← The CPG Guys
Loading summary
Transcript66 lines
- [00:00]
Peter Vs. Bond
If you're planning on attending grocery shop this fall, make sure to arrive in Las Vegas mid afternoon on Sunday, September 28th. That way you'll be able to attend the Big Grocery Shop Kickoff Party being hosted by the CPG Guys in partnership with Rethink Retail. The party runs Sunday, September 28th from 6 to 8pm Our kickoff party is where all the industry luminaries customarily gather to celebrate the beginning of the of this annual event. If you're a brand or retailer looking to attend or a service provider seeking to sponsor the gala event, email us@contactpguys.com in the meantime, make certain your travel plans ensure your arrival in Las Vegas to join us for the Kickoff Party.
- [00:47]
Heather Land
Hi, I'm Heather Land, Senior Director of Merchandising at Dollar General and you're listening to the CPG Guys.
- [00:56]
Shree Rajagopalan
Welcome to the CPG Guys Podcast. Your host, Shree Rajagopalan and Peter Vs. Bond explore how brands and retailers engage consumers in an increasingly digitally driven world. And now, here are the CPG Guys.
- [01:16]
Peter Vs. Bond
Hello and welcome to the CPG Guys Podcast. I am your incorrigible co host and co founder, pvsb, who also moonlights as head of industry and client engagement at Flywheel, the commerce acceleration division of Omnicom. Joining me today as always, he's my co founder of this enterprise, Chief Revenue Officer for Think Blue Consulting, and patriarch of the Raj family media empire, his incredibly successful pop star daughters Ri and Lara, and his wife who's a podcaster. I used to be able to say his three cats even had more Instagram followers than her. But Sree, you're gonna have to tell me about what's been going on with your TikTok account blasting up. We just got back from a trip to Ithaca, New York where we were presenting at Cornell's Food Executive Program. He's the man known as Sree. Sree, what's going on man? Tell me about this TikTok phenomenon.
- [02:06]
Sree
First of all, Peter, it was a pleasure to have done a four hour road trip with you from Ithaca down to Nowhere's Will Beacon, New York.
- [02:14]
Peter Vs. Bond
I think the first half hour we didn't say even a word. But it was six in the morning and neither one of us had anything.
- [02:21]
Sree
6:00Am it's grumpy time, so I think we'll forgive those 45 minutes or so. You know Peter, we're happy and blessed as a family that both kids have made it in the music industry. This morning MTV informed us that they're going to feature both kids in the month of July, I sent you the clip and then to my shock and surprise, I wake up. It's already on Instagram. It's already on TikTok. Can't ask for more. We waited for this moment and Cat's Eye, as you know, has completely taken off the the road. We're going to Lollapalooza in a week and a half. Thrilled that I can be on an artist pass at Lollapalooza and don't have to wait in lines. And then cat size road tour of course. As you know, 21 cities, lots to look forward to. Now you asked me about TikTok fame for Shri. I have no idea, Peter. But now my posts are in the millions of views, so.
- [03:13]
Peter Vs. Bond
Paparaj. Paparaj.
- [03:14]
Sree
I don't know whether it's the cats, the dog, or is it sri's glamour factor? What do you think it is?
- [03:20]
Peter Vs. Bond
Yeah, sri's got a new puppy. All I know, Shree, is this just screams out that the CPG guys, we've got to figure out our MySpace strategy because we don't have any game here. Heather thinks that funny. Yeah, I agree with you. Sree, thanks again as always for for joining to our audience. Make sure you're subscribing to our podcast on your preferred listening platform where you can get our latest episodes and even go back to consume some of the over 500 episodes we've already published. Today we're pleased to have as a guest a merchant from a national retailer with over 20,000 locations. Wow, Sri, that's a whole lot of territory. Of course, I'm speaking about Dollar General. Our guest has prior experience in food service, having worked at Cisco and Private brands with time at Damen. For the last eight and a half years she's been with Dollar General. In August of last year, she was promoted to Senior Director of Food Merchandising. Recently, progressive grocer named to her to their prestigious list of top women in grocery. Please join SRI and me in welcoming to the podcast Heather Land. Heather, welcome to the podcast. How you doing?
