Case Story
Creating and Launching
New Retail Formats
at Grocery Co
Client Mandate
Create innovation within a traditional grocery business facing competitive threats from Amazon and other players.
Our Starting Point
- An engaged CEO
- A diverse innovation team with retail experience in start-ups, international grocery, and technology and apparel
Our Success
- Actionable long-term strategy endorsed by the C-suite
- 2 new business models piloted
- 1 new store format launched
Our Starting Point
A small but mighty team was tasked by the CEO to create disruptive innovations within the US division of Grocery Co. Keenly aware of the threats facing Grocery Co from outside the company (e.g. changing consumer preferences, new competitors like Amazon) and from within (shrinking margins, aging large-format stores), the team knew they needed to act quickly. With a limited budget, they also needed to act smartly, designing and testing only the most promising concepts.
Our Journey
Together, we:
- Created future-based scenarios that captured what the future of grocery could be, what Grocery Co would need to be in order to be successful, and the types of investments in concepts and capabilities required to get from here to there
- Identified 7 unique shopper personas after speaking with dozens of foodies –regular folks at the forefront of food culture — in Austin TX, Chicago IL, and NYC to understand how and why they make the food and dining choices they make
- Developed 3 radically different new business models and retail concepts that, if launched, would generate real revenue and profit now and in the long-term, while also future-proofing the business from disruptive entrants
Our Progress
After 3 short months of working together, Grocery Co’s CEO gave the green-light to two of the three proposed concepts. Within months both had revenue generating MVPs in the market.
One year later, one of the concepts had been expanded to a second market and new locations continue to be added.
Client Mandage
Create innovation within a traditional grocery business facing competitive threats from Amazon and other players.
Our Starting Point
- An engaged CEO
- A diverse innovation team with retail experience in start-ups, international grocery, and technology and apparel
Our Success
- Actionable long-term strategy endorsed by the C-suite
- 2 new business models piloted
- 1 new store format launched
Our Starting Point
A small but mighty team was tasked by the CEO to create disruptive innovations within the US division of Grocery Co. Keenly aware of the threats facing Grocery Co from outside the company (e.g. changing consumer preferences, new competitors like Amazon) and from within (shrinking margins, aging large-format stores), the team knew they needed to act quickly. With a limited budget, they also needed to act smartly, designing and testing only the most promising concepts.
Our Journey
Together, we:
- Created future-based scenarios that captured what the future of grocery could be, what Grocery Co would need to be in order to be successful, and the types of investments in concepts and capabilities required to get from here to there
- Identified 7 unique shopper personas after speaking with dozens of foodies –regular folks at the forefront of food culture — in Austin TX, Chicago IL, and NYC to understand how and why they make the food and dining choices they make
- Developed 3 radically different new business models and retail concepts that, if launched, would generate real revenue and profit now and in the long-term, while also future-proofing the business from disruptive entrants
Our Progress
After 3 short months of working together, Grocery Co’s CEO gave the green-light to two of the three proposed concepts. Within months both had revenue generating MVPs in the market.
One year later, one of the concepts had been expanded to a second market and new locations continue to be added.