IGA tells its Local Equals Fresh story

Author: 
beckman@theproducenews.com (press release)
Date: 
Tuesday, 19 March 2019 - 8:00am

These days it seems like everyone is trying hard to eat better, buy local and focus on fresh — all in the name of adopting a healthier, happier lifestyle.

“The number of people who are focused on their health is the greatest it’s ever been, and that’s across all ages and income levels,” said Devora Rogers, a vice president and shopper analyst at Murphy Research and speaker at the recent IGA Global Rally.iga

Add to that the fact that shoppers are increasingly concerned about what’s in their food, along with other details such as where it came from, and how it was made, and it’s clear that there’s an opportunity for today’s retailers to be and do more for shoppers.

“If we’re going to serve those folks, we need to be empathetic of their situations,” said Rogers. In other words, retailers need to shift the approach from simply selling products to helping solve problems and create solutions.

IGA Chief Executive officer John Ross said the company is telling its Local Equals Fresh story to become the trusted partner and problem solver shoppers want.

“IGA is already a leader in local and fresh,” Ross said. “It’s who we’ve been since the beginning and who we will always be. The problem lies in that we need to do a better job of telling our story and inspiring confidence in our shoppers about our relationship with the people and communities we serve. If we’re not telling the story, no one else will.”

And that’s where Local Equals Fresh up-branding comes into play. “Shoppers want what we do, and we intend to tell them in a bold, big way that IGA is the brand to trust when it comes to the food they feed their family,” Ross said of the new brand messaging that will appear on everything IGA — including websites, social media, store ads, and even the updated IGA private label line.

But it’s the merchandising and branding elements for use in store that will undoubtedly make the biggest and most immediate impact with shoppers.

The in-store strategy was designed to take the shopper through a journey that emphasizes IGA’s promise to buy from local and regional family farms whenever possible.

According to Ross, this journey is key in helping shoppers recognize and embrace IGA as the fresh, local solution they’re looking for. “It’s not just signs, it’s a system. It’s a strategy. And it’s a shopper experience,” Ross said. “Shoppers already believe independents are twice as likely to carry local products than the chain stores. Now it’s our job to get busy branding what we already do, to tell the story across our entire chain of stores so IGA becomes known as the local and fresh leader we are.”

About D. Otani Produce

In business since 1989, D. Otani Produce, Inc. has grown into one of Hawaii’s largest produce wholesalers, enjoying business with hotels, restaurants, local business institutions. We are also a major distributor to Hawaii’s retailers.

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D. Otani Produce
1321 Hart St
Honolulu, HI 96817

Phone: (808) 509-8350

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