DCI Digital Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 1
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Top Row:
Barry Lanteigne
(Lococo's) - Chair,
Dave Powell
(Atlantic Grocery Distributors) - Vice Chair,
David La Mantia
(La Mantia's Country Market) - Treasurer
Middle Row:
Rina Virgilio
(Concord Food Centre) - Past Chair,
Cori Bonina
(Stong's Markets) - Director,
Debra Ramage
(Drayton Food Market) - Director
Bottom Row:
Mike Williamson
(Central Meat Market) - Director,
Nigel Oliver
(Vince's Country Market) - Director,
Tony Cataldi
(Cataldi Fresh Market) - Director
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A Message from the DCI President and CEO
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As we put together the next issue of the DCI Digital Newsletter, the DCI office has been busy with the upcoming changes in leadership and the new initiatives and programs planned to commence in 2018!
In case you have not heard,
I will be moving on from DCI
after a successful year and a half to join the Retail Council of Canada - Quebec as its new CEO.
The DCI Office will continue to work on elevating its branding and image, as well as strengthening our relationships with our Shareholders and Partners. We are continuously growing our membership and have forecasted a strong 2018 year.
I would like to thank you all personally. From past Participants, to Sponsors, to Partners, the success of DCI's events - namely the 2017 Business Summit and the 2017 DCI/CFIG Charity Golf Classic - have been one of the highlights during my time here at DCI. I am leaving the office in good hands with bigger and better plans for the upcoming events. My vision for the office include the implementation of a strong loyalty program for Shareholders to utilise, an online e-commerce platform to facilitate Shareholders and Partners purchasing orders and larger media presence within industry mediums. Continuing, my vision for this year's events include a larger Shareholder and Partner presence at the Golf Classic, a bigger Distribution Canada Business eXchange, and a DCI Industry Talk Show! This year, the Charity Golf Classic will be on June 11th and the Business Summit will be on June 12th, so be sure to mark them on your calendars!
I took a lot from my time at DCI and have enjoyed seeing the success and prosperity of DCI and its members. As always, the DCI office will continue to work strategically with the Board of Directors to elevate the quality of our organization, promotions, agreements and operations. Please feel free to call or email the DCI office 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 2018! Happy New Year!
Marc Fortin, DCI President and CEO
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Welcome Todd Newstead!
DCI's Incoming President and CEO
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From the Martimes to British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec - the DCI Board of Directors have been working hard during the last few months narrowing down the right candidates to fulfill the role of President and CEO. At last, they have chosen the new successor.
Starting January 8th, 2018, Todd Newstead will be joining DCI as the incoming President and CEO.
We at DCI are excited to welcome Todd, as he brings over twenty five years of experience with consumer packaged goods at leading direct store delivery companies such as Canada Bread, Weston Bakeries and Ready Bake Foods. His extensive background in direct store delivery and key account management included many of Canada’s largest retailers. Todd has worked closely with a significant number of our members and has established a strong network within the group as well as the vendor community. He is looking forward to building on the strong DCI initiatives and operations. The enhanced strateg
y
will support our Shareholders and Supplier Partners’ requirements as we collectively compete and grow in the ever-changing market and the new digital era.
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Up Close With David Powell - Vice Chair of the Board
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Born in Carbonear, Newfoundland, David Powell was born into the business of retail. At one year old, he moved to Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and has travelled all across Canada meeting other independents, but has always called the East coast his home.
As a teenager, David worked weekends in retail, knowing that one day he would develop a strong business empire. He took his passion of business to Memorial University in St. Johns, where he acquired a Bachelor in Business with a double major in Accounting and Finance.
Fast forward to 1990, David then bought a tiny wholesale distributor and in the next year he bought his 2nd wholesale distributor which currently serves as the original Atlantic Grocery Distributors building in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland. He then bought his competitors out and operates a 200,000 square foot building.
Today, David oversees 2000 customers & accounts, 425 employees, a wholesale bakery, rental properties and real-estate ventures, two restaurants and a garage service centre. His distribution includes all points in Newfoundland and Labrador.
When David is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family and his three grandchildren. As well, you can also find him golfing, rebuilding antique muscle cars, and for the last 15 years, being an avid drag racer! If you decide to catch a game with David, you best be rooting for the Toronto Maple Leafs, or the Toronto Blue Jays as he is a big Toronto sports fan. Besides sports, David finds comfort in watching nature shows, the history channel, and comedies.
