It’s not that long ago that the accepted wisdom was that independent retailers were going to disappear and in its place a local branch of some multiple or other.
Right in the firing line of this inevitable march to a world of multinational chains and brands was the independent local butcher shop. With the major retailers offering butchery counters of their own, how would the independent butcher survive?
External factors and some smart repositioning has changed everything.
The first external factor was the emergence of the discount retail sector. Mainstream supermarkets moved to a predominantly pre-packed fresh meat offer to cut costs… and maybe threw out the baby with the bath-water in the process.
Secondly, the horsemeat scandal has raised big trust issues for consumers with the retail brands. Butchers are the obvious alternative.
In the meantime, butchers have also worked hard to make themselves more relevant to a growing number of consumers.
So, what have butchers done to survive and indeed thrive in this new environment?
They differentiated their offer from the supermarket. The fundamental reason why we as consumers go into the butcher shop is because we believe that…
we cannot get ‘it’ (whatever ‘it’ is…) in the supermarket.
The ‘it’ is:
- Trust
We intuitively trust the person before the corporation. Butchers are highly visible in their business, and many are involved hands-on from the farming right through the butchery process to the final sale. Trust is hard earned and easily damaged. They work very hard to ensure it’s not compromised.
- Choice
Creative use of seasonings and marinades create interest and provide unique and constantly changing products for the idea-hungry consumer, while avoiding the clutter of too much choice. It also informs the butcher of changing consumer preferences when it comes to flavours and ingredients.
- Advice
We all believe that the butcher is an expert in his craft, and their personally delivered advice on how to prepare particular cuts is trusted by the consumer to deliver a tasty meal, and relied on by the butcher to deliver repeat business.
- Service
This is “the meat in the sandwich” of the butcher offer. Personal service, delivered with personality and passion, makes such a big difference to fellow humans!
- Quality
An oft abused claim that struggles for definition, the OED definition is “The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something”. With butchers, quality is about consistently delivering a standard that motivates their customers to become regular repeat customers.
- Value for money
Offering unique choices, multi-buy promotions, and limited time deals at good value for money that keeps the customer interested is a recipe for success. Whereas offering products just on the basis of cheap price raises red flags when it comes to meat quality! BSE and Horsegate were the consequence of cheap prices.
One butcher summed it up perfectly:
“Giving customers reasons to come into my shop, and when they do, then giving them reasons to come back again and again… that’s what it’s all about. I have to give them choices that they don’t get in the supermarket.”
And so it is for all food businesses!
