ShopRite ‘fixes the mix’ in health and beauty
ShopRite has avoided the pitfalls many traditional grocery chains have faced by evolving with its consumers, especially in regard to health and beauty care.
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Charged with keeping ShopRite owners ahead of trends is Chris Skyers, VP health and beauty care for Wakefern. He and his team do so against a sea of competitors, many of whom specialize in beauty, such as Ulta Beauty and Sephora. “Our owners do an amazing job with grocery,” Skyers said. To allow them to concentrate on what they do best, Skyers is charged with bringing the best ideas in nonfoods to the owners. “We have to help them see tomorrow,” he explained. Skyers was a major contributor in the first DSN-Mack Elevation New General Market Forum one year ago, and was back to share his experience over the past year and to discuss achievements his company has made.
One of his biggest learnings has been in addressing the needs of the New General Market. While admitting it is a challenge to merge five subcategories into one master beauty experience, ShopRite has made great strides and posted impressive gains throughout its network of supermarkets.
The blueprint didn’t start with merchandising for the multicultural consumer, rather seeking to rediscover ShopRite’s core purpose. Going back to its roots, Wakefern looked for what it means in the communities it serves. “Our purpose is to care deeply about people and help them to eat well and be happy,” Skyers said. In assessing that yardstick, the company saw room for improvement. For one thing, consumers saw supermarket health and beauty care departments as outdated as boom boxes, while such specialty stores as Sephora are seen more like “Beats headphones.” Setting out to freshen up the image, Skyers looked for forward-thinking ideas.
One of the paths proving successful is addressing shoppers’ needs community by community. “We are the community store,” Skyers said. “Let’s go back to that, but let’s understand the community — store by store.”
And that’s how he found a groundswell of support for adding such lines as Sundial’s SheaMoisture and other brands appealing to multicultural consumers. Skyers identified one ShopRite operator willing to promote Shea Moisture — despite the fact that some questioned whether or not they could sell higher-ticket beauty items. The trailblazing owner who gave it a try unlocked a business bonanza. What’s more is that many of the purchasers were new shoppers for that department or even for the store. They had been buying their products in other doors. That success prompted other owners to join in. “When we fix the mix, it really works,” Skyers noted. Now he hopes to work with other manufacturers to help change the beauty presentation and assortment in ShopRite stores. “We are looking for partners that are authentic and have a reach with consumers,” he said.
His vision is to keep beauty at the forefront and stay relevant in addition to being “really good at selling food.” Skyers said, “The community is saying, ‘If you are going to have something in your store, be great at it.’”