What is this trend in building green? As I begin to hear more and more reports of sustainable construction projects, from just about anybody involved, I find myself scouring the web for anything to do with LEED Certification, Green Building Design, and Sustainable Construction. Read the rest of this entry »
The revolution in small-format stores that we’ve been hearing about so much seems to have officially become an established trend with small format food retailing happening all around the world. It’s not like small stores haven’t always existed, there have always been small food stores throughout the world but what seems different in today’s market is the scale in which various retailers are developing the stores, the number of stores they are building, and the fact that those retailers getting into the small format food retailing business are among the largest chains in the world.Major small-format retail players include: Tesco with their Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, Aldi, Save-A-Lot, and specialty grocer Trader Joe’s. Safeway’s The Market and Wal-Mart with its new Marketside format are the latest to jump into the fray. Other retailers with a stake in the small store format game include Giant Eagle, Whole
Foods, Ukrop’s, Hy-Vee, Lidl, Sobeys, A&P, Netto’s and Fresh Market.What is driving this move to small store formats?
Some wonder why this trend didn’t happen sooner, given the numerous reasons why small makes sense. But as we see it, here are the top 5 reasons why small formats are making a BIG impact:
1.) Quicker, easier shopping experiences
2.) Low break-even points
3.) More frequent trips to the grocery store for fresh foods
4.) Political difficulty securing sites for large formats/ Lack of large site availability in urban areas
5.) A desire for less fuel per consumer trip due to high gas prices
Perhaps the biggest catalyst driving this trend is competition. There are thousands of thriving small-format multi-store and single-store independents operating in communities around the world. Now larger retailers are experiencing success with small store formats too. Look for this trend to continue.
We at McCue have done several activities to as we say “greenify” things around our corporate headquarters in Salem, MA. We’ve made changes to the everyday little things that can make a difference and we’ve made larger, more operational changes that we hope make a big difference, not only for the environment but also for the bottom line of our business. Read the rest of this entry »
NO MORE CORE DRILLING REQUIRED WITH MCCUE’S FLEXCORETM BOLLARD… A NEW ALTERNATIVE TO CORE DRILLED BOLLARDS
McCue Corporation has developed and launched its new FlexCore Bollard to eliminate the extensive process involved with installing embedded/core drilled bollards. With no more holes to dig, the FlexCore Bollard can be installed in a fraction of the time and at a cheaper cost. This ease of installation comes with no sacrifice in performance as the FlexCore Bollard can stand up against heavy duty impacts in all types of applications and environments. Read the rest of this entry »
For a long time now, concrete curbing has been the material/product of choice when it comes to protecting outside store fronts, inside vestibules, walk-in freezers, backroom areas and other places in a store where the retailer wanted to keep merchandise, carts and other equipment off the walls. There are two major problems with using concrete for these applications in stores:
First off, concrete is not damage prevention. Concrete by its nature composition is pourous. It will crack, scrape, break and become unsightly. If you’ve ever seen concrete curbing used in areas where shopping carts are stored then you’ve undoubtedly seen the scrapes and cracks I’m referring to. Now just imagine, if the concrete is cracked, what is happening to the casters on the shopping carts…. Ladies and Gentlemen I think we found our wobbly wheel maker. There are also other safety issues associated with concrete curbing and its porous nature. Because it is porous, fungus and mold can grow in the concrete and that’s the last thing you want happening in those backroom applications where food is handled or prepped for sale.