Ukrop's Ivy Market (Richmond, Roanoke, Lynchburg: sales, coupons, how much)

[Teebyrd86]

Hi friends, As some of you know I moved here with the company I have worked for, for several years. I love living in the Valley and I am pleading for your help! I dont know how much good this posting will do.. but I thought I'd give it a try. Our sales have not been very good, which is to be excpected when comming into a new market. But with the lack of development in our center; "Ivy Market".. It looks like it will take a lot longer than the company anticipated for the kind of business excpected. I am truely unsure of the future of Ukrop's in Roanoke. Below is a letter sent to 8,000 Roanokers. If you werent one of the ones who got it please read!!

Dear Valued Customer,

When we opened the doors of the first Ukrop's store in the Roanoke Valley, we were truely amazed and humbled by the terrific reception that greeted us. Since that moment, our team of associates have been working hard, striving to create world-class shoping experiences for our customers by sharing our passion for food in a fun and dynamic atmosphere. We feel that the shopping experience at Ukrop's is a nice alternative to other traditional grocers and mass merchants.

Part of our decision to enter the Roanoke market was the help be a catalyst for an even more diverse base of retailers. Some welknown retailers have been watching the progress of our center's development and evaluating if Roanoke could support their businesses. It is disappointing that the Ivy Market Center has not been fully developed. We believe in the viability of this area, but without strong retail co-tenants to draw more traffic to the center, it is difficult to build business as a stand-alone operator.

We need your help! If you were among those thousands of folks who welcomed us with open arms at our grand opening, we are asking you to give us another look. Perhaps your will have to drive a little further to do so, but we know that you wont be dissapointed. We offer differentiated products like White house rolls, our famous chicken salad, chocolate fudge pie, lots of local produce, freshly prepared chilled foods, not to mention the more than 30,000 other items in our store at competitive prices. If you are entertaining of looking for great fresh food , we think we have the best holiday meals and catering offerings in town. Keep in mind, if you cant find an item, someone will gladly take you to it; if it is raining, snowing, or just plain cold, we have underground parking; and remember, we carry your groceries to your car.

As a small family owned local grocery chain, we can't affod to spend millions on advertising as other retailers do; rather, we invest our resources in areas that we hope improve your shopping experiences and also keep our prices down. Why not check out the front page of our weekly cicluar and discover for yourself what other s have learned from our pricing challenge Program- that is seven out of ten times a basket of goods cost less at Ukrop's when compared to other traditional grocery retailers.

Come see for yourself- shop every week at Ukrop's for all of your grocery and household needs and enjoy the coupons at the bottom of this letter from now until the new year. We are confident you will find that Ukrop's has greate deals our associates will bring a smile to your face while you shop, and you will leave our store with some fresh and delicious food for your table. All of us at Ukrop's look forward to serving you soon.

May you and your family enjoy a wonderful holiday season!

Sincerely,

Bobby Ukrop
President and CEO

Jason Woodcock
Ivy Market General Manager

[headnsouth]

You're aware there's a recession on? Retailers are closing stores, not opening them, and shoppers are trying to save money. Ukrop's is a beautiful store, but pretty pricey.

Also there are several errors & misspellings in that letter --- did it go out like that?

[Teebyrd86]

Your correct. It has a lot to do with the builder and broken promises. I type the letter from the actual letter and I am not the best at typeing. No the letter went out very professionally and it looked very nice. I am not the one who wrote the letter just typeing it so you all can see it too. Ukrop's is not as pricey as you think. If fact many of their items are cheaper than kroger, or walmart. I am concerned that is why I posted this thread. Please dont criticize me for that.

Originally Posted by headnsouth

You're aware there's a recession on? Retailers are closing stores, not opening them, and shoppers are trying to save money. Ukrop's is a beautiful store, but pretty pricey.

Also there are several errors & misspellings in that letter --- did it go out like that?

