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The Griffin Report of Food Marketing • JUNE 2014
Stop & Shop Celebrates 100 Years More Coverage @ thegriffinreport.com
STOP & SHOP LEADERSHIP The Architects of Super Stop & Shop
Under Carl Schlicker, Stop & Shop Connects The Importance Of Value & Community (Editor’s Note: This article originally early 1990s, when he was working for appeared in The Griffin Report’s Nov. Edwards and First National. 2010 issue.) “What I liked was Stop & Shop’s vision of the expansion of categories n 2010, Carl Schlicker, serving as with the emphasis on perishables, the the president and chief executive offi- quality of perishables, and making the cer of Stop & Shop/ Giant Landover, store a compelling place to shop while said he believed he was the “lucky stew- giving great service,” said Mr. Schlicker. ard” to preserve the legacy of the Super “That is what set them apart and made Stop & Shop concept. other stores try to emulate. “We are the beneficiaries of their Correlating Super Stop & Shop to his (Stop & Shop’s) vision 30 years ago. era, Mr. Schlicker emphasized value Super Stop & Shop was a great vision and connecting good pricing and good from some great people. It has made promotion to the delivery of quality for a very successful company,” said Mr. perishables. Schlicker at the time. Mr. Schlicker constantly challenged In 2007, Mr. Schlicker, then execu- how Stop & Shop could improve and tive vice president of sales and market- add further value to its shoppers. “How ing at GIANT/MARTIN’S, was promoted we can provide different options for president & chief executive officer people? How can we make their lives Carl Schlicker, of Stop & Shop’s sister company also easier?” former chief operating officer of Stop & under the ownership of Royal Ahold, He realized that technology Shop/Giant Landover and Ahold USA the Netherlands. The following year in advances like SCAN IT! and automatic July 2008, Mr. Schlicker was promoted deli kiosks might be enjoyed by some to president & chief executive officer of customers but not by others. “For Stop & Shop/Giant Landover. some they may think how can I get a Mr. Schlicker first became aware great dinner on the table while, for of the Super Stop & Shop concept as others, they may say I have 30 min- utes to shop and I need to keep a runa competitor in the late 1980s and ning total of purchases. For some, value equals convenience,” said Mr. Schlicker. He added, “Value is a relative term and it means different things to different people. What we need to answer is how do we deliver value over time. When you think about it, value is the centerpiece of why everyone shops.”During his tenure at Stop & Shop and later at Ahold USA, Mr. Schlicker spearheaded the company’s conscious commitment to play a leading role in its communities. That legacy of community giving, whether through efforts to fight – CARL SCHLICKER hunger or help children, lives on today as part of Stop & Shop’s legacy
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“What I liked was their (Stop & Shop’s) vision of the expansion of categories with the emphasis on perishables, the quality of perishables, and making the store a compelling place to shop while giving great service. That is what set them apart and made other stores try to emulate.”
“Value is a relative term and it means different things to different people. What we need to answer is how do we deliver value over time. When you think about it, value is the centerpiece of why everyone shops.” – CARL SCHLICKER
of being a good neighbor. Mr. Schlicker was named chief operating officer of Ahold USA in January 2011. He retired from that position in 2013 after leading Ahold USA through organizational changes aimed to simplify processes and reduce bureaucracy while preserving the regional heritage of the divisions and empowering them to respond more directly to customer needs. It also set the stage for continued growth and allowed for a reinvestment back into stores, product offerings and programs to address the changing needs of customers.