Lowes Foods, based in Winston-Salem, N.C., is testing a value-grocery concept called Just$ave. Described as "Lowes Foods' frugal cousin," the concept features a "Dollar Spot" aisle, a wall of values, and bins of savings with a tagline, "Helping You $ave Moolah." But convenience, fresh, buying local and community are also being emphasized.
A focus on speed of checkout and having its customer service center centrally located between registers plays to the convenience aspect. Just$ave also features a number of "Blue Ribbon items," described as the best of the best in each department, including fried chicken, sweet tea, apple pie, pound cake and fresh ground sausage designed to help customers save time in the kitchen. Says adverting copy of Just$ave's website, "You know how you feel when you see a blue ribbon at the local fair? You know that the blue ribbon product was the best tasting, mouth-watering, most delicious item of its kind and you wish you had the recipe to try it at home!"
Many products available in the store are also being sourced locally, allowing a lower cost of distribution and fresher products. Besides private labels such as Lowes Foods, Better Valu, and Top Care, Just$ave will also carry Lowes Foods' Pilot Mountain Pride locally grown produce.
The company will continue to play an active role in the community and focus on programs that help feed the hungry and educate local youth.
"Just$ave will provide [consumers] with a sense of being part of a community and our family," Lowes' spokesperson Beth Talley said in a written statement provided to theproducenews.com. "Our store appeals to budget-conscious people who believe in hometown goodness and traditional cooking. We are a destination for meat and deliver sensible ways for hard-working folks to provide quality product for their families at prices that are so good it's not worth the trip to go anywhere else."
No future stores are yet planned. Lowes Foods operates more than 100 stores throughout North and South Carolina.