- [04:29]
Heather Land
Oh, I'm great. Thank you so much for having me. I feel like I'm in the presence of royalty.
- [04:37]
Peter Vs. Bond
I feel that way with Sree every day. I think I'm the court jester. That's the difference.
- [04:43]
Sree
Peter, one point to be noted. Right? And I do want to make that comment because I have worked extensively with Dollar General in the past Life. Of course, 20,000 distribution points is how a CPG company should be thinking about this opportunity for any one given SKU. A key SKU for that channel, 20,000 distribution points. No joke, my friend. Doesn't that make them number one from a distribution points for any given sku?
- [05:10]
Peter Vs. Bond
It does. What's most interesting is for many, many communities, that is their retailer, that is their choice. I was in upstate New York, you know, last weekend visiting my family, and we went to an event way up in the hills. We went through two very isolated towns, and the retailer of choice there, it was Dollar General. So they play to an incredible audience. We're gonna dig into that in a.
- [05:34]
Sree
Second, which means, Peter, CPG guys is gonna have to do a store tour of Dollar General. It's long overdue.
- [05:40]
Peter Vs. Bond
I think we have to do that. I think we do. So, Heather, what we're going to do in the digital liner notes of this episode, we're going to include links to your LinkedIn profile and Dollar General's LinkedIn page and URL so that our consumers who love to multitask while they listen to us chat away with you, they'll be able to satisfy their urges to learn more. But why don't we kick off? Why don't you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit? I made, you know, some. Some slight reference to your background and your experience, but would also, in doing so, would love to understand how you move from food service into retail.
- [06:15]
Heather Land
Yeah, definitely. Well, again, thank you so much for having me. Yeah, so I am. I have the pleasure of being the senior director of merchandising for the center store food space at Dollar General. Like you mentioned, I've been doing that for a little over. I've been with DG a little over eight and a half years. I've been in this role for just over a year. I've always been in the consumable space, in the, in the merchant space at dg. Since my time, I've been between food and the candy snack side and I'm. I'm very passionate about it. I previously served, like you said, as in a role serving Dollar General with Damon and Private Label. And then I moved over to dg and like I said, I'm very passionate about the space that we're in. I was in, like you mentioned, I was in food service for about eight years prior to that. I actually started as an analyst and then I moved into some sales roles and. Well, I, I did appreciate that time. I find that I much more enjoy the retail space. I live here in Nashville, so I live actually just south of Nashville in the Franklin area and I work up in our office, which is just north of Nashville. If You've ever been to the area in Goodlettsville, Tennessee and our, we call it our store support center. So the ssc, which is really what we consider ourselves. You know, we support our stores and all the, all the folks that are doing all the real work out in the field. And so that's what we do every day. You know, I, you know, you mentioned going up to a up in New York last week with your family and that's a lot. You know what I remember as a kid, we grew up, we grew up and visited often a small town where my dad, I know his family grew up in Northeast Ohio and DG was really like the only shop in town. And I remember going there and getting candy and it was a treasure hunt, you know, what could I get? And I vividly remember that. And now as I reflect back, I think, yeah, that that's still happening. We're still serving those small communities and how important that is. And so, you know, I love that.
- [08:21]
Sree
Awesome, awesome, awesome. Heather, years in the making. Haven't seen you in a couple years. Last time was I was in a different role. I'm in a media life right now. What a pleasure to see you again. Welcome to the CPG guys. We always get excited when we get to talk to merchants. One of the things that just came to the top of my mind, Heather, is one of the CPG guys haven't actually done a great job of being in store and bringing observations about what we see. We're such a changed environment in consumer habits. Pre Covid, Covid post Covid and now the two year, three year post Covid environment. You guys are serving such a valuable purpose for that consumer. So you have Gen Z's coming into the ecosystem every single day who have marketers that still focus on big box retail. Can you give us the simple 101? How do you explain Dollar General for someone who's unfamiliar with the retailer, moderately familiar with the retailer. We started the show by saying for any one given SKU, it's a 20,000 plus point of distribution opportunity. So how would you explain it to somebody unfamiliar or barely familiar?
