Just over a year after opening the company’s eighteenth store in Barrington, Cleveland-based Heinen’s Fine Foods just recently broke ground on store number nineteen in Glenview, their second in Illinois. The new store is on target to open as early as spring of 2014.
We recently visited with company co-president Tom Heinen in Barrington who says their recipe for growth includes offering customers all of the grocery staples they need plus Heinen’s high quality meats and produce for a one stop shopping experience that’s quick, convenient and close to home.
And they’ve made a believer out of shoppers like Jen Vakharia in Barrington who says Heinen’s has become her go-to source for the best meats and produce plus the products she needs to keep her family’s fridge, pantry and paper supply fully stocked. “I come to Heinen’s once a week. It’s the only physical grocery store I go to and I’m able to get 95% of my shopping done here. The rest I buy online.”
Tom Heinen says they realize that their customers have come to expect superior quality meat, seafood and produce but also need to fill their carts with all of the national and local brand grocery items they need to keep their households running.
“This is a fully stocked supermarket. We don’t carry really low quality, low priced food. That’s not who we are. But we spend a tremendous amount of time price checking our competition. We work very hard at being competitive and clearly our promotions are as good or better than you’ll find anywhere else.”
Serving those pantry staple needs at more affordable prices is also why Tom says Heinen’s introduced the store’s private label products about five years ago. Today, they offer 650 private label items on their shelves including dried pastas, sauces, soups, cookies, seasoning and cereal. Tom says these Heinen’s label products account for about 17% of their corporate sales.
90% of Heinen’s private label products are either all-natural (with red labeling) or organic (with green labeling). They put their “Two Brothers” label on items that are particularly unique, exclusive or made by an artisan producer. You can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner on Heinen’s private label products alone.
And Tom says Heinen’s is as selective in choosing their private label producers as they’ve been with choosing the sources for their meats, produce and beyond. “What we believe makes Heinen’s unique and different is that we go to great pains and strains to source the very best product which means the highest quality at the best price. And we think we work harder at that than anybody else.”
If you’d like to learn more about some of Heinen’s best selling private label products, Grocery Manager Adam Ripley is your man. He’s in charge of keeping shelves stocked in both the grocery and frozen aisles at Heinen’s Barrington.
Adam says the products’ popularity often changes with the seasons. “Right now with the fall we’re really selling our organic maple syrup, the gingersnaps are in high demand this year and our all-natural maple leaf creme cookies are phenomenal.”
Adam says his main goal is to help shoppers get acquainted with the range of items available at Heinen’s so they can discover new favorites. Shopper Bill Baughman says he’s now a regular. “I come for my supplies for the week; my dinner and my breakfast and the extras like cereal, Tide and toilet paper. They have all the basics but I get dinner quite often here, too. They have the quality, selection and everything that I need.”
And, with five children, shopper Lin O’Toole says she has a range of tastes to please and often leaves Heinen’s with an overflowing grocery cart.
Lin says, when it comes to shopping for her family, it’s all about keeping it easy. “I can shop Heinen’s quickly. Instead of going to a larger store where it’ll take me an hour-and-a-half I can come to here and find everything because it’s just an all purpose store. From Heinen’s deli to their grab-and-go to their produce and paper goods, it’s a one stop shop.”
Heinen’s grocery store is located at, 500 N. Hough Street, between E. Main Street and Route 14 (next to Meatheads) in Barrington, Illinois. They’re open 7 days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit Heinens.com.
