Living up to the name SuperFresh is a tall order. Emphasizing freshness within the limited footprint of a downtown store was the impetus for recent renovations throughout the 63-unit chain.

One of America's first supermarket chains, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P), founded in 1859, operates about 440 stores in four formats under several banners, including SuperFresh, in six East Coast states from New York to Washington, D.C. The Montvale, N.J. company's format-focused strategy (gourmet, fresh, price impact and discount) was initiated five years ago when Eric Claus, originally from A&P Canada, took the helm as U.S. president and C.E.O. Three years later, Sal Baio joined the team as vice president of fresh and Jim Saufl as deli/bakery senior director.

“We understand that one size doesn't fit all, and we really take that to heart,” explains Baio regarding the formats and store redesigns to suit each physical site and community.

To make sure the bakery department formats are flexible enough to suit their city and suburban neighborhoods, the company has developed a number of variations of the new designs and layouts, Saufl says. A smaller downtown Philadelphia store, for example, is set up to resemble a European boutique and offers an appropriately abbreviated line of bakery products. Product mix also adapts to the local populations, such as the addition of guava and other fruit-flavored pastries in Latino communities. “Even within formats, we have different designs, depending on the neighborhoods,” Baio says.

A little more than 50 percent of the chain's stores have been remodeled to fit the format to the neighborhood. “Although our investment in remodels has slowed down slightly, we continue to spend capital in these stores, so our formats and products can keep up with what our customers want and need because things are changing every day,” Baio says. Additional store remodels in the fresh format are planned this year in a number of markets, he continues. Two or three new stores are currently under construction, continuing the aggressive program started a few years ago.

Renovating Philly stores

SuperFresh, one of three banners A&P operates in its fresh format, is targeted to upper middle class consumers in the mid-Atlantic region, Baio says. The company began renovating its 20 SuperFresh Philadelphia area stores last June.

One store, located at the busy intersection of 10th and South Streets, features a 2,000-sq.-ft. bakery, which is smaller than the standard 3,000-sq.-ft. size for the chain. The space is evenly divided between production and display. Upgrading the in-store bakery's ambience and showcasing its hundreds of made-on-site products was a priority for the management team, Saufl says.

About half of the department's products are made in-house from proprietary mixes and bases or baked off from frozen or par-baked dough.

“But,” Saufl points out, “if you include all of the items we assemble, ice, decorate and repackage, that number goes up to about 85 percent.”

When renovating the South Street store, management focused on three things: redesigning the retail floor displays, introducing premium proprietary branded categories and training for both the production and counter personnel to enable them to turn out consistent quality products and have the knowledge to effectively sell them.

Prior to the remodel, the South Street bakery was equipped with a 30-pan double rotating rack oven, one 60-qt. and two 20-qt. mixers, a 100-sq.-ft. cooler and a 500-sq.-ft. freezer. Although no square footage could be added, another 20-qt. mixer and some prep stations/work tables were brought in to maximize the efficiency of the workspace.

Invested in training

Instead of relying on technology for bakery department operation efficiency, the company instead invested in training the five-person production team to use existing equipment. A master cake decorator trains in-store personnel, technical specialists are available to help handle any issues and vendor partners also are tapped for training assistance. As a result, staffers are able to turn out the required volume and variety of products on a schedule that begins at 5:30 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m.

In addition to enabling sales associates to answer customer questions, the intensive training makes it easy for them to communicate their enthusiasm about the products.

“To do this type of work, you have to be passionate,” says Sales Associate Mike Terry after he explained the six complex chocolate components of an elaborate cake.

In the retail space, Saufl installed a 12-ft., European-style refrigerated service case, which when combined with a 12-ft., open-air, refrigerated, self-serve case, boosted the department's ability to merchandise gourmet cakes and individual pastries. Each of the three glass front windows of the case swings open and lies flush against the adjacent glass to make it quicker and easier for staffers to keep the cases clean and to restock, rotate and refresh products. An open self-serve frozen case completes the display line-up.