Automatic_Merchandiser_October-November_2020 - 20

MICRO MARKET TRENDS

Fresh Restart
Micro market reopening sets stage
for reimagined opportunities
By Emily Jed, Contributing Editor

W

hile 2020 started off strong
for micro markets, the
COVID-19 pandemic has
disrupted the entire industry,
resulting in reduced revenue for
many operators amid a struggling
economy. With businesses in various stages of reopening across the
country, employers are balancing
staggered scheduling, work-fromhome requests and enhanced safety
protocols in the workplace.
We asked industry leaders and
members of the Automatic Merchandiser Editorial Advisory Board to
weigh in on the biggest trends they've
seen emerging in micro markets from
this challenging time, giving operators
the edge for a year of rebuilding and
success in 2021.

1.

FLEXIBILITY IS THE MOTHER
OF INVENTION

A resounding theme among the new
challenges that COVID-19 presents
as workplaces reopen is increased
demand for flexible food and beverage solutions. The modular design
of micro markets answers the call by
allowing locations to start small and
incrementally add fixtures and coolers as more employees return, and
suppliers have added new tools and
technologies to custom-tailor solutions to every need.
"As route-based businesses, operators have warehouses full of products, trucks and people who can do

20

whatever locations need to devise the
most convenient and safe solutions,"
emphasized Joe Hessling, founder and
CEO of Troy, Mich.-based 365 Retail
Markets. "We see now, especially, that
every location has a different need
as they strive to safely bring their
employees back. We have food, beverage and service. The question is, how
do they want us to deliver it?"
365 Retail Markets' pandemicinspired solutions include installing several smaller micro markets
throughout a facility in place of a
single larger one to facilitate social
distancing; replacing micro markets
with its locked, payment-activated
PicoCoolers; and providing touchless
product selection and payment solutions at all points of sale.
"It is all about social distancing
and we are seeing our operators look
for ways to avoid people queuing up
to pay for their items, whether that
be through revamped market layouts,
floor decals for distancing reminders,
or additional kiosks for check-out,"
said John Reilly, president of Renton,
Wash.-based Avanti Markets. "These
options are all about providing the
needed food service without added
stress or concerns for employers or
market hosts."
Kurk Johnson, vice president
of sales for River Falls, Wis.-based
Three Square Market (32M) said the
quarantine shutdown prompted 32M's
lightning-speed development and

Automatic Merchandiser * October/November 2020

"

We see now, especially,
that every location has
a different need as they
strive to safely bring their
employees back. We
have food, beverage and
service. The question is,
how do they want us to
deliver it?"
Joe Hessling, founder and CEO,
365 Retail Markets
Automatic_Merchandiser_October-November_2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automatic_Merchandiser_October-November_2020