- [09:31]
Heather Land
Yes, I love that. I love that question. Thank you for asking it. You know, I think that for someone who hasn't been into a Dollar General maybe ever or lately, they, I think they would be very pleasantly surprised. A lot has changed since we first pioneered the first dollar store format more than 70 years ago. You know, with our continued growth and business model enhancements, our product selection, our store formats continuing to evolve and meeting the changing needs of Our customers, I mean, I think you may be not you, but you know, people may be surprised what we have in our stores from leading national brands, right? General Mills, Kraft, Smucker, Proctor Gamble, Proctor Gamble, Unilever, and then also, you know, a wide assortment of private brands. And then we also do fun things. You know, in the news recently is our partnership with, you know, Dolly Parton. So you know, I think, you know, we do really exciting stuff. Our team of merchants, you know, we maintain focus obviously on value. That's number one. But also on compelling curating a compelling assortment of everyday essentials at the lowest prices that we can. You know, like I mentioned the Dolly Parton, you know, assortment that we've launched, it's, it's got a lot of recognition. It's really awesome. It plays in different spaces in our non consumable world, all at a value. And you know, I think it was so successful. I think they're here. I heard they're launching another display in Christmas. So you'll have to look out for that. You know, we recently launched in our cosmetics space, space with Elf brands. I know that's a very popular cosmetic brand, very focused on value. An interesting fact. 80% of our stores are located in communities with 20,000 people or less. And so, you know, the, the, the strategy, DG's strategy to serve the underserved, I think that really aligns with ELF's mission of making beauty accessible to all. And so those are the types of partnerships and relationships that we're building. I know that my daughter loves elf makeup. She's 10, so you know, we're serving her as well, you know, and then I think also, you know, getting back to like the grocery and center store space, I think folks would be surprised with the amount of just fresh dairy, deli frozen food that we have available. I mean you can come in and get pizza, chicken, hot dogs. Oh, and then you can walk into the bread aisle and get hot dog buns and then you can walk down the condiments aisle and get ketchup and mustard and relish and then you can walk over to the aisle and get some fun plates and napkins. And I mean we really have a little bit for everyone and it's a fun shopping experience, but it's also quick and convenient and easy. I would say unlike some of, you know, other retailers where it's big, you know, large format boxes, we, we have a small box. And so that does make shopping easier and quicker and sometimes just more satisfying. Satisfying in that way. And then, you know, one Thing I think I last thing I'd like to point out too, I think a lot of people don't realize we're broadening our reach from a fresh fruit produce perspective. We have over 6,700 stores. I think it is now with fresh fruits and vegetables available, which actually is more, more than any other retailer or grocer in the United States per points of distribution. And you know, we're just, we're really proud of that and that's something that we're continuing to look at so.
- [13:11]
Sree
Well, first of all, congratulations on all the growth. But Peter, here's the thought that came to my mind is a visit to Nashville on the cards for the CPG guys now that we heard there's a partnership also with Dolly Parton.
- [13:24]
Peter Vs. Bond
Cherie, I think you know that you and I are going to be in Nashville in, in November, so.
- [13:28]
Sree
That's correct.
- [13:29]
Peter Vs. Bond
I have a feeling that, that, that we may be, I didn't say it just because we, we may be. We may be co opting Heather to do a little visit to Dollywood and after we're done, maybe stopping by the Loveless Cafe for some biscuits because I want, I crave those. My favorite place to go eating after I've been Honky Tonkin and Shreya. I have a feeling we're going to be Honky Tonkin.
- [13:51]
Heather Land
That's a good idea.
- [13:52]
Peter Vs. Bond
So, so Heather, let me follow up because you talked about it in your role of food given, given the fact that in many, many communities Dollar General is their only retailer. What, what role does food and beverage play in Dollar General's overall go to market strategy?
