Atlantic Superstores hoping to ‘educate’ customers with new branding
Atlantic Superstores are getting some cosmetic changes as the company works to portray itself as a better value proposition for consumers over the next few weeks.
The supermarket chain and other subsidiaries of Loblaw have been the subject of a boycott campaign organized online since May.
Speaking at the Lower Sackville location, which has already implemented the changes, the senior vice-president of operations for Superstore said the company will now be aligned with the Real Canadian Superstore brand — but will retain its name.
Jonathan Carroll said the only outward difference on store signs will be the addition of a logo to the branding.
Carroll said new in-store signs will clearly show items on sale.
” It’s important for all Canadians that we show that value to our customers and it takes time for them to learn and educate from that,” he said.
After exiting the store with her two children, Brittany van Veen said she didn’t notice the changes inside the store.
“Both myself and my partner work good jobs, but it’s still like scraping the bottom of the bucket to afford just your basics,” van Veen said.
“It’s definitely not been easy to buy groceries in Nova Scotia, that’s for sure.”
Though he did not directly address the boycott, Caroll said consumers have been speaking out for several years about how they “see value in the market.”
He said the new signs that are part of the re-branding will help direct customers in the chain’s stores and help them make value choices.
According to Carroll, being part of the larger Real Canadian Superstore chain should also result in lower prices on some items that are locked in for longer.
“At 63 [it] was a little bit different, but now we’re 183 Superstores. …our retail family got a little bit bigger,” he said.
“If we’re buying a pallet deal, we can get a better price on that pallet deal and give that price back to our consumers, which is very important to us.”
Shoppers Zeel Patel and Purvish Savaliy said they have had to find part-time jobs in addition to their full-time jobs in order to be able to afford groceries.
Savaliy said if prices are, in fact, lower it would encourage them to visit the store more.
“If they have good deals …it does impact normal people’s life,” Patel said.
“When they have big families and kids and all the stuff, it’s really hard to survive with one person’s income.”
During the company’s second quarter earnings call last month, Loblaw executives avoided using the word “boycott,” but acknowledged it was a factor in food retail sales that had fallen slightly compared to the same time last year.
The grocery retailer says it’s more “value-driven” and will fall in line with the Real Canadian Superstore locations in other parts of the country. Angela MacIvor has the story.
