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Ukrop''s winning ways: distinctive meat and poultry products, services give larger competitors a run for their money.

Article Excerpt
Let's face it. Any smaller retailer that has been competing for decades against larger competitors such as Kroger and Winn-Dixie has to be darn good at what it does in terms of products and services offered. Such is the case with Richmond, VA-based Ukrop's Super Markets Inc.

In business since 1937, Ukrop's operates only 28 retail food stores throughout central Virginia. Although many of the "big boys" in grocery retailing are open 24/7, Ukrop's stores are open only from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Despite such differences, this retailer more than holds its own in terms of satisfying the meat and poultry needs of its customers. Ukrop's sells approximately 15 million pounds of random-weight fresh-meat products a year, says Alan Warren, director of meat and seafood, and business in his meat and seafood department is doing well.

"We are fortunate that our business is growing at about seven percent annually in meat and seafood," he adds.

"What's the secret behind this growth in the face of such daunting competition?

"We feel strongly that we must separate ourselves from the competition through differentiating our products and services," Warren says. "We carry a larger assortment of [meat and poultry] products than our competitors in most every category. Our best-selling ground beef is our leanest [93-percent lean and most expensive [$3.99 a pound], and our best-selling steak item is beef tenderloin, with ribeyes, strips, and T-bones close behind. Boneless pork sells better than...