , an intimate speed networking event, will be back and larger than ever with 30 Supplier Partner meeting rooms to be available!
Take Me Out To The Ball Game!
On August 27th, 2017, the winners of the DCI Summer Home Run Blue Jays Promo enjoyed the Toronto Blue Jays vs. Minnesota Twins game under the hot sun. The game also boasted some new networking and business opportunities as independent grocers and the Promotional Partners from Maple Leaf Foods, Weston Bakeries and Coca-Cola sat together, up close to the game.

DCI at Grocery Innovations Canada
As expected, you can find DCI at Grocery Innovations Canada 2017 October 23rd and 24th at booth 1329 . We look forward to seeing our current and future Members and Supplier Partners.

As well, DCI and CFIG have teamed up to provide DCI members with an opportunity to participate in CFIG’s speed networking initiative (Retailer Connect) during the Grocery Innovation Canada trade show. To find out more, please email matthew@distributioncanada.ca .
Who will win this year?

Last year, DCI familiar faces and Shareholders Jim and Vicki Bexis of Sun Valley Supermarket won the Canadian Master Merchandiser Award under the 'Small Gold' category.

Why not be there in person?

To find out who will be the winners for this year, register for the Gala Dinner and the Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year Awards on the evening of October 24th, 2017 at Grocery Innovations Canada.
DCI & Canada Bread's Summer Promotion 
We had retailers participating coast-to-coast with their product displays and advertisements for the DCI & Canada Bread's Summer Promo.

To find out the Grand Prize Winner of $3,000, click here to view the announcement and see the Grand Prize draw.
Member News
Concord Food Centre Renovates
Recently, Concord Food Centre had a large renovation project done at its Thornhill location. This renovation gave the local independent grocer a new direction in branding, with a major focus on freshness, quality foods and organic products. It even boast a Choose Wellness program for the conscious eaters.

They also have a recipe section on their website for healthy meals as well as back to school, kid friendly, meals.

Coppa's Fresh Market To Open Downtown Toronto
An announcement has been made for Coppa's Fresh Market to open their fifth location in the Downtown Toronto core at One York Street. The neighbourhood, being in the heart of the Entertainment District, also hosts the Air Canada Centre, Ripley's Aquarium, the CN Tower, Rogers Centre and the PATH underground network.

DCI would like to congratulate the Coppa's Fresh Market family and team on their next venture and wish them all the best as they open in early 2018.

Glenburnie Grocery Celebrates 50 Years!
During the weekend of August 25th - 27th, Glenburnie Grocery celebrated their 50th year anniversary serving the Glenburnie and Kingston communities. Their three day long celebration including a BBQ extravaganza, sampling of some of their long-standing brands, and live music!

DCI would like to congratulate Glenburnie Grocery for 50 years in the industry and hope to see nothing but future success for many more years.

Contact:
André Boulay - CF& R Services Account Representative
905 426 3891 ext. 340
Farm Boy Celebrates 5th Anniversary for Kingston Location
Congratulations to Farm Boy Kingston for celebrating their 5th birthday on September, 30th, 2017! We wish you many more years of success!

We are also excited for their upcoming Etobicoke location to open Fall 2017!

Vince's Market Opens New Location
On September 22nd, 2017, Vince's Market opened their 14,500 square foot ‘fresh food experience’ in Tottenham, Ontario.

The event drew a crowd of various product Supplier Partners, community members and DCI's President and CEO, Marc Fortin.

Planning for the opening of their fourth Vince's location has not stopped Vince's Market to have a notable and newsworthy 2017 year. First, being recognised as one of ‘Canada’s Best Managed Companies' must have been a great start to the year - but now - news had also recently been released that Brian Johns, Vince's Market co-owner was named the Ontario Liberal Party President .

DCI would like to wish Vince's Market a very successful launch of their new store and Brian Johns, DCI Shareholder and Ontario Liberal Party President, success in his new role.

Wishing Future Success...
Distribution Canada Inc. would like to say congratulations to Michael Angelo's for their exciting deal with the selling of their locations to Starsky Fine Foods. We wish you, as well as Starsky Fine Foods, nothing but the best in your future endeavours.
Supplier Partner News
What Your Customers Aren’t Telling You
By Jim Davidson

You may be surprised to learn what your customers aren’t telling you. With the slew of options available to the everyday shopper, your store must stand out by boosting its in-store experience. The key to attracting and retaining customers is consistent and quality service. Customers can get their groceries from practically anywhere -- why should they buy their groceries in your store? The in-store experience, including the friendliness and expertise of employees, can give you a competitive edge over other retailers, use it to your advantage.

So what options do you have to build this competitive edge?

  • Read online reviews of your store.
  • Ask customers to fill out surveys.
  • Hire a mystery shopper to visit your store like an everyday customer!

On-line reviews are reactive. Mystery shops are proactive.
A mystery shopper looks and sounds just like a regular customer. The difference is that they have an exhaustive training to understand what works and what does not work in your store. They then complete an extensive checklist after leaving the store, and later share a complete report with the findings for the store owner and managers to take action.

The evaluation of a mystery shoppers in general includes:
1.     Store entrance
2.     Fresh Produce
3.     Deli
4.     Bakery
5.     Meat
6.     Pre-Cooked meals (HMR)
7.     Grocery section
8.     Customer service desk
9.     Cashier
10. Washroom

Please visit our website for more information, or contact Jim Davidson at Competitactics to learn more about special programs for DCI members.
Management of Energy Costs
There is no better time than now to secure long term fixed supply rates for your Enbridge and Union gas accounts! At this rare time in the markets, you can often secure fixed rates even lower than variables! Our natural gas programs include all fuel and load balancing, and DCI members receive annual volume rebates too! Summitt Energy looks forward to being your long term energy supplier of choice, while exceeding your expectations, now, and in future years to come!

Call Falyn Jensen, Independent Consultant, Summitt Energy, Commercial Services today at 416-909-5269 to know more about our programs and for a free assessment!

Amazon Wastes No Time In Acquisition of Whole Foods
In case you missed it, Canadian Grocer Magazine featured an article written by DCI Business Summit Speaker, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois on Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods Markets and the aggressive reduction of food prices.

Speed of execution, after all, is at the essence of the tech giant’s business model." - Dr. Sylvain Charlebois

 
If you would like to submit news from your company (Retailers & Supplier Partners) or would like to feature an ad (Supplier Partners) please email matthew@distributioncanada.ca
 


Click below to stay connected with DCI!
On behalf of the DCI Management Team, Happy Fall Season and Winter Holiday Season to you and your company! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us! 

Marc Fortin - President & CEO: 

Michele Vermeltfoort - Administration & Accounting: 

Matthew Brown - Events, Communications & Technologies: