When Lloyd Glassey was asked to open and manage an independent supermarket in a small country town which already had two Woolworths, a Coles and an Aldi, he knew there was only one way to succeed … to think and act like a Convenience store.
Two years on, Ritchies SUPA IGA Ballina has forged a powerful reputation based on friendliness and community involvement; earned itself a loyal customer base; and has just beaten 5,000 stores from 44 countries to be named IGA International Retailer of the Year. That award was based on a wide range of factors including store presentation, quality of fresh produce, store ambience, customer service and sales figures.
In other words, Lloyd's plan has been a resounding success.
"Ballina has a population of just 18,000 and three other supermarkets so you can definitely say it is competitive here," he says. "But I think the friendly atmosphere we have created helps to make us different. I hope that, as soon as people walk into the store, they can feel something special about it … its freshness, its cleanliness, the attitude of the staff."
He says a friendly and happy staff is absolutely essential.
"My policy is if you haven't got a happy disposition, we don't want you to work here," he says. "Let's face it, a lot of people shopping don't want to be shopping so you may as well make it as pleasant as possible."
Certainly, after 30 years in the industry, 52-year-old Lloyd is well placed to judge what does and doesn't work in the competitive grocery environment.
"I suppose we are able to have fun in a way that some of our rivals probably wouldn't dare to," Lloyd says. "We give out silly information over the PA system, or ask customers to help us locate a missing member of staff … we just have a bit of a laugh and customers respond to that."
Lloyd says that successful convenience stores are founded on the fundamentals of friendly, community-based service and that is something he has tried to emulate on a larger scale.
"I think in many ways we are just one great big convenience store," he laughs. "I spend most of my time down on the floor so I know my customers, I talk to my customers and my staff do too … it makes a difference."
But there has to be more to running such an impressive operation than just keeping a smile on everyone's faces.
In Lloyd's opinion, retail success is based on a combination of position, pricing and personality, and when all three come together, like they have in the Ballina store, you are on your way.
With a 4200 square metre floor space Ballina SUPA IGA, which is open every day from 7am-10pm, is the largest independent supermarket on the eastern seaboard. It has a staff of around 130, boasts a range of 50,000 products through all departments, and has donated some $350,000 back to customer-nominated consumer causes through its Community Benefit Card Scheme.
Ballina is also a pioneer of the Ritchies Buy Local campaign that focuses on stocking produce and goods from the immediate catchment. It stocks more than 100 local producers of products like coffee, muesli, yoghurt, honey, biscuits and condiments. There are more than 2,000 local products on the shelves and, Lloyd says, the big supermarkets simply aren't able to match that.
Nevertheless, the Ballina store is a fairly sizable operation in its own right and has Bakery, Meat, Liquor, Seafood and Deli departments.
So how does Lloyd retain a convenience store type feeling in such a large – by convenience standards – store?
"I am lucky in that I have some excellent department managers and they make everything manageable," he says. "I reckon that you don't get bad staff - you only get bad management, and whereas some people like to drive their staff, I like to lead."
Lloyd says customers are certainly putting an increased emphasis on fresh food and healthy food in general at the moment. He believes this is something retailers need to respond to, and he has made fresh food part of the personality of his store.
"It gives people another reason to come in to shop with us," he says.
Lloyd keeps his ear to the ground in terms of what shoppers want by working across the store and, as well as liaising with his various department managers, he will also work on the floor, on stock or on the till on occasion. He also has friends or acquaintances come into the store as 'mystery shoppers' and then prepare a report on their shopping experience.
"They can be quite savage," laughs Lloyd. "But it helps to keep us on our toes and it helps us to keep providing the best possible service to our customers."
It is obvious that Lloyd, who is married with two daughters and now a baby granddaughter, is passionate about his profession.
"I love coming to work in the morning even when I'm sometimes feeling a bit tired," he enthuses. "If I didn't love it I shouldn't be coming in … it's exciting, you never stand still, and that's why every day I am thinking about what I can achieve that day.
And a final word on the secret of running a successful store.
"Somebody once told me that he wasn't able to reveal the secret of success but he could reveal the secret of failure," Lloyd smiles. "Try to please everybody all of the time."