- [14:14]
Heather Land
Yeah, I would say, you know, for 85 years that dollar General has been in existence, we've served millions of Americans with convenient access to products that they need and prices that they can afford. And that's what we're going to continue to do. You know, while we aren't a grocer, we care about and are invested in the health and wellness of our communities. You know, like I previously mentioned, you know, with more than 6,700 points of distribution with fresh produce. You know, that's something that we're continuing to go after. You know, our neighborhood general store operates in a wide variety of communities, you know, often in locations that other retailers have chosen not to go or are just simply not. And so we're really there to help meet our customers needs. You know, an interesting fact, we actually have a dollar general within five miles of 75% of Americans with the stores, you know, that we serve and so you know, that just speaks to how, how broad our reach is. Interestingly enough, Todd Bezos, our CEO shared in our last Q1 call that 60% of our core shoppers noted that they felt the need to sacrifice some necessities in the coming year. And that is why we stay so laser focused on maximizing value while providing the items that she wants and needs. I mean I feel our role, it's vital now more than ever. Our customers are really depending on us to stretch their dollar.
- [15:50]
Sree
No, no doubt about it. You serve a very important purpose as you said, now more than ever, right. So we'd love to jump into the mind of the customer who's shopping. What are they shopping? What do you feel are the primary motivators for the dollar General shopper? Is it convenience? Is it assortment? Is it quick, quick and go? Is it value? Or is there some other factor that the CPG guys just aren't aware of?
- [16:16]
Heather Land
Yeah, I would say it's d, all of the above. I think we, you know, we serve a lot of all those things that you mentioned. We, you know, we stay laser focused on all those things, you know, so you know, we're motivated by all those things. But like I mentioned, we're within five miles of 75% and we go that last mile, you know, where others won't. So it really is about that reach. And like you said, you know, we are that quick in and out. You can grab, go in if you want to go in and grab a drink. You know, we know a lot. One of our biggest trip missions is a beverage. You know, you go in and you can go in and grab a Coke and a snack and you can be back in your car in just a few minutes, you know, and then we have that wide variety of value. If you are looking for more of that fill up or fill in trip, you know, and then we really, really are so focused on, on value and competitive pricing. You know, we really, we're very competitive. I think some may not realize how competitive we are. We are better I would say than most retailers from a competitive price standpoint. We, we are very proud and we offer a lot of great values, you know and I think one thing I, you know, I, is the, the world is emerging in ways that people look for value, you know, and all the, the ways that they can find deals. And you know, our shoppers habits are just evolving and changing so quickly. You know, we've evolved as we have needed to and have to with that, you know, so we have our circular, we've had forever. You know, you think print ad and then we have that on digital, right? And so we have our weekly ad where we showcase our items, you know, that have sales or just some of our new assortment or, or things like that. But then we also have our app which if you don't have our app, I would highly encourage you to get it. It's. It's great. Where we have extra digital coupons. We have so many digital coupons. And then we also have cashback offers and then we also have a very popular for our shoppers. They know it well. We call our Bounce Back which is our 5 off 25 that we run on a lot of Saturdays. So you can get just 25 or if you buy $25, you get 5 off. And then we also have month long promotions always constantly rotating and running in the store. So we have a lot of ways, I know we have a lot of smart shoppers, savvy shoppers, they're knowing how to stack and do all the things. And then, you know, we also have approximately 2,000 items that are still under a dollar. And so you know, when I talk about, you know what we talk about value. Like those are all the different ways that we're constantly trying. There you go. There. He's holding the app up. I love that you know that we're constantly trying to provide value to our shoppers.
- [19:02]
Peter Vs. Bond
You know, I used to call SRI a crazy coupon lady, but then he reminded me, no, he's actually a savvy shopper. And I think that's more avid description.
- [19:09]
Sree
Yeah. A little known fact. A little known fact, Peter. When I first moved from brick and mortar to e Commerce back in 2012, DG had the 5 of 25. One of the earliest pioneers of digital couponing. I don't know if the industry even knows that, but I observ it back in 2012, okay, I am a DG shopper. That's why I have the app.
- [19:32]
Peter Vs. Bond
It's. You're. Now you're. The store in Hollywood is right next.
- [19:36]
Shree Rajagopalan
To the Dolce and Gabbana store, right?
- [19:38]
Peter Vs. Bond
Is that how it works?
- [19:39]
Sree
Labre Avenue. That's my store.
- [19:41]
Peter Vs. Bond
Labre. Okay, there we go.
- [19:42]
Sree
Now Heather knows that.
