Joe Lee knew he could grow Red Lobster into a retail food success story.
However what an outstanding job he did creating a culture of evolution focused
on daily quality execution. All the
while building a overarching strategy of moving the business forward with the
consumer. If success leaves clues over
the course of the past year Darden’s growth pattern has been established.
With a new global vision well in hand Darden is positioning to remain an
industry leader not only within the United Sates but around the world. Equipped
with a plethora of viable concepts under its umbrella Darden began growing via
area development agreements. With new
agreements in place and new operating partners opening or running restaurants
in Dubai, Mexico, Puerto Rico. Can Asia,
Europe and the rest of the Middle East is far behind?
Understanding you can’t continue to open restaurants without high quality
sustainable food. Darden is constructing
the world’s first Lobster Farm in Malaysia providing products for its mainstay
brand Red Lobster while empowering continued global growth. Combine that with new opportunities with
companies the ilk of Blue Ocean and Darden’s supply chain is fast becoming
sustainable. Retail food operators are
adopting this new farm to fork supply chain positioning around the globe,
evolving once more.
Most important to my clients and for regular readers of this blog is Darden’s growing
understanding of the ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat food marketplace. Many of Darden’s concepts provide Take-Out
placing the chain in the middle of the growing grocerant niche. When they announced last week that Sam’s Club
would be the exclusive seller of Darden’s new ready-2-eat retail salad
dressing, mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, it was clear the $300
million invested in sustainable crustacean farming would also provide a competitive
advantage within the seafood heat-N-eat retail marketplace.
Darden’s strategy is evolving with the retail marketplace, domestic
foundational ownership, global franchising and retail dominance. Success does leave clues Darden has pick up
many and is positioning for many more years of success. Darden understands the consumer is dynamic
not static and is moving in step with the global consumer of today and
tomorrow. Darden’s umbrella of success is bright. Is yours?
Outside eyes can
deliver top line sales and bottom line profits.
Invite Foodservice Solutions® to provide brand and
product positioning assistance or a grocerant program assessment. Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has
been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven A. Johnson and
Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant
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