While freshness and quality may be at the core of Longo’s tenets, the company ranks highly on most retail assessments.
In the tenth annual WOW Index measuring consumer satisfaction published in January 2021, Longo Brothers Fruit Market Inc. BB #:154544 Vaughan, ON, was ranked number-one in Ontario’s grocery sector, ahead of Whole Foods, Farm Boy, Fortinos, and Zehrs.
Longo’s also competes against regional and national stores including banners from new majority owner Empire, Loblaws, and Metro, as well as U.S. chains Walmart and Costco.
“Longo’s is the high-quality leader in the marketplace, against very stiff national and local competition,” says Jon Hauptman, senior director of analytics at Inmar Intelligence, Winston-Salem, NC.
“It’s not just a leader in Toronto and Canada; retailers across North America look to Longo’s for ideas and to compare themselves against.”
The company excels at convenience, customer service, and in-store experiences, experts say. Some of its in-store features include coffee shops, the Loft Cooking School, Corks Beer and Wine Bar, and dietitians.
Many stores include fresh pasta, salumi, and sushi, and chef-made meal options in a dedicated department called The Kitchen. Shoppers can also create the perfect meal with readymade fresh ingredients, a concept piloted at the Maple Leaf Square store before expanding chainwide.
Service and support
“What you really see at Longo’s is support of the customer,” says Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“Dietitians and nutritionists are not hard to find in the big grocers, but it’s a picture on the wall. At Longo’s, you actually see that person.”
Longo’s also has a reputation for community support and philanthropy. Longo’s Family Charitable Foundation (LFCF) was founded in 1998 with a focus on emerging health research and youth leadership development. In 2020, the LFCF made its biggest donation to date, with a gift of $2.5 million to the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.
The pandemic prompted the relaunch of the Neighbour in Need program, first established in 2009 to addresses food insecurity. During the twice-annual fundraising event, customers purchase preassembled bags containing grains, shelf-stable vegetables, and other essential items, which are then donated to organizations such as Second Harvest and Churches on-the-Hill Foodbank.
“Longo’s has a 65-year legacy of fueling happier and healthier families by giving back to the communities in which we serve,” says Mimmo Franzone, director of produce and floral at Longo Brothers.
“It’s simply a part of who we are, and nothing about that will change.
“As part of finalizing the partnership [with Empire], the Longo family is making a $25 million donation to the Longo’s Family Charitable Foundation. These funds will be dedicated to the support and care of our communities, and the families that call them home.”
Price points
One of the few areas where Longo’s is rated lower than many of its competitors is on price. Despite higher price points, however, the chain ranks high on value. “It’s not a low price, but it’s a fair price,” says Jon Hauptman, senior director of analytics at Inmar Intelligence, Winston-Salem, NC.
“The clientele Longo’s tracks is a high-income suburban customer, essentially,” adds Charlebois. “The price points are typically higher, but the quality is different as well.”
“My hope is that Empire continues to allow Longo’s to maintain its unique points of difference,” comments Hauptman.
“An advantage for Longo’s could be bringing in Empire private brand products,” he suggests, “including the Compliments line of goods, providing shoppers with new budget-stretching options not available to Longo’s before.”
This is an excerpt from the Toronto & Ontario supplement to the May/June 2021 issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine. Click here to read the whole issue.
