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Sweetbay Makes Headway

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By MICHAEL SASSO

msasso@tampatrib.com

Published: December 16, 2008

TAMPA - When Kash n' Karry started transforming into Sweetbay Supermarket, it not only developed a fresher, more lively atmosphere, it picked up a high-price image, too.

The Tampa-based grocery chain has been battling that image for more than a year through heavy advertising and in-store promotions. It now thinks it has changed many customers' minds.

In data gleaned from recent customer surveys, Sweetbay has improved its price image among customers by 30 percent, said John Barnette, Sweetbay's director of sales and pricing strategy.

It is pushing its low-price message through its "Sweet Deal, Sweet Sale" promotion.

Sweet Deals are price breaks that last 13 to 17 weeks. Sweet Sales are one-week sales with deeper price breaks, said company spokeswoman Nicole LeBeau.

Sweetbay is owned by a Belgian company, Delhaize Group, which doesn't break out supermarket sales, so it's hard to independently verify Sweetbay's financial performance.

Some things do appear to be going in the company's favor, though.

In an earnings report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in November, Delhaize Group said Sweetbay's average number of customer transactions continued to increase in the third quarter of this year, partly because of improved customer satisfaction and price perception.

Also, Sweetbay picked up a little more of the Bay area's grocery market share recently. Sweetbay is third in the Tampa Bay-area grocery market with 12.7 percent of the market, behind Publix Super Market, which has 38.7 percent, and Wal-Mart Supercenter, which has 20.8 percent.

Sweetbay and Publix were the only two chains to gain market share in the third quarter, with Sweetbay gaining 0.05 percent and Publix gaining 0.4 percent, according to market researcher Nielsen Trade Dimensions.

Reporter Michael Sasso can be reached at (813) 259-7865. Keyword: Holiday Meals, to compare prices from Sweetbay and other supermarkets on popular holiday food items.

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