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In the heart of Wisconsin stands a beacon of community spirit and excellence – Metcalfe’s Market. For 106 years, this family-owned business has been serving the residents of Madison and Wauwatosa with dedication, integrity and a deep-rooted commitment to supporting local producers.
Fourth-generation owners Tim and Kevin Metcalfe know that the heart of Metcalfe’s success lies in its dedicated team, many of whom have been with the company for more than two decades.
Metcalfe’s is known for its local and premium-quality foods. Throughout the stores, shoppers will find “food miles” signs, identifying how many miles a product has traveled to reach the shelf. Metcalfe’s Market is home to fresh baked breads and pastries from 20 local bakeries, more than 500 varieties of artisan cheeses, Boar’s Head deli meats and the largest variety of local and organic produce in the area. Metcalfe’s has been 100 percent green powered since 2008.
Metcalfe’s also realizes how technology and partnerships form the backbone of their business.
“When choosing a partner, it’s really important that they understand our business and our customers,” said Kevin Metcalfe, co-owner of Metcalfe’s Market. Implementing self-checkouts is a perfect example; in 2016, Metcalfe’s installed their first self-checkouts, and in the ever-changing customer preference, they continued to look to North Country Business Products (NCBP) for guidance and to add more self-checkouts.
“We need a partner that is with us and innovative and will bring new solutions to the table, and we found that in North Country Business Products and LOC Software.”
Jeff Zimmerman, director of grocery sales at NCBP, said, “Metcalfe’s has always been at the forefront of innovation. It is our job to listen and understand their needs and implement the best solution; we have the support of our vendor partners like LOC Software, Toshiba and AppCard to equip customers like Metcalfe’s with the tools they need to offer a seamless and efficient shopping experience.”
Part of a thriving retail environment is the data that you have, ensuring the data accuracy coming from anywhere in the store, whether that is sales data from the point of sale, product delivered through the back door and keeping accurate inventory to reward data, lets you optimize your retail operations and make proactive decisions that increase efficiency and enhance customer satisfaction.
With data flowing seamlessly from the point of sale to reporting systems, Metcalfe’s Market is able to gain invaluable insights into its inventory management processes. By analyzing sales trends, demand patterns and product performance, the store can make data-driven decisions regarding stock replenishment, assortment planning and promotional strategies. This not only ensures the availability of popular items but also minimizes excess inventory and reduces the risk of out-of-stock products.
Creating meaningful connections with technology brings Metcalfe’s Rewards to the digital age by using the technology with AppCard and LOC Software. This points-based program rewards the customer based on their spend in the store.
“Having the seamless integration between our point of sale and our rewards program makes a great shopping experience and benefit to our customers. The customers love that there is no card,” said Jim Meier, store director at Metcalfe’s Market.
Kevin Metcalfe added, “We use the program for our ad and driving sale items through the rewards program, and this allows us to get to know our customers.” With their rewards program, they can easily create targeted offers and continually reward their customers.
Metcalfe’s commitment to local sourcing extends beyond just products; it’s a philosophy that you will see in every aspect of the store. Utilizing LOC Software’s label printing capabilities, Metcalfe’s showcases its local vendors prominently, with each product label proudly displaying the “food miles” from the vendor to the shelf. This not only highlights the store’s dedication to supporting local vendors but also allows customers to make informed choices about their purchases, knowing the origins of the products they buy.
“The future is going to be challenging, but those are challenges that we are embracing,” added Tim Metcalfe, co-owner of Metcalfe’s Market. “Technology and data are the way to go, and truly understand what the customer needs and wants and provide those services. We are really proud to be a local grocer.”
Read more independent store news from The Shelby Report.
To learn more about Metcalfe’s Market, visit shopmetcalfes.com.
To learn more about North Country Business Products, visit ncbpinc.com.
To learn more about LOC Software, visit locsoftware.com.
