Publix Super Markets Inc. is attracting shoppers to its meat and deli departments by emphasizing premium products and freshness.
Where’s the beef?
The meat departments in Publix locations, meanwhile, were almost as limited in their range of branded products and merchandising materials.
Most of the proteins in the refrigerated fresh meat case in the Orlando store, for instance, display private-label monikers, including Publix, Publix All Natural, Publix Premium and Advantage (which typically are large-sized packages that sell for less).
Also available is GreenWise, a category of products that are produced without any artificial ingredients, colors, flavorings, additives, pesticides, growth hormones or antibiotics. Publix offers 14 varieties of GreenWise-branded chicken.
Other brands in the refrigerated case include Murray’s, Maverick Ranch, Cumberland Gap and Smithfield. Unlike many supermarket outlets, Publix’s Orlando and Kissimmee stores do not have stickers affixed to store-branded meat offering cooking information or recipes.
Publix ground beef packages, however, sport safety stickers noting that the items always should be cooked at 160 degrees Fahrenheit and that users should be sure to place cooked meat on a clean plate.
Among the few merchandising signs in the Orlando meat department is a placard that notes, “Our meat and seafood looks fresh because it is. Other stores may carry meat processed with carbon monoxide to make it seem fresh even if it isn’t. Publix never does.
Another sign states, “Want more or less? We gladly break packages. Just ask.”
A large arrow, meanwhile, dangles from the ceiling and points at a section of products in the meat case. It contains the message, “Home Meal Replacement. Delicious Entrees Made Quick and Easy.”
The items, which are priced by the pound, include Stuffed Flank Steak, containing provolone or mozzarella cheese and spinach for $6.99; Mojo Seasoned Fresh Picnic Pork for $1.99; Pork Loin Florentine for $5.49; Stuffed Green Peppers for $3.39; Seasoned Meatballs consisting of ground chuck for $3.39; Stuffed Cornish Hens for $2.89; Stuffed Roasting Chicken for $1.99; Chicken Cordon Bleu for $4.98; Marinated Steak for $7.99; Chimichurri Seasoned Beef Skirt Steak for $6.99; Stuffed Italian-Style Boneless Chicken Fillets for $4.99; and Seasoned Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast for $4.99.
A Publix assistant meat director says the vast majority of the meat and poultry selections are identical at each Publix store, and all proteins, except for chicken, are cut in-store.
Indeed, using butchers to cut meat and interact with shoppers enables Publix to differentiate its meat department from outlets that primarily sell case-ready proteins, such as Wal-Mart Superstores.
Publix does not have a formal training program for butchers; cutting techniques typically are taught to novice butchers by experienced workers, the assistant director says.
The staffer says apprentice cutters can be trained in two months, adding that while Publix does not have difficulty in finding butcher candidates, it is a job that many persons avoid.
“Being a cutter is hard work because butchers have to operate in the cold and keep up with the pace of slicing meat,” the assistant director notes. “But it is easier to cut meat today than in the old days. We receive manageable-size items rather than big carcasses.”
The butchers, in response to the greater market demand for premium and convenience, also prepare a range of value-added items.
Selections—which are priced by the pound—include Beef Loin Top Sirloin Kabobs with green peppers, onions and tomatoes for $7.99; Salisbury Steak with seasoned ground chuck for $3.49; Seasoned Beef Ribeye Steaks for $5.49; Seasoned Beef Cube Steak for $4.79; and Oven-Ready Meat Loaf with seasoned ground chuck for $3.39.
Stores, meanwhile, also carry a host of frozen meat and poultry. Among the brands are Bubba Burger, Jennie-O Turkey Store, Louis Rich, Pilgrim’s Pride, Butterball, Perdue and Tyson.
Publix caters to Florida’s large Hispanic population by identifying meat and poultry in both English and Spanish on all weight and price labels.
Indeed, the retailer in 2005 undertook a major initiative to address the Hispanic market by opening its first two Publix Sabor locations in Kissimmee and the Miami suburb of Hialeah. The outlets offer a variety of Hispanic and Caribbean items (see story)
Publix Sabor: Keeping up with the consumer
Publix Super Markets Inc.’s opening in 2005 of two Hispanic-oriented stores in Florida illustrates the growing emphasis by retailers on tailoring their meat and deli offerings to the demographics of the local markets.
While the vast majority of products in the two Publix Sabor outlets in Hialeah and Kissimmee are intended appeal to persons from all customer segments, many of the proteins are oriented toward Hispanics. More than 90 percent of Hialeah’s residents and 40 percent of Kissimmee’s population are of Hispanic or Latino origin, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.
A hot foods station in the deli at the Kissimmee location includes such dishes—which are priced by the pound—as Fried Pork Rinds for $6.99; Stewed Chicken for $5.99; Red Beans with Pigs Feet for $6.19; and Mojo Yuca for $2.19. Also offered is Green Banana Croquette for $1.50 each.
The full-service deli features 52 varieties of meats, most of which are also sold in conventional Publix stores. But included and priced by the pound is Quijote Chorizo for $9.99; La Primera Sausage for $6.69; El Toro Ham for $4.89; and Campofrio Ham for $17.29.
Among the 23 varieties of Boar’s Head-branded cheese are Queso Para Freir, a semi-soft frying cheese, and Queso Blanco, a semi-soft white cheese.
The Kissimmee Publix Sabor also has 35 selections at the full-service meat counter that are priced by the pound, including Spanish-Style Boneless Chicken Breast, a breaded entree prepared with eggs and milk, for $4.99; Beef Knuckles for $2.49; Morcilla for $3.19; Frozen Goat for $3.49; and Chicken Feet for $1.99.
Included in the 40 varieties of fresh seafood are Frogs Legs for $6.99; Squid Tubes for $6.39; and Salmon Pinwheels with Crabmeat Stuffing for $6.99.
An associate says the store also merchandises bags of frozen seafood that are not sold at other Publix outlets, including King Fish and Tilapia.
Marcia Mogelonsky, senior research analyst at Mintel International, a Chicago-based market research firm, says outlets like Publix Sabor are ideal for such heavily ethnic markets as Florida.
“There is a huge range of Hispanic shoppers from different cultures and it is important to cater to their ethnic or national backgrounds,” she says. “But the consumers come from different cultures, so the foods must match their individual customs and tastes.”
Such activities are in line with the formula espoused by many analysts for retail success: determine the demographics of shoppers in each market, and then respond to their unique product and service needs.
“Publix does not skimp with its offerings,” Schurer says. “Its market area has a range of populations and they find out what their customers want and then deliver.”
