Winn-Dixie's new concept: Fresco y Más

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Winn-Dixie's new concept: Fresco y Más

Post by pseudo3d »

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/2 ... o-M%C3%A1s

Basically, a new Hispanic-themed Winn-Dixie, featuring all that's all but stock and standard in Hispanic spin-offs, like a carniceria, different prepared foods, and a dollar store department. I don't think it will fly...it's the Down Down décor but in yellow and black (it looks all sorts of yuck and far from the "vibrant color palate (sp)" promised in the press release) and someone on Yelp of Hispanic descent is far from impressed.

My general impression is this: "Better retailers than you have tried this sort of thing and failed. Why do you think you'll do better?"
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Re: Winn-Dixie's new concept: Fresco y Más

Post by wnetmacman »

WD needs to fix their existing stores first, then try other things.
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Re: Winn-Dixie's new concept: Fresco y Más

Post by veteran+ »

pseudo3d wrote:http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/2 ... o-M%C3%A1s

Basically, a new Hispanic-themed Winn-Dixie, featuring all that's all but stock and standard in Hispanic spin-offs, like a carniceria, different prepared foods, and a dollar store department. I don't think it will fly...it's the Down Down décor but in yellow and black (it looks all sorts of yuck and far from the "vibrant color palate (sp)" promised in the press release) and someone on Yelp of Hispanic descent is far from impressed.

My general impression is this: "Better retailers than you have tried this sort of thing and failed. Why do you think you'll do better?"

100% spot on!

I thought the exact same thing!
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Re: Winn-Dixie's new concept: Fresco y Más

Post by storewanderer »

What happened to the upscale Winn Dixie remodel?

They already got bored with that, I guess.
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Re: Winn-Dixie's new concept: Fresco y Más

Post by wnetmacman »

If you look at some of the pictures on this site: Yelp, you'll see that some elements of the former Winn Dixie decor are still intact, but painted over. There's siding painted over, and most of the cooling equipment is original.

Not a good way to start things....
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Re: Winn-Dixie's new concept: Fresco y Más

Post by pseudo3d »

storewanderer wrote:What happened to the upscale Winn Dixie remodel?

They already got bored with that, I guess.
This is the third new concept in six months (the others being the new Winn-Dixie in Jacksonville and the other being the revival of Harveys). I'm afraid that this is the start of the company going nowhere quite fast. A shame on the fact that they don't seem to be focusing on any new remodels, considering the one in Jacksonville got great reviews. Sad to say, I'm afraid that by February of next year it won't be nearly as nice, not unless Winn-Dixie puts their back into it and modernizes all the "profit centers" to Publix-tier stores (which I can't see happening).
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Re: Winn-Dixie's new concept: Fresco y Más

Post by Knight »

I do not know what Southeastern Grocers is doing converting Winn-Dixie #243, Palm Springs Mile, 541 West 49th Street, Hialeah, Florida 33012-3646, to Fresco y Más. It would be a wise idea to add a farmacia.

Publix Sabor, though seven stores strong, is a good example of a Hispanic supermarket.
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Re: Winn-Dixie's new concept: Fresco y Más

Post by pseudo3d »

Knight wrote:I do not know what Southeastern Grocers is doing converting Winn-Dixie #243, Palm Springs Mile, 541 West 49th Street, Hialeah, Florida 33012-3646, to Fresco y Más. It would be a wise idea to add a farmacia.

Publix Sabor, though seven stores strong, is a good example of a Hispanic supermarket.
From what I saw, 243 actually had the nicer post-2005 bankruptcy décor, which is nicer than even Albertsons' current set. The problem is that in addition to mucking up a store with a terrible "I'm a third-tier store that was saved from closing" look and feel, they followed a playbook that doesn't work. "We need to make a Hispanic-themed grocery store that will complement our existing brands. Thoughts?"

United's answer (acceptable): "Well, Fiesta Mart in Houston and Dallas is a good concept with not just Hispanic foods but also more international foods. We can experiment on one store with those sorts of concepts and then tweak them until our consumers like what we have." (This is the process that formed Amigos, though that wasn't the initial name)

H-E-B's answer (acceptable): "Well, our stores fit the neighborhood, and there is no 'one size fits all' Hispanic format. We need to treat these stores as an extension of our brand with a good merchandise mix and aesthetic." (This is also true)

Everyone else's answer (unacceptable): "OK, we'll need to add a tortilleria (check), bilingual signage (check), more imported foods (check), and finally, brightly painted walls, maybe in red, green, and white. Now let's pick a store to remodel!" (exaggeration, but I can think of at least two other big, well-moneyed chains that tried to pull the last stunt both with total failures within 5-8 years)
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Re: Winn-Dixie's new concept: Fresco y Más

Post by rwsandiego »

From the pictures, it appears to be a yellow and black Winn-Dixie. I'm not sure I would call that "Hispanic." Also interesting how the "Hispanic" store has the Spanish language signs in smaller lettering than the English language signs.

This is not spelling "S U C C E S S"
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Re: Winn-Dixie's new concept: Fresco y Más

Post by storewanderer »

The "unacceptable" solution seems to have worked to a certain extent for Kroger. I don't know of any Food 4 Less decor stores in Smiths, Frys, King Soopers, or Dillons divisions that have closed. Call it a band aid but most of those stores are in neighborhoods long since abandoned by Safeway and Albertsons.

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/frys-and ... phoenix-14

Also this Frys in Tuscon is not branded Frys Mercado and has F4L Decor but has a much better developed perimeter thing going on:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/frys-food-and-d ... 7?osq=frys

If Amigos is so great why haven't they expanded it elsewhere yet?

To me what Winn Dixie is doing is unacceptable. But maybe they can make this work. Maybe some 8/$1 avocados and 20/$1 limes will drive traffic. Great quality and well marinated meats and a good prepared food program (selling at fair prices, not giveaway prices) can get them some amazing sales volume and gross margin if they can execute it well and get foot traffic in... hispanic format in FL (Publix Sabor) is a little different than the ones on the west coast. Cuban food is not quite the same as Mexican food.
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