Part II: A Short Series with Omar Jorge

By: Leslie G. Sarasin, President and CEO, FMI

I am delighted to share the second part of my interview with Omar Jorge, our 2024 FMI Midwinter Executive Conference chairman. As a longtime leader in the food industry and second-generation grocer, Omar Jorge has seen it all, having started in the family business in his youth. He takes us through some of the ways he has charted the course as CEO of Compare Foods Supermarkets.

Part II of the Series

Sarasin: Your first foray into grocery was helping in your father's store at quite a young age. Eventually you pursued a law degree, and practiced business law in NYC. What compelled the return to the food industry?

Jorge: Growing up in the supermarket industry, my goal in becoming an attorney was to help supermarket and other business owners with their legal needs. I enjoyed practicing law and serving as an advisor to independent grocery owners in the New York City area. In 2009, we were presented with an opportunity to purchase a supermarket from a family member in Charlotte, NC. After visiting Charlotte, looking at the difference in the cost of living, and lots of discussion with my wife about what this would look like, we agreed to move down. From that store in 2009, we have grown to four stores today with the fifth to open before the end of 2023. Additionally, my aunt and cousin also own stores in Charlotte, bringing our total number of stores to eight in the city. Fortunately, it turned out to be the right decision for us.

Sarasin: What would you say to the generations coming up the ranks about why they should pursue careers in grocery? And how should they start?

Jorge: I think that the younger generations have a lot to offer to the grocery industry. Their knowledge of technology, openness to different cultures, and refusal to accept "that's how it's always been done" is really needed for the industry to innovate and progress with the times. The grocery chains having the most success are the ones always innovating and adapting to the changing consumer tastes. The chains that are struggling are the ones stuck in a traditional mindset. Youth brings new ideas and energy to our companies, which then is reflected in continuing financial success. Our role as industry leaders is to make the food industry as attractive a career as possible for the young talent that have many different options. The best talent can choose between technology, finance, healthcare, and other industries that are seen as more financially secure or desirable by job candidates. We need to do a better job of promoting food retail as being just as attractive and lucrative as those other options.

Sarasin: Our annual U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends this year showed that across all income and demographic levels, shoppers prioritize good value. We also noted that value embodies quite an array of motivations, not always steeped in lowest cost. With that in mind, how do you focus on value while connecting with a diverse customer base? What advice would you share with an independent operation hoping to do the same?

Jorge: I'm a big fan of Jim Collins' "Hedgehog Principle." You need to find what you do really well, better than everyone else in the market, and focus almost obsessively on that. Being "good" in a lot of different things is the kiss of death as you're not distinguishing yourself in the mind of the consumer. Being the best at a few things is much more important and is how you create the perception of value in your customers. In our case, we are the best at bringing products to our stores from our customers' countries of origin. So if you're from Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, or any other Latin American country, we're the first name in our customers' minds when they're looking for those products. That's creating value without having to get into a price war with much larger competitors. We follow that same principle with our fresh produce and meats. There are many non-Latino customers that will only buy their fresh meats and produce from us because we have earned the value perception of having very fresh products at lower prices than they can buy elsewhere.

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