Enjoying his current term as a DCI Board Member, as well as 10 years on the CFIG board, he exclaims that some of the best moments during his career within this industry is listening to the other independents, hearing their life stories, seeing their stores in person, and learning from one another. He also likes to provide his own knowledge and insights, hardships and success to other businesses - all across the country.
David stresses the importance of being a part of a collective like DCI. The ability to leverage group buying power to help independents who normally would not be able to do large purchases and rebates on their own is important.
After asking about what worries him about the future, David states that there should be more of a focus in health and environmental issues - noting kids are becoming more obese, and that there is a consolidation and abuse of dominance by big players. "But there is hope", says David, "by working with other like minded independents, you gain knowledge and grow together in this industry. Being part of a collective is critical and empowering."
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Register Now To The DCI/CFIG Charity Golf Classic To Qualify For The Early Bird!
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Mark the date in your calendar here
and get ready to network and develop business leads in the sun while playing a round of golf, sample featured products from our Supplier Partners and help benefit a children's charity.
Click here
to see last year's Charity Golf Classic.
If you would like to sponsor, provide product samples to feature on the golf course, or in the take-home product sample bags, please email
matthew@distributioncanada.ca
.
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Last year's Charity Golf Classic teamed up with
Variety Village
, a Children's Charity in Scarborough, ON to help cover costs of surgery, treatment and rehabilitation of Madi Ambos, a young girl with Cerebral Palsy. DCI and CFIG were able to raise $6,675 to help offset some of the costs. Eight months post-op, and we are all so proud of her journey, her strength and her loving energy!
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Register Now To 'DCI Business Summit 2018:
Reshaping Tomorrow'
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Continuing with the success of
last year's DCI Business Summit
, we are ecstatic to announce that we will be making this year's DCI Summit bigger and better! New this year is the DCI Talk Show, an interactive experience targeting some of the industry's most pressing questions with expert panelists having a say and commenting to the audience's inquiries.
Next, is the highly anticipated Distribution Canada Business eXchange (DBX) returning with even more Partners and Retailers! This year, we have increased the rooms to 32 - meaning even more business development and networking can commence!
Register to the DCI Business Summit before April 27th, 2018 to have your company included in the DBX.
If you would like to sponsor, provide product coupons for the gala dinner or to feature a product at the event, please email
matthew@distributioncanada.ca
.
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DCI & Maple Leaf Foods Slam Dunk With The Raptors
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DCI teamed up with Maple Leaf Foods over the last two months to feature some of their Prime Dino Dunkers and Maple Leaf Top Dogs in partnership with the Toronto Raptors. Encouraging retailer participation, stores across the country ordered products, featured displays and ad materials to have a chance to be put into a contest to win a Grand Prize worth $1300 including
2 Tickets to the January 13th Home Game - Toronto Raptors VS. Golden State Warriors plus $500 Visa Prepaid Gift Cards for Dinner, Hotel, Parking and Merchandise!
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DCI Goes Digital
Some of the changes coming in 2018 for DCI is a greater digital presence and the utilization of two different digital platforms.
DCI TRADE
Introducing
DCI TRADE
, a B2B platform to better connect Retailers and Partners in facilitating the ordering of products, rebates, incentives, the showcasing of one-off deals and more - all through one platform! Giving Retailers and Partners autonomy in their business and purchasing.
Stay tuned for more information about the platform including an upcoming business session. For inquiries or questions, please email
admin@distributioncanada.ca
.
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DCI partnered with Syntio to create a unified platform to do away with old and outdated loyalty programs! It will help retailers streamline customer data, allowing for B2C interaction, and will help their customers remain loyal to their store and brand. This platform is expected to roll out within Q2 of 2018.
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Assessing The Needs Of Retailers
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While the DCI Office is busy negotiating and renewing contracts with our Supplier Partners, we are urging the independents to utilize our DCI Shareholder Survey 2018 to better assess the needs of the retailers in how DCI can better help them. The information collected lets DCI know where exactly to focus our resources in acquiring better deals for our members.
If you are a retailer and have not submitted your survey response yet -
please do so here
.
