instore - October 2016 - 29

SUCCESS STORY:

Rouses Markets
A little known fact about Louisiana, where Rouses Markets is the dominant hometown grocer, is
that Ponchatoula strawberries are regarded by locals as the most flavorful berries you'll ever taste.
Each year in this southeastern Louisiana town, the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival celebrates their
heritage as the self-proclaimed "strawberry capital of the world," dating back to the 1930s when local
strawberries were a major cash crop. Earlier this year, when Rouses opened its newly remodeled
supermarket at the Berryland Shopping Center in Ponchatoula, the innovative grocer served as the
festival's title sponsor and treated guests to bakery sweets like Gentilly white almond cake made with
strawberries, buttercream, cream cheese and mascarpone. It's this level of local connection that
makes Rouses such a hometown hit.
Rouses' bakery plays to the indulgent side of life, featuring other local favorites like New Orleans-style
Doberge cakes with six layers of butter cake filled with chocolate or lemon pudding. Doberge cakes
are then covered in rich chocolate. Especially popular in today's single-serve society are Rouses'
new 5-inch specialty cakes that come in five flavors (piña colada, crème brulee, éclair, champagne
blush and bananas foster) and sell for $6.99 apiece. Rouses knows that when you put the spotlight
on indulgence and nostalgic desserts that resonate with local customers, price becomes less of an
issue. It's no wonder Rouses continues to grow. Founded in 1960, the family-owned chain doubled in
size and became the largest Louisiana-owned grocer when it acquired 19 stores in 2007. Today, the
48-store company, which generates $700 million in annual sales, opened three Louisiana stores this
year in Kenner, Ponchatoula and Baton Rouge. Donny Rouse Jr., managing partner, says the Baton
Rouge store features a modern interior with open departments designed for transparency. "We're all
about sharing what we do and what we make with our customers," he says.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of instore - October 2016