Central Market: The Happy Habit
By George Anderson
“Most people view grocery shopping as a weekly chore,” says Stephen Butt, senior vice president, H.E. Butt Grocery Co. “We’re trying to replace that mundane habit with a habit
of choice.”
Based on a Dallas Morning News report, Mr. Butt and his company are finding success doing just that in this corner of Texas with Central Market stores in Dallas, Ft. Worth
and Plano.
To say these North Texas Central Market stores have been successful is to engage in a level of understatement rarely heard in this state. According to Mr. Butt, all three units
sold more groceries than any other food store in their markets over the past year.
Moderator’s Comment: What do you think is the most outstanding aspect of the Central Market operations?
Central Markets are known for their amazing selection of fresh and prepared foods. The aspect of the business we find most impressive, however, is the incredible
amount of flexibility each store has to meet the needs of local consumers. The Dallas Morning News piece indirectly alluded to this with a brief description of how sales
vary from one store to the next based on the makeup of the local consumer market. [George
Anderson – Moderator]