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DCI reached out to Gary Sands - Vice President, Government Relations for Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) to provide some highlights for its members in regards to changes in legislation for 2018. Below you will find a brief snippet prepared by CFIG for the DCI Digital Newsletter:
Bill 148 in Ontario, while opposed by a wide array of business associations, coalitions and organizations such as CFIG and DCI, has now been passed and received Royal Assent on November 27
th
. Given the sweeping nature of the legislation, and due to the lateness of the Bill’s passing and Royal Assent---Ministry of Labour staff are still not fully trained and briefed on the new law. While the Ministry will be sending out bulletins and information in the weeks ahead, businesses are being advised to hold their inquiries to the Employment Standards hotline until after January 20
th
. Accordingly, CFIG has received assurances that there will be no labour blitzes taking place until Ministry Of Labour staff are in a position themselves to field inquiries on the legislation. CFIG has also arranged for a CFIG members only Webinar with the Ministry of Labour, where they will give an overview of the changes to employment law, along with taking questions from our CFIG members. Details of the date and time will be going out to our members shortly!
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Cousin's Market Renovates
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Recently, Cousin's Market had a large renovation project to commemorate their 40th anniversary at its Port Credit location. This renovation included a new deli and cheese department, salad bar and soup island (featuring 30 varieties made from scratch daily) as well as an eat-in dining area where customers can enjoy stone-oven pizzas and other foods prepared on site.
With a strong focus on catering and corporate events, it seems the renovation is already paying off, as customers are responding positively to the change, as well as seeing an increase in business by 25% since the renovation began!
They also have a recipe section on their website for tips on how to make delicious and savoury meals.
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Battaglia's Marketplace Keeps Giving Back
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Battaglia's Marketplace, a staple in their Lorne Park community in Mississauga held a couple charitable initiatives over the last quarter of 2017. First, they held their 7th Annual Battaglia's Barbeque for SickKids on Sept. 10th, 2017 which raised a whopping $22,500 to support the Burns Centre at SickKids Hospital. The festivities included a delicious barbeque, magicians, buskers, entertainers, bouncy castles and more! Continuing, Battaglia's also spearheaded their Toys for Tots toy drive over this last holiday season which saw tremendous success and brought out numerous cash & toy donations! Congratulations!
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Masstown Market in Nova Scotia had recently been involved in the First Annual Hubtown Ad Challenge where students from Grade 6-12 act as a creative director and produce a commercial that showcases their talent and skill. They were asked to think outside of the box, with consideration to their target markets, brand messages, highlighting their employees, owners and company culture.
DCI would like to congratulate Mia P. from Masstown Market who qualified as a top 5 finalist of the competition!
Click here to visit
the Hubtown Ad Challenge page and to see Mia's final commercial featuring the delicious food offered by Masstown Market.
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Galleria Supermarket 'Shares The Love'
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On December 14th, 2017, Galleria Supermarket CEO
Jeffrey Min and team donated 170 bags of rice to Food of Love charity held by Rainbow Info & Social Services : R.I.S.S. Now, Galleria wants to start their own initiative called 'Share The Love' which aims to collect donations during the last month of each year and distribute them to Korean communities during the following January of the new year. Last year, through charitable initiatives, Galleria was able to collect $25,170 and distribute it to 18 communities!
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Ferraro Foods Bring In 'The Reinforcements'
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Keeping with their yearly tradition, Ferraro Foods in British Columbia brought in the neighbourhood Italian ladies from their community and families during the last week of November to participate in their 'Italian Christmas Baking' promotion. The group of ladies hand-make all of their pastries, chocolates and desserts to distribute within the Ferraro Foods store to customers who look forward to it year after year!
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Farm Boy Expands ... Again!
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Opening this spring,
Farm Boy is moving into Hamilton, ON
. The new 22,500 sq. ft. store will deliver local shoppers a world-class experience with fresh foods, exceptional service, a fast casual restaurant experience, WiFi enabled eating area, as well as the creation of 150 new jobs for the community.
This will now be Farm Boy's 26th location after their successful
opening of their Ottawa location
, focusing on the 'urban, fresh food experience'. Congratulations from DCI!
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The Shopping Habits of Today's Consumers:
E-commerce VS. In-Store
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To determine the shopping preferences of today’s consumers and how they view the
in-store versus the online buying experience, Imprint Plus, makers of re-usable, customized name badges and signage, conducted a random survey of 1,000 men and women across the country. The survey respondents were somewhat divided into three groups of those who prefer to shop online (32.5%), in-store (29.70%), and a combination of both (37.80%).
