Wal-Mart Inc. has announced it plans to overhaul the look as well as the layout of the company's fresh stores department. According to the retail giant, it will roll out its 'fresh angle' format on merchandising, presently existent in 180 stores, to 3,300 store locations by the end of 2016.
Addressing the Raymond James Institutional Investors Conference in Orlando last week, Wal-Mart U.S. chief merchandising officer Steve Bratspies briefly spoke on merchandising improvements for their fresh produce department. He said that the company is rolling out its "fresh angle" format, which will significantly change the look and feel of their produce department, Food Business News reported.
The Wal-Mart executive said that they are looking at the way in which they procure their produce globally, how they change seasons effectively all the way to the dining table. Bratspies added that they are not only looking at getting fresh products at their stores, but also ensure that remain fresh when the customers take them home. In fact, they want to focus on how to ensure that the products remain fresh even when people take them out of their refrigerator a couple of days later.
Stating that Wal-Mart has already witnessed success in the sales of their fresh produce, Bratspies said they wanted to ensure that the company's service remains as fresh as their produce. In order to achieve this, Wal-Mart is incorporating a fresh operations manager at the market level in every market. The fresh manager will be entrusted with the job of teaching, training, and building capabilities in the stores on a continuing basis.
"Freshness is the key. It's how you actually judge the product and we've taken a full day at inventory out of our supply chain over the last year to ensure that we continue to provide that fresher experience," The Packer quoted Bratspies as saying. He added, "Freshness sets the tone for the shopper's experience at Wal-Mart."
Moreover, Wal-Mart is working to expand space for cut fruit, which the company believes is a huge growth business for the retailer. Wal-Mart is also investing in improved in-store execution. Already, Wal-Mart has executed the changes in 180 stores and plans to roll out the "fresh angle" to about 3,300 stores by the end of the year.