[coolasamoose]

This is an absolutely unfortunate situation for Ukrops and the city of Roanoke. Ukrops is a reputable food chain that arrived with a lot of fanfare. The store was constructed beautifully, makes an effort to sell local produce, and employs some of the friendliest people I've ever met among other things. I don't find Ukrops to be pricier than Kroger although I've heard this said by others. Kroger's ability to overprice half the store and then put the other half "on sale" is mind boggling. Ukrops also provides a little competition to a part of Roanoke virtually monopolized by Kroger and that's good for everyone. The failure of Ukrops would also be very detrimental to the city who continues to have trouble drawing businesses. If Ukrops closes, I can't imagine how long it will take to try to replace them.

The letter is simply asking people to come shop at Ukrops and give it a chance. I really believe Ukrops is a positive for our city and worth trying to save.

[richmondpics]

Ukrop's has considerably higher overhead costs compared to its competitors. I'm guessing the Roanoke store receives daily shipments of fresh bakery and prepared foods just like the Richmond area stores... only the trip to Roanoke from the central kitchen and bakery is substantially longer and one truck can't hit multiple stores along the way. When diesel prices were almost double what they are now, I'm sure they were taking a huge hit on that. They also have considerably higher costs due to the number of employees working in the store at any given time.

A crappy economy won't make it any easier for them, particularly when its a small privately owned family company competing with behemoths like Kroger and Wal-Mart outside of the core market (Richmond).

[Teebyrd86]

What your saying is correct. We recieve 3 trucks a day from Richmond! Also the associates Ukrop's employs make considerably more than most grocers pay. I hope that Roanokers unite and save us. I am so worried I will have to relocate back to Richmond.

Originally Posted by richmondpics

Ukrop's has considerably higher overhead costs compared to its competitors. I'm guessing the Roanoke store receives daily shipments of fresh bakery and prepared foods just like the Richmond area stores... only the trip to Roanoke from the central kitchen and bakery is substantially longer and one truck can't hit multiple stores along the way. When diesel prices were almost double what they are now, I'm sure they were taking a huge hit on that. They also have considerably higher costs due to the number of employees working in the store at any given time.

A crappy economy won't make it any easier for them, particularly when its a small privately owned family company competing with behemoths like Kroger and Wal-Mart outside of the core market (Richmond).

[oleo]

Ukrops for the win!

[matthews1965]

Hi there - and big kudos to you for posting this in an effort to think outside the box for your employer. Hope they know your level of dedication. I am hearing about Kroger being the Walmart of grocery stores every day on CNBC. We shop there due to the prices and the gas card. We love Ukrops but save it for special purchases. The first time I visited one of your stores in Richmond my friends there cautioned that, though a marvelous shopping experience it was more $$ than Kroger by far. This is the general consensus from everyone I know. As it stands now your store "appears" to be a "specialty" destination as opposed to once or twice weekly shopping. I am not aware of items that cost less at Ukrops - can you expand on that? And I agree that the lack of other stores that would draw a shopper hurts too. Just because you are such a loyal employee I will make a concerted effort to visit more often!I just talked to my husband and we are going there for our weekly shopping this week and see what the comparison is.

[Diamond Dave]

Why did Ukrops leapfrog all the way to Roanoke? Why not put stores in Lynchburg and Charlottesville, and then add Roanoke? That would help with logistical issues.

When the Walgreen's is finished it should help your business.

How is Fresh Market doing? They're expensive as hell and don't make any pretense otherwise.

[sregorat3]

Originally Posted by Diamond Dave

Why did Ukrops leapfrog all the way to Roanoke? Why not put stores in Lynchburg and Charlottesville, and then add Roanoke? That would help with logistical issues.

When the Walgreen's is finished it should help your business.

How is Fresh Market doing? They're expensive as hell and don't make any pretense otherwise.

I've wondered the same. Not only is it 50% further, but Roanoke is very well served by Kroger. The Lynchburg stores are probably the smallest Krogers in the state and Food Lion is the only other alternative. I doubt that there is a real difference in the level of sophistication per shopper between the two cities.