- [19:43]
Peter Vs. Bond
Okay, good. And let me remind our audience that today SRI and I have the pleasure of speaking with Heather Land. She's the senior director of merchandising at Dollar General. So Heather, given DJs expansive footprint, how are you using that to make an actual positive impact when it to providing for and serving others in these communities where your stores are located.
- [20:04]
Heather Land
Yeah, I appreciate that. I think having access to affordable everyday essentials like household goods and nutritious foods, it's a challenge for many communities and families. Some areas there just isn't a grocery store, or maybe someone doesn't have reliable transportation to get to the next town, wherever the closest grocery store is. So, you know, with our more than 20,000 stores across America, our reach, like I said, it's very broad. You know, we are uniquely positioned, I believe, to combat hunger by offering convenient access for. On a variety of nutritious foods at affordable prices. You know, we often say internally we serve the underserved and our mission is serving others. And so, I mean, those are really words that we, you know, we live by and we live through, through what we do every day, you know, and. And we also, we actively respond to community needs. I mean, we get, we get calls, we get handwritten letters, people asking us to serve their communities, to bring produce, bring fresh vegetables. And we always try to, you know, we review all of those and accommodate those requests as best we can because we know that it's, you know, it's an issue. And we are actively, always trying to help in that way. How.
- [21:28]
Sree
How awesome. I mean, I will never debate. You guys have a very important role to play. You always have. You do. Now, I do want to correct myself earlier. I don't want to say digital coupons. I want to say you guys are one of the earliest to embrace the digital journey and offer value to the shopper. So what I did want to follow up on, Heather, is given that expansive footprint, you guys, one of the best observers of what does value mean to a consumer. There was a value since pre Covid that completely changed in Covid because there was a supply chain crisis and it was more about I just need access to everyday consumables. And then in a post Covid environment, in the last couple of years with inflation etc, the whole notion of value has changed. Again. How do y' all think of. And value just isn't a price. It's so much more. So how does Dollar General think?
- [22:24]
Heather Land
Did I hear you say a y'? All?
- [22:26]
Sree
Yeah, I have. I say y'. All. One of the. One of the industry known secrets. She went to school at Virginia Tech, spends time in Virginia. So he's got the y'. All.
- [22:35]
Peter Vs. Bond
He also says he's from Southern California.
- [22:38]
Sree
He also says certain ma', am, so nobody get offended.
- [22:43]
Heather Land
Oh, I'm. I'm just teasing. I appreciate the question about value. I think that for our shopper, value, value Means a lot of things depending on where she is. We say she because we, we know value. Our you know, our BFFs, our core customer, we call them BFFs. They're our best friends forever. We, we're highly, we're highly educated and we understand our shopper very well and we understand that value can mean a lot of things to her depending on where she is in her journey. Value can mean having those dollar items because she literally only has a couple dollars and she can come in and get something, you know, in hair care and something in the household and some in some food for her family or value means, you know, she is, is getting that stock up trip, right? Value means she can get, she can make that holiday meal at an affordable price because we have all these bundle deals and things like that. Or she can you know, shop for the week and fill up you know, her kids lunchbox with things that she, you know, feels good about is she can get milk and yogurt and give, you know, put a healthy breakfast on her kids plate, you know, before they're off to school. So I really, I mean I really think value is such an important word but it can really mean a lot to you know, to who, who that shopper is, what their situation is. And we do try and have a solution for all of those situations.
- [24:07]
Sree
And speaking of that very value, one of Yalls priorities back three, four years ago, you know, at the, at the tip of COVID was really increasing your footprint on food, beverages, grocery, fresh, et cetera. And I was lucky enough to be able to participate in the early outreach. Congratulations. I think you said 6,700 stores. Was that the number? So congrat, congratulations on getting to a, you know, nearly a third of the footprint, which is amazing. So could you give us a couple examples, maybe your recent examples that illustrate that very impact of making a positive impact when it comes to, for providing and serving the community in this space.
