Article by: Mohamed Ayaj Shaikh
In this fast routine life, buying essentials in the short peak hours is at times a bit too difficult for many persons. This created a window of opportunity to solve and create some relief. For the ease of shopping under one roof an esteemed business named ‘SOG’ came into existence. This is the All-In-One Minimart situated at Calivigny and Grand Mal, St. George’s.
Here’s A Bit On Why It Was Started…
The excellent product range with an uncompromised quality, made them step on in this field.
They concept is to be deeply focused on providing competitive prices. There is also the move to add maximum advantages to the customer via cutting edge inventory management systems, while forging strategic partnerships with Grenada’s local suppliers. This is what Otis Gay who grew up within the general area worked to do as business person to introduce services to the Grand Mal community. This also rippled to the Fontenoy, Molinere, Mt. Morits, Happy Hill and surrounding neighbourhood.
A true growth to the initial start…
Today SOG Foods is more than a bustling supermarket, as it has pushed the envelope to be the cultural hub. It is here that quite a few tourists step into the local lifestyle and Grenadian vibrancy. There is also a major highlight of our true spices of which the country is known, and that enhace the cuisine. Not only limited to the Grenadian fruits and vegetables but there is also available ingredients from the wider Caribbean.
Therefore both locals and international patrons are treated well, and this may even include the local rum and seafood.
A main branch of SOG was started in 2017 and another branch was started in 2022.
Grab A Look At Our Key Features
1 – One of our most important aspects to start, is to continuously looking for ways to boost revenue and cut costs so it can maximize profitability.
2 – Setting clear goals and tracking key performance indicators are essential for improving overall performance in a measurable way.
3 – Investing in continuous training programs to enhance our staff skill-set and improve customer services. This also includes the cross-training of our employees to handle multiple roles, increasing operational flexibility.
4 – Providing a quick and convenient checkout experience to reduce wait time and improving customer satisfaction.
5 – Well-maintained and accessible parking for our customers. Additionally clear signage for safety, to reduce any potential challenges.
6 – Regularly reviewing and adjusting our pricing to stay competitive. Exciting offers with competitive pricing on popular items for customer attractions and excitement. The customer benefits…
7 – Adapting innovative shopping habits, thereby expanding our private label brand offerings. The aim here is to appeal to consumers in offering lower price points.
Sharing Our Hurdles With Our Customer
We also share our challenges with our customers and clients and work to keep them abreast with developments, as we all know that this builds further trust, in our relationship.
There are quite a few times due to a low demand forecast accuracy, that trading partners may increase inventory levels. This acts to address unpredictable demands, as there is no guarantee on what the future can bring. This at times results in an increase in supply chain costs. This is why we act as part of our community to make our stakeholders aware, of developments.
As well all know of the fickle nature of global trade, and ongoing tensions this also impacts us. There is the possibility of a high supply variability that is also a consequence of unstable process cycle times. This is then compensated through time, inventory and capacity buffers. As such for our customer – we make more capital investments, so that we can bring the best to the table.
Thirdly, there are many times a limited visibility of the supply chain due to disconnected systems. Limited collaboration among trading partners, and reduced information sharing. This limited visibility is particularly true for the management of promotional events. This at times impacts our delivery to customer and business partners.
Another hurdle which is impacts at times is the limited consumer data, as a country. Replenishment is typically based on estimation centre levels. This then means that it is not really driven by true consumer demand data info. Opportunities to change from a “Make to Stock” to “Make to Order” environment are not realized yet.
One key thing which we do is to try to protect our customers and clients a much as possible with the available resources.
Here’s What We Do…
At SOG Foods – Grenada, we regularly collect and analyze our customers’ feedback. This may be through our different social media platforms and promotions, and this is done in order to improve services and product offerings.
Our team keep top-of-mind that , “Understanding our target demographics, and local competitions is crucial for sustainable success”… This is all part of ensuring our sustainability to our customer. This information and feedback is then worked into some of our progressive factors to boom progress.
Initially with this feedback it started with limited brands and products with limited stock, as time passed the product range gradually increased. Additionally, SOG Foods introduced Self-care products, Health and Hygiene products, beauty products, frozen items, dairy items and added bakery products. We are sure that our customers can look forward to the best in these product lines and brands.
This is also part of the journery where SOG Foods have moved from one to two check-out stations, and now up to four check out counters with an increase in supportive staff as well. This trajectory worked towards an impressive progress path which then led to a grand opening of another fully loaded branch at a different location, and within a densely populated area. This is to meet the needs of our customer.
Author bio: Mohamed Ayaj Shaikh – residing at Woodlands, St. George’s, Grenada (West Indies). An experienced Content Writer & Proof reader with 5 years of experience. I really love my work, and that passion is reflected in the quality of my work. A highly skilled developer with great writing skills, Microsoft Office and deep knowledge of the English language.
More Stories
Giftland Mall, Is Where We’re Going
IGA Giving Real Value
Datar Traders Innovate In Grenada