Among those who prefer the in-store experience, they frequent the following stores in order of preference: Discount Mass Merchandisers, such as Walmart and Target (76%); Food Retailers, such as Grocery Stores and Whole Foods (71.2%), followed by Drug Stores, such as CVS and Walgreen’s (50%); Beauty Supplies, such as Sephora (48.9%); Consumer Electronics Stores, such as Best Buy (48.9%); Hardware Stores, such as Lowe’s and Home Depot (44.10%); and Department Stores, such as Macy’s or Nordstrom’s (37.6%).
“Our survey tells us that consumers shop at brick and mortar retailers, primarily for discounted merchandise, food, drug, and health and beauty aids, as well as for consumer electronics, appliances, building supplies, and clothing,” said Kristin MacMillan, President of Imprint Plus.
Consumers who shop in-store reported the need to see, touch, and handle merchandise as part of the buying experience, as well as on-the-spot sales and not having to wait for delivery. When it comes to purchasing food, the majority of the consumers surveyed (86.10%) prefer to shop in-store because of the ability to judge quality and freshness. Shopping online for food presents challenges including the need to be home to accept delivery and the inability to use the senses in seeing and handling the merchandise offered. Clothing is another area where customers prefer in-store shopping. 60% of those surveyed favour the brick and mortar experience, with only 17% of those surveyed opting to buy clothing online. What consumers like least about in-store shopping is that it is too time consuming with long-wait times to check out or return merchandise. Other key dislikes reported include difficulty in finding sizes, styles and colours, and travel time to and from the store.
“The retail in store experience fulfills the need for using the senses as part of the shopping experience and feeling, touching and even smelling is utilized in merchandise selection,” continues Ms. MacMillan.
More than half of customers surveyed (52%) reported convenience as the reason they like online shopping. They also reported the wide range of merchandise to choose from, free shipping and returns, price comparisons and online customer reviews as positive experiences associated with online shopping. What they dislike about online shopping is not seeing the merchandise in person, the inability to try on for size and fit and the need to wait for shipping.
“Consumers are pressed for time and would be more willing to shop in brick and mortar stores if they could shop more efficiently in less time,” adds Ms. MacMillan. “A focus on customer service would help the consumer navigate through long wait times and merchandise selection. The use of technology and retailer apps can play a role in streamlining the process of merchandise selection and check out.”
More than half of the consumers surveyed stated it was important to establish a personal relationship with a sales associate whether online or in-store. Asked if having a personal relationship with a store sales associates would lead to more shopping in that store, nearly 50% of those surveyed responded “yes.” A name badge stating a sales associate’s name, title and area of expertise is an introduction to the customer, one that the survey clearly establishes as a pathway to developing better customer relations with the retailer, as well as generating more sales and frequent visits.
“Today’s consumers want personalized experiences when shopping and retailers need to blend technology and service to meet their needs,” continues Ms. MacMillan. “A simple add on may be the ability to select clothes online and reserve a dressing room – saving time and creating a new shopping experience.”
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For more information, please contact:
Cathy Cena - 1-800-563-2464 x 1365 or email her at
c.cena@imprintplus.com
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Spotlight on Gambles Produce Market Updates
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Every season boasts delicious recipes with produce available during that time! What better way to be informed and stay connected on seasonal produce availability than with Gambles Produce and their weekly Market Updates featured on their website!
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HMR, Convenience & Changing Trends
"Grocers have taken notice. Today’s (and tomorrow’s) grocery stores are different from those of yesteryear, with the demand for 'experience' central to this change. Home meal replacement (HMR) is at the heart of this evolution.
What’s the top reason consumers use HMR? One word: convenience. Among those surveyed, 44% said they purchase HMR because they “don’t want to cook” and 36% said they have “no time to cook.” While food selection influences where someone buys their meals, its importance trails the need for convenience when it comes to why someone uses HMR in the first place."
Snippet and Image Credit: Canadian Grocer
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Amazon's Chinese Rival JD.com Wants to Move In
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"Amazon's Chinese rival JD.com has partnered with a Hong Kong real estate developer and says it plans to open hundreds of unmanned convenience stores with technology more advanced than Amazon's such as smart logistics solutions and autonomous delivery vehicles with pre-programmed routes and secure lockers."
Snippet Credit: Grocery Business
Image Credit: Shutterstock
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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!
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On behalf of the DCI Management Team, Happy New Year to you and your company! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us!
Marc Fortin - Outgoing President & CEO:
Todd Newstead - Incoming President & CEO:
Michele Vermeltfoort - Administration & Accounting:
Matthew Brown - Events, Communications & Technologies:
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