Piggly Wiggly owner looks to enhance customer loyalty

Fox works hard to compete with larger stores

By Charlie Mathews, Herald Times Reporter

TWO RIVERS — Bob Fox works long hours between the two Piggly Wigglys he and his wife, Kris, own in the Cool City and Brillion.

But he's not complaining.

"I enjoy the people and the interaction with the community," said Fox sitting in his office at the Two Rivers grocery store, 2300 Forest Ave.

"There's the satisfaction of owning your own business … with the ups and downs, it keeps life shaking," said Fox, 40, who has been in the grocery business since he was 16.

"As opposed to working for the corporate world (or a company-owned store), we have the flexibility to branch out and try different things," said Fox, who purchased the 27,000-square-foot store four years ago and is a Two Rivers resident.

He has redone the bakery with new display cases offering self-serve options to customers. Two years ago, Fox installed new baking ovens to assure fresh bakery products.

"We invested in new cases in the meat department to keep it clean, fresh and competitive," said Fox, whose store offers certified Angus beef, Gerber Amish chicken and Farmland extra tender pork.

Nearly all of the salads are made on-site at the store, which is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, and draws customers mostly from Two Rivers but also Mishicot, Fox said.

Challenging economic times have altered some of his customers' buying habits. "The center store sees more of a distribution than the perimeter," Fox said, meaning some buyers are trading down from fresh produce to canned.

Some customers also are going to food label products versus name brand and waiting for their preferred meat grade to go on sale before buying.

Supports community programs

Fox said he needs to stay aggressive to compete with larger Festival Foods and corporate-owned stores like Pick 'n Save.

"We will do one-day special events, tied a pig roast in with a pre-Father's Day sale, and do have competitive ad specials and buying power through Piggly Wiggly Midwest (formerly Fresh Brands based in Sheboygan)," said Fox, who has about 50 full- and part-time employees in Two Rivers and another 40 in Brillion.

Fox said the store has provided more than $50,000 of support to community campaigns including Funds 4 Friends, script programs, Two Rivers Ecumenical Pantry, American Cancer Society Relay for Life, and the Pig to Pig Walk with the Manitowoc store, to support Habitat for Humanity.

A member of the Two Rivers Kiwanis, The Chamber of Manitowoc County and Two Rivers Business Association, Fox said away from the store he enjoys golf, "but I'm not very good at it. I also enjoy bowling."

After four years of ownership, Fox said he has a good crew of department heads. "They know what our vision is and I can go away, although the business is always on your brain," Fox said.

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