Dr. G in the News

As an industry expert Dr. George's insights and opinions are frequently sought...

“Hornbacher’s Move into GF Market Could Mean Stiff Competition” John Hageman, FNS, July 2015

July 15 2015 No Commented
  • “How successful Hornbacher’s will be here may partly depend on how well it can differentiate itself from competitors. Pricing and the quality of the fresh items like bread and meat are areas where supermarkets can make their mark.”
  • “Center store is hard to differentiate because everybody’s center store looks the same, the key is these perimeter departments, to develop a footprint and give people a reason to drive past one chain and visit your store.”
  • “While Hornbacher’s is replacing an existing store rather than adding another one to the market, said it could still mean additional competition if Hornbacher’s ends up being more successful than Super One.  And should that happen, consumers will benefit.”
  • “Competition makes everybody sharper.”
Share This:
RSS

“Harris Teeter, Wegmans to compete for county shoppers’ loyalty” Cindy Huang, Capital Gazette, June 7, 2015.

June 16 2015 No Commented
  • “Shoppers choose supermarkets based on factors ranging from location to price and quality to the shopping experience and specialty products.  But grocery stores no longer want to be places where people pick out their favorite brands. They’re brands themselves.”
  • “Wegmans recognizes shopping can be theater.  And the longer the store keeps its customer captivated, the more they buy.”
  • “…some supermarkets compete on price, and others compete on the shopping experience.  Ask people, I ‘blank’ to go food shopping, most people would say ‘I hate it, it’s a task.’  But supermarkets are changing the way people feel about shopping.”
  • “Stores have to find a way to differentiate themselves because they offer similar products.”

 

Share This:
RSS

“McDonald’s Stay Ahead of the Competition by Adapting with the Times” Jonathan deBurca Butler, Irish Examiner, May 8, 2015.

May 10 2015 No Commented
  • “It’s not a crisis yet.  It is a serious wake up call however. Swift, decisive action is needed sooner rather than later. Other competitors are taking meaningful market share. The rise of better burger options, such as Five Guys, and the growth of innovative fast casual options, like Chipotle with its emphasis on fresh, makes for a challenge to McDonald’s as well as the other traditional fast food operators.”
  • “I do think Steve Easterbrook deserves more time.  It appears that his initial focus, reorganization and selling 3,500 units to franchises, will save millions of dollars. But I think McDonald’s needs to simplify its menu — the first McD’s had three choices. They also need to address a change in consumer behaviour which now sees many people having five smaller meals in place of the three traditional day-parts. The McDonald’s 75-year legacy of innovation and reinvention needs to move front-and-centre if real growth in sales and profits are to return.”
Share This:
RSS

“America’s Best, Freshest Supermarkets” Consumer Reports, Cover Story, May 2015.

April 10 2015 No Commented
  • “There has been a tremendous evolution in the term ‘fresh’ as it applies to supermarkets.”
  • “For years, supermarket-industry insiders have lamented the decline of the “center store,” a euphemism for the middle aisles stocked with bagged, boxed, and heavily advertised products.”
Share This:
RSS

“Walmart Goes Small” David Bennett, Convenience Store Decisions, Cover Story, October 2014.

January 11 2015 No Commented
  • “They’ve announced they’re going to back off the Walmart Express, which is 12,000 square feet and go more towards the Neighborhood Markets, which leaves a void.  This leaves Walmart To Go as their only small footprint.”
  • “I don’t see that this will be a threat to Wawa and those folks, who are going more toward foodservice.”
  • “I think Walmart is more prone to go against the 7-Elevens of the world, and two classifications of trade: dollar stores and I think they’re going after CVS and Walgreens with these small footprints.”
  • “I wouldn’t bet against them.  I think this is something they are going to roll out because they are tired of the ankle biters.”
Share This:
RSS

“Food fare with Flair” Richard Turczik, Grocery Headquarters, October 1, 2014.

