Boston Market: Fewer Units Again

Boston Market finds itself at the end of 2011 with fewer total units than they had in 2010. This story is simply the same one we have witnessed year after year with this company.  Boston Market finds itself in the conundrum of being in Sun Capital’s retail food group. Ask Friendly’s and Real Mex employees just how that is working.  

Boston Market (BM) once a leader in the grocerant niche, attempted to re-position away from the fastest growing retail food sector the ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh and prepared food niche and into “casual in-store” dinning.  Why, why even bother asking.  Sun Capitals food team at least appears consistently filled with misguided efforts.  In the BM case they are so far wrong in direction and timing it’s simply professionally embarrassing.

Their spin is remaining unit sales numbers are up?  Well come on, all chain restaurants that remodel – positioning garner a natural 2-3% uptick.  However in BM’s case when you increased the marketing advertising spend one would expect to see stellar numbers.  We are hearing they are holding onto up numbers but nothing stellar or even close.  

Scott Beck please buy back BM, you understand BM, the grocerant niche, consumer flow and positioning for success.  Scott Beck understood how to look a customer ahead. When McDonald’s own BM they tried to put it in a QSR box, under Sun Capital they utilize retail foodservice philosophy’s, positioning and branding ideations from the 70’s and 80’s text book.  The consumer is dynamic not static.  Without change next year BM will be a bit smaller again.  Many retail food chains are growing units topline sales and bottom line profits. 

The fastest growing sector of retail foodservice is the Grocerant niche filled with ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh and prepared food.  BM was once the leader of the pack, it time for them to get the mojo back.  

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a brand leveraging integration strategy.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant