Cub Foods is a household name in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, but its history has not prevented shoppers from seeking cheaper grocery alternatives at SuperTarget and Walmart Supercenters. That is the situation that Keith Wyche found himself walking into as he took over as president of Cub Foods back in January.
Mr. Wyche, who had no grocery industry experience before joining Cub, has authored a book entitled, Good is Not Enough. With the competition his chain is facing, that may be one title he'd like to edit (joking, of course).
Being a relative novice in grocery is not an impediment to success, according to Mr. Wyche. He told the Star Tribune, "I came in with a complete consumer focus," and relied on the "hundreds of years of grocery experience" on his management team.
One of the primary goals for Cub under Mr. Wyche has been to differentiate itself from the competition. For him, that means emphasizing greater product selection and superior choices in produce and fresh meat. The chain is also looking to add more liquor stores to its locations.
The chain also reduced prices on 8,000 items across the store earlier this year. "It reinforced the Cub message of great value that maybe had been lost," Mr. Wyche told the Star Tribune.
Discussion Questions: What are the primary challenges faced by Cub Foods and what are the answers to overcome those? Is Keith Wyche's lack of grocery experience coming to Cub Foods a positive or a negative in trying to create a point of difference for the chain?