Grocery Store Business Concept

The business of choice is a grocery shop that is able to sell a variety of groceries conveniently at competitive prices. The business will begin by setting up a grocery store in a shopping center within an urban setting. The business will then expand to provide access to a grocery store in most regions within Illinois with an aim of providing groceries to people in these regions. The grocery store will be located in an area where there are a few or no grocery shops in order to edge out competitors. Through expansion a variety of grocery stores will be located in similar areas where there are huge populations but a few grocery shops.  The types of groceries that will be sold at the store include Fruits, dairy goods, vegetables, meats and sea foods. Additional groceries will be added to the store following high demand from customers and/or their easy availability. Groceries will be sourced from wholesalers as well as producers.

Products such as fruits and vegetables can be sourced from the producers hence lowering the costs of purchasing them. Packaging of these products is also cheap and easy and they don't require processing if sold I their original state. The grocery store products will be sourced ethically from producers and wholesalers. The packed groceries will be sourced from wholesalers to reduce the cost of packaging and storage. Where possible the grocery store will form long term relationships with producers to ensure a year round provision of groceries to the store from these farms. In future the grocery store will engage in production of some of the groceries preferably in partnership with local producers. This will reduce the cost of purchasing groceries which will enable the grocery store compete with the major grocery chain stores. The initial capital for the grocery store will be used in renting  premises, buying equipment which will enable easy storage of groceries such as fridges and freezers, purchase of supplies and paying initial workers salaries.

Mission statement

To provide a wide variety of high quality groceries to our neighborhoods through the best possible service.

Vision statement

To encourage the consumption of high quality groceries in a bid to foster healthy populations and promote environmental friendly practices.

Cultural responsibility

The grocery store recognizes that our customers are multiethnic; therefore service at the store is geared towards accommodating people from different regions. Products from different regions which are available in the market will be sold at the grocery store.  The grocery store will recruit workers based on merit regardless of culture and religion. All workers will undergo training to help them manage customers from a different regions and cultures. The training of workers will also enable them handle the various foods at the grocery store appropriately without contamination. Training will also help develop good communication and interpersonal skills among workers at the grocery stores.

The company will set a code of ethics for the employees in order to promote professional ethics. Every person working at the store must make ethnical and morally sound decisions. All workers are expected to display ethically sound behavior and must follow the code of ethics.  The code of ethics will be developed through mutual consultation of the management and workers. The revision of the code of ethics will be done annually to ensure that it remains relevant to the modern day requirements. Law enforcement authorities in the region will also be allowed to visit and inspect the store and workers in order to ensure regulations are not violated. Groceries and products sold at the store will also be sourced ethically.

Social responsibility

The grocery store is part of the food industry and therefore must play a role in informing its customers on healthy food consumption and healthy living. Therefore the grocery store will pass on information on the benefits of various foods through packaging and advertisements. The grocery store will also be involved in the activities that promote healthy living such as campaigns and education. The store will also dispose waste according to available regulation in order to maintain a healthy environment. All foods sold at the store will be sourced ethically to ensure that both suppliers and consumers are satisfied.

Developing an online presence

The grocery store will have an online presence through setting up a stores website. The website will be simple and will support user to website communication. The website will be updated daily with lists of products available at the store. This is because groceries may not be available everyday and therefore it is important to inform customers on the availability of products. The website will further allow those customers residing in areas within a 5 km radius from the grocery store order their supplies through the website. The purpose of doing this is to increase convenience for customers as well as reducing queues at the store. The website will also allow customers to provide feedback on service and products provided at the store. Major grocery stores attract customers because of provision of a wide variety of groceries as well as relatively low prices. However these stores have long queues therefore customers may opt for smaller stores in order to save time. In order to sell the produce at competitive prices, the grocery store will attempt to get its produce directly from farmers.

Packed groceries will be purchased from major wholesalers. This is necessary to reduce the cost of storage, processing and packaging which will require use of more capital. The grocery store will develop a pricing strategy in order to encourage customers to purchase products at the store. Stores will be located in shopping centers within the neighborhood to allow customers locate these stores easily. The stores will be closed at 11 pm in the night in order to allow for late shopping. The customer service personnel at the store will ensure that customers are able to obtain their groceries easily. There will be reward programs at the store to ensure that loyal customers receive seasonal discounts on regular purchases. Seasonal promotions will be made available through the website in order to encourage online grocery shopping. The management will respond to recommendations and critiques provided by the customers in order to improve the quality of service at the grocery store. This information will be obtained through the websites feedback system and any comments delivered at the grocery store.