By: Alexandra Greer, Manager, Member Services, FMI
Recently, many events have moved to virtual platforms and now store tours (at least for now) are moving to the virtual world. An insightful experience that is normally featured at the Midwinter Executive Conference and during in-person share group meetings, store tours allow participants to see “behind the curtain” of some best-in-class food retailers.
Virtual Store Tours Take Off
Virtual store tours allow many more participants to tune in from all over the country, so we are pleased to announce the Supermarket Close-Up with FMI and Harold Lloyd series for the food industry. In moving these tours to the virtual world, we are partnering with food industry expert Harold Lloyd to be our host. Harold has more than 34 years of experience in the food industry and has written four books, curated more than 30 top-rated seminars and hosted FMI’s ongoing Store Directors’ Webinar series. To kick off this project, Harold visited three stores in three different states: Flemington ShopRite in Flemington, N.J.; Savage Hy-Vee in Savage, Minn; and AJ’s Fine Foods in Phoenix.
Each of these outstanding stores features leading elements, such as ShopRite’s partnership with TakeOff Technologies, AJ’s Fine Foods’ signature fresh items and strong community engagement and Hy-Vee’s collaboration with DSW and Wahlburgers. Viewers can tour stores with Harold as he points out the big things that make these stores unique as well as little nuances that give them personality with tips on how other supermarket operators can implement these ideas in their own stores.
Kicking off on March 25, Harold will re-visit Flemington ShopRite and Savage Hy-Vee on April 22. The series will continue with four additional store tours in the latter half of 2021 (June, Sept., Oct. and Dec.) and will include unique stores from across the country. These locations will be confirmed and announced soon.
Store Director Series Continues
In addition to the store tour series, Harold has also partnered with FMI to continue the Store Directors’ Virtual Group webinars. Through Harold’s renowned training and expertise, he delves into topics that address timeless concerns. The first of 2021’s series takes place on March 16 and will be a discussion entitled Two Sides of the Leadership Coin: Employee Recognition and Progressive Discipline. For managers, this session will help you explore the reasons why the two sides of the “leadership coin” are often neglected and will look at effective ways to recognize your employees and foster a culture of progressive management that you can implement more confidently.
The five-part Store Directors’ Virtual Group webinar series is scheduled for May, July, Sept. and Nov. Subsequent topics will be announced as the series progresses. Rest assured, these insightful sessions will provide out-of-the-box ideas that are easily implemented and add up to exponential success.
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