- [24:45]
Heather Land
Yeah, absolutely. I mean like you mentioned the, the fresh fruit and produce is huge and we've talked about that. You know, but we, we have an amazing merchant team. I'm very lucky. We all are very lucky. They have, we have folks on the team that are constantly looking at the assortment. They're looking at trends, they're looking at you know, data insights and we have great, you know, partners that help us with that. You know, some, some examples, you know, in our, in the food space, specifically condiments comes to mind. So we, you know, private brands are a big space for us and we, we rolled out A bunch of new private brand condiments like wing, different flavors of wing sauces, chip chicken dipping sauce, new dressings, new flavors of barbecue sauce. And you know, in our breakfast space, if you go down the breakfast aisle, we have, you think about single serving cups. Those have been really successful for us. New this year. We've also expanded. We talk about value, we've expanded bag cereal, right. So really making, getting a lot for the amount of money that you're spending on some cereal. We also have fun things like Minecraft fruit snacks and Mott's fruit bars and Nature Valley, you know, strawberry wafer bars. Again, just talking to the constantly. Those are all new. So rotating the assortment to meet our customers needs. You know, Isotonics has been another big one. We've doubled our space in Isotonics in a lot of our stores. And so, you know, like from fun prime flavors, I know that's a big thing. And then, you know, multi packs to serve those families or single serve offers, whether it's, you know, ambient or cold, you know, like I said, you know, the merchant team does such a great job just always looking at what the customer wants and then we're responding to that sri.
- [26:33]
Peter Vs. Bond
I don't know if you know this. I actually mapped out how far it is from my house to the Dollar General on Fox and Road in North Brantford. 4.9 miles. So I fall into that 75% that are within five miles of a Dollar General minus 3.6. I just made it just barely. Yeah, you are much closer. But I think I get there faster because you're in la. You're in la.
- [26:59]
Sree
But I have, I have a. But I have a choice of multiple Dollar General stores within a 10 mile radius. I can pick and choose.
- [27:06]
Peter Vs. Bond
You probably do.
- [27:07]
Heather Land
Do you have a favorite?
- [27:08]
Sree
La Brea is my favorite. That's why I called it out. Kudos to that store manager for keeping the store clean and keeping the assortment in stock. So whoever the store manager is, La Brea Avenue, you're doing something right.
- [27:19]
Heather Land
Oh, good. Yeah, we'll have to make sure they get a call out.
- [27:22]
Peter Vs. Bond
So when we talk about value, it it not price is a big player. But it's not the only player you made mention. What if someone can't get to their car? Or the thought of loading their four kids into the car to drive five miles is a bit daunting. To further your reach of serving others, you're now offering delivery services. Can you expand on what you have available and what the footprint is?
- [27:48]
Sree
And I want to append to that question, Heather here on the CPG guys, we both come from the industry. We're practitioners, we know Xi's boss, we know she's your bff, but she's very busy so it's important to help her. So that's what we're really trying to understand.
- [28:03]
Heather Land
Yes, no, I appreciate that. We know she's really busy oftentimes, you know, I know a lot of people, they work multiple jobs and you know, time everywhere. We all, we're all busy lives and kids and a lot of places to be. Yeah. So, you know, we, we do strive to make it, you know, how can we evolve to make shopping, you know, hassle free while still affordable. And DoorDash, our partnership with them has allowed, allowed us to unlock that. So we kicked off our DoorDash partnership back in 2021 to offer, you know, that post, you know, in Covid to offer that on man delivery of household essential items, you know, everything that we have in the store and then the partnership, it continues to exceed our initial, initial expectations. You know, through Q1 through this year, you know, Todd talked about it, I believe, you know, the platform increased more than 50% versus prior year. So it's really a growing platform for us. Additionally, you know, and I didn't mention mention this earlier, but you know, we accept SNAP and EBT in our store which is also a way that we can serve our shopper. As of March this year, we now can accept that SNAP and EBT payment through our DoorDash partnership in over 16,000 locations. So just another way we're helping give that reach and that access, you know. And so, you know, it's just Dollar General's mission of serving others. And so one other thing that I think is exciting, you know, and so just this year we have unveiled DG Delivery, which is like our white service through our DG website directly in partnership with DoorDash. And we have that up and running I think in 3,000 stores and with the hopes of having that, I think around 10,000 stores by the end of the year. And so it just shows how we're constantly evolving in that, in that space. And kudos to that team at the way they're rapidly working to help serve our shoppers and all that. So and you know, the good thing about moving it to our, you know, through our, our website is they can, they can add in all the, the digital coupons and all layer in all the things that we were talking about earlier. So we're just trying to evolve to make it the best shopping Experience, meaning the best value, but also the most convenient.