January 11 2015 No Commented
  • “Wegmans clearly is America’s best supermarket,”
  • “They get more than 4,000 requests a year from people writing in and saying ‘Can you put a Wegmans in my community.’ They’ve done a really good job.”
Share This:
RSS

“Bimbo Bakeries USA Sponsorship Will Cash In On World Cup Fever” Kacey Culliney, August 21, 2014.

January 11 2015 No Commented
  • “We are still having World Cup fever in the US,”
  • “Look what’s happening with the World Cup t-shirts – even the German t-shirts can’t be kept in stock.”
  • “I don’t know what the payback for Bimbo is on a sponsorship like this – it includes a lot of things like exposure, but from a timing point of view, it makes sense.”
Share This:
RSS

“Agita in the Aisles” Richard Turczik, Grocery Headquarters, June 1, 2014.

January 11 2015 No Commented
  • “Online shopping is going to continue to grow,”
  • “Amazon Fresh is coming to the East Coast and there is speculation that they are coming to Washington, D.C., very soon.”
  • “When it comes to food shopping there is variety, convenience and the atmosphere or ambiance.”
  • “The online people have taken away variety and selection, but when it comes to ambiance, unless you are going to get Amazon to open stores, we should still own that.”
  • “If we can figure out how to make the stores exciting and fun it would force these guys to do brick-and-mortar.”
Share This:
RSS

“Forward – The Wawa Way” Howard Stoeckel, April 2014.

January 10 2015 No Commented
  • “My definition of leadership is a preacher of vision, a lover of change, and a servant to others. Servant leadership is a state of mind not a position.”
  • “This book is about the unique Wawa culture. Normally, I define culture as what happens when the boss is not around. However, Wawa’s servant leadership insures that there are no “bosses” in the traditional sense. Rather, everyone in this great organization serves one another and the customer in a caring and consistent manner.”
  • “With new thinking, new ways of doing, new ways of engaging associates, and prudent risk-taking, the Wawa Way has revolutionized the convenience store business.”
  • “The Wawa Way is not simply an engaging story (which it is); it is a message of success that emanates from the hearts and souls of people who have lived it six core values and learned from the lessons of flying geese.”
Share This:
RSS

“Dr. G. Voted Haub School of Business ‘Top Prof’ by Students” Hawk, Connie Lunanuova ’16, Features Editor, April 8, 2014

April 28 2014 No Commented

“Nothing matches Hawk Hill!” These words, said by Richard George, Ph.D., professor of food marketing, underscore George’s long-term dedication as a teacher at Saint Joseph’s University. George, who earned his undergraduate degree at St. Joe’s in 1967 and then went on to receive his MBA at Harvard University, returned to St. Joe’s after being asked to teach as an adjunct. He has since stayed at Hawk Hill for 40 years, or, as he put it, “When did we discover electricity? That’s how long I’ve been here”.

George has taught a number of classes within the food marketing department of the Haub School of Business, including Food Marketing Strategy, Foodservice Marketing, and a course on transition, which he described as, “a course I started a number of years ago for seniors transitioning into the work world. We’ve had a financial planner come in, as well as a life coach. I think the students have found it to be very helpful.”

George served as student body president during his time at St. Joe’s. His work as an undergrad, coupled with his years teaching as a professor, has allowed George to develop a 53 year relationship with the university. This longstanding relationship is one of which George is most proud. He estimated the number of students he has taught to range somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000, and insists that it has been a privilege to teach each group of students he encounters. “My role [as a teacher] is simple: help these young men and women become very successful. And they pay me to do it!”

When asked why he felt he should advance in our Top Prof Bracket, George stated, “I can’t say [that] I’m better than anybody else. I have too many respected colleagues, and you could’ve given any of the 64 chosen professors or the full faculty including the adjuncts a lottery number and you would’ve had a Top Prof with whoever won.”

It is evident that George has loved nothing more than teaching the students of St. Joe’s, and as a retiree, it can be assumed that the student body will look for his presence on campus. Students will certainly embody the personal philosophy that George ingrains into each of his classes: “Be your best in whatever you do and the outcome will take care of itself.”

 

Share This:
RSS