Last updated on September 26th, 2023 at 09:23 am
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The start of any great story when it comes to independent grocers, is the family and their values. When we take a look at Rastelli Market Fresh locations in Marlton and Deptford, New Jersey, this story is no different. The Rastelli family values are “Responsibility, Partnership, Trust and Quality.” It is clear that these values were instilled in Ray Rastelli Jr. in 1975 when he opened his first “Meat Stop.” This location became the hub of the whole operation, supplying locals with high-quality meat.
Growth and quality
Over the next 15 years, Ray and his brother Tony, grew the operation to eight shops, and the customer base continued to grow with them. Decades later, Rastelli Market Fresh has grown to be a foodie destination, offering the freshest products, onsite chefs, and, of course, the best cuts of meat around. Even today, the Rastelli legacy continues, with more than 25 percent of their food made onsite by their chefs.
Community and responsibility
Never taking anything for granted, the Rastelli Market Fresh knows that community first is always the best choice. Recently, they partnered with the HEADstrong Foundation to provide meals and pantry items for families at Nick’s House, supporting families affected by cancer. Rastelli Market Fresh believes in hard work and doing things the right way.
New technology and partnership
In 2022, the Rastelli Market Fresh team realized that the technology solutions they had in place no longer suited them. They were growing faster than the software could keep up. After research and many demonstrations of new point-of-sale software solutions, they met STCR, a point of sale leader in the retail technology space.
“Meeting with the team at STCR did not feel like a sales pitch, but a business consultant and industry partner,” said Jon Klinshaw, managing partner at Rastelli Market Fresh. “They did not just say yes to everything; we scoped out what our goals are now, and in the future, and only then did the STCR team come back with a project plan that made sense.”
Farrell McKenna, VP of operations at STCR, said, “When we started working with Jon and his team, we knew that LOC Software was the right fit for Rastelli Market Fresh. They can grow into the solution, and our team has the knowledge to tailor the system to best support their progressive needs.”
Efficiencies and trust
In the past, the Rastelli team had to deal with multiple solutions to run their business, such as app’s, loyalty programs and even reporting.
“Now with LOC and the integration of all of our solutions, we are able to analyze and predict rather than react,” Klinshaw said.
In the last eight months, the teams at Rastelli Market Fresh and STCR set out on a large-scale technology plan and accomplished these goals ahead of schedule. Some of these projects included server and payment upgrades, as well as implementing a whole new point of sale and back office solution with LOC Software. Some of the pain points that the LOC Software Solution solved included improving on the loyalty programs they had in place, such as senior discounts.
With LOC Software, the Rastelli Market Fresh team can design any promotion, such as a discount for seniors, without publicly verifying age at the register – since all customer data can be automatically applied to the database or promotions for any product(s) at any time or day of the week.
“The beauty of working with our team of experts and LOC Software is that we can look at the customers’ needs and identify where we can solve the pain points for them, whether this means integrations or managing every technology touchpoint of the store in one solution,” McKenna said.
“With the integrations available, end users like Rastelli Market Fresh can grow into the product over time. It scales easily to the needs of the retailer.”
Klinshaw added, “We feel like we are light years ahead in only 8 months with the product.”
The question of “how to expend labor” also impacts Rastelli Market Fresh’s decision-making process. They take advantage of using a major wholesale distributor, Bozzuto’s, to manage a good portion of its pricing. Working with STCR and LOC Software, it is easy to streamline processes and import pricing and cost changes without a lot of effort. This allows the pricing team to focus on the local direct store deliveries.
“Our team of four is busy taking care of the customers, seeking products that serve everyone, from our daily shoppers to our foodies looking for unique product lines. We cannot spend hours managing our technology and taking away from the most important aspect of our business – the customer,” Klinshaw said.
“We enjoy working with the STCR team and LOC Software and know that they are continually reshaping back office efficiencies and giving us quick and reliable support. Additionally, we are quite pleased with the financial impact of replacing our antiquated point of sale system, with the Rastelli Market Fresh team recognizing a 2.5 percent increase in net margin in the short period of time we have had the new LOC System,”
McKenna said, “LOC Software and our teams at STCR provide integrations to most every aspect of the business, including major accounting packages, which removes the double entry of financials in separate systems, bringing confidence and gaining back hours in a week to focus on other parts of the business.
“We know the importance of simplifying processes at the stores, and our staff works with the retailers to assist with this. At STCR, we are excited to work with progressive retailers like Rastelli Market Fresh. We know that we can help with their growth and daily activities, bringing them to the next level of technology, all with an incredible return on investment.”
To learn more about Rastelli Market Fresh, visit rastellimarket.com.
To learn more about STCR, visit stcr.com.
To learn more about LOC Software, visit locsoftware.com.