- [30:22]
Sree
So on that very topic, for the benefit of our huge audience here who listens in, could you help them understand on the DG home delivery that you mentioned, are there minimum order quantities or thresholds or how does that service work? You just go to the website, you can shop, can you do it from the app?
- [30:40]
Heather Land
And so, you know, I believe that it's still evolving. I know that you can, you can shop just like you would on DoorDash. You know, I believe that that is still.
- [30:50]
Sree
That is so awesome, Heather. So now I'm going to come back to the Consumables mix. And one of the important topics in our industry is innovation and as well as assortment expansion, efficient assortment, getting the right assortment in store. How does Dollar General and you in particular approach getting to the right efficient assortment in store and online? Then how do you talk to your partners? Now, SRI might have some unfair, privileged knowledge about how innovation works, but for the benefit of our audience, how do you see innovation? What is your approach to innovation? And then what is your approach to efficient assortment?
- [31:30]
Heather Land
Yeah, I love that question. And so with so many stores like we've talked about today, we offer a lot of brands that everyone knows and loves. You know, Coke, all the, all the major CPGs. I would say we, you know, we carry assortment with them. But that being said, we're always looking to, to evolve, have innovation, listening to what our shoppers want and to make sure that we can still excite her and delight her when she comes into our store and finds something new. And so we're always looking, you know, for that. We are a small box format though. And so we're always constantly pushing our, you know, our partners to, to make it, we call it, you know, to DDG it right, to make it work for Dollar General, you know, meaning maybe it's a smaller case pack and things like that to help optimize it. You know, something that we've done, you've heard Todd talk about it, is back to basics, where we're trying to make sure, you know, that stores are, you know, are clutter free and clear. You know, we want to make it a pleasant shopping experience. And so that being said, as we're working through inventory and working through product assortment, we have to make sure it works within our small box format. We're also, you know, I would say we're also always evaluating our private brand solutions and seeing where we can bring in more variety and value there. We know that when customers are trying to stretch their budget I mean, really, really now, you know, especially now with, you know, how. How stretched our shoppers are. You know, private brands are a great solution and we want to make sure that we're delivering on those needs. You know, our Clover Valley brands, which is our private brand in our food space, you know, they're offered all across our center store section and they're 100% guaranteed. They're formulated just to be like the national brands, you know, and you think, you know, we have innovation like new coffee syrups and electrolyte drink mixes, new cereals and coffee pods and dressings, and then we have basic syrup. We have our, you know, our private brand, you know, baking needs and things like that. And so it's really, you know, it's a combination of offering value and looking at new assortments that way and then, you know, evolving to make sure that what we're looking at fits within our. Within our small box format.
- [33:49]
Shree Rajagopalan
What a terrific conversation this has been. Sree.
- [33:52]
Peter Vs. Bond
This is incredibly awesome. Heather. We want to thank you for taking time out of your week to speak with the CPG guys about all the exciting things going on at Dollar General. We're appreciative of you sharing with us where you've been and where you're going.
- [34:08]
Shree Rajagopalan
Thank you.
- [34:09]
Heather Land
Oh, thank you so much for having me.
- [34:10]
Sree
I also want to congratulate you on all the success, especially 6,700 outlets now or distribution points or stores with the Fresh sree.
- [34:21]
Peter Vs. Bond
Thanks as always for joining me on this journey to our audience. If you like what we're doing, let us know. The way you do that is, particularly if you're on Apple and Spotify, just scroll down and give us a star rating. Our favorite number is five. But it's up to you what you want to do. And while you're doing that, leave us some words. Tell us what you like, what you don't like, what you want more of, what you want less of, and we'll tailor this podcast to kind of suit your needs. We appreciate you twice a week listening into our conversations. We look forward to speaking with you on the next episode of the CPG Guys podcast. Goodbye.
- [35:10]
Shree Rajagopalan
The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPG Guys, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGuys LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own, and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. The views expressed by CPTGuys LLC do not represent the views of their employers or the entity they represent. CPTGuys LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or other damages arising out of any individual's use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we present in this podcast.