Commentary

Commentary From Our President Supermarkets Care Michael D. Sleeper, Chief Executive Officer, Imperial Distributors, Inc. At this time of year many of us reflect on our lives and the many things for which we are grateful. We are also reminded, as we think about our own families and friends, of the many people in our [...]

Commentary From Our President Congratulations to Big Y on its 75th Anniversary Michael D. Sleeper, Chief Executive Officer, Imperial Distributors, Inc. During “The Great Depression”, toothpaste cost 29 cents, aspirin was 49 cents and a light bulb could be purchased for 6 cents.  While retail prices have certainly risen from those early days, in the [...]

Commentary From Our President HBC Pricing Matters in Independent Supermarkets Michael D. Sleeper, Chief Executive Officer, Imperial Distributors, Inc. We all know price matters. A recent Nielsen study reinforced that consumers become increasingly more price sensitive during a recession. The growth in private label is more evidence of this trend. Ironically, private label products are [...]

Commentary From Our President “Innovate or Die” – We choose to Innovate. Innovation is the life-blood of all successful organizations. Bill Gates may have been the first business leader to be quoted as saying “Innovate or Die”, but many have said it since, and we agree. We know we need to innovate to keep pace [...]

Commentary From Our President Non-Food for Thought  Congratulations to Mike Bourgoine, Associated Grocers of New England Mike Bourgoine, President and CEO of Associated Grocers of New England is being inducted this month into The Food Industry Hall of Fame. I want to join others in our industry in congratulating Mike for his many years of [...]

Commentary From Our President Is Wal-Mart Beatable? There’s no question about it! Wal-Mart is a powerhouse, and one of the toughest competitors in retailing today. Not since the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co., a century ago, has one retailer experienced such a rapid growth and dominant market share. Probably no other company has as [...]

Commentary From Our President Thank You! What to do or say when your company is recognized in the trade press? You can say with modesty, we don’t deserve this. Or you can sit back and enjoy the publicity. I would like to take a different path and use this opportunity to say thank you. First [...]

Commentary From Our President Are There Too Many Items in HBC? A recent Wall Street Journal article observed that “an explosion” of specialized pastes and gels to whiten teeth, reduce plaque and fight gingivitis, combined with all the flavors and sizes, turns consumer buying of toothpaste into “sensory overload.” While one might conclude that SKU [...]

Commentary From Our President NGA’s – “Taking Charge of Change” Hits the Mark Michael D. Sleeper, Chief Executive Officer, Imperial Distributors, Inc. Last month, I attended the 2011 National Grocer’s Association (NGA) Annual Convention. NGA focuses on independent supermarkets, family run regional chains and retailer owned wholesalers. With 2,100 attendees and a sold out trade [...]

Commentary From Our President Happy Anniversary, Griffin Report Michael D. Sleeper, Chief Executive Officer, Imperial Distributors, Inc. It was about 45 years ago that I came into our family business.  My, how times have changed!  In Worcester County, the big players then were Wonder Markets, Iandolis and Victory.  Today, those businesses have changed to Price [...]