The Huckleberry’s store within store format at Rosauers Supermarkets has had challenges within their bulk department. Between recovering from COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, finding items to fill their expansive bulk department has been difficult. They are seeing that their customer base has not returned to bulk purchasing in full force as was before the pandemic. Ashley Gorman, Huckleberry’s headquarters buyer made the decision to start reducing footage and expand in areas where they have seen growth.
There are 17 Huckleberry’s, and this project will take place over several months due to scheduling of other projects on the calendar like a new store opening in the fall in Pullman Washington. Currently, five stores have successfully gone through the bulk reduction, from a 24 foot run to 12 feet. Coffee kiosks, tea and spice sets, nut butter grinders and water stations stayed in place. Of these five stores, the additional 12 feet gained has varied in each location – expanded snack sections, creating larger ethnic sets, and creating a more substantial packaged coffee offering. Huckleberry’s continues to review their format and offerings as the industry and consumers demands are constantly evolving.
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