The Business Journal of Milwaukee reports that Fresh Brands Inc. is converting its Dick’s Supermarkets chain in southwestern Wisconsin to the Dick’s Piggly Wiggly banner, and will change the store’s pricing to reflect Piggly Wiggly’s value pricing.
- KC's View:
-
We haven’t been in a Dick’s store since the company was owned by the Brodbeck family, so we can’t authoritatively comment on whether it is a good idea or whether it is another case of a retailer giving away long-earned brand equity.
We do know that the Dick’s stores used to have enormous brand equity in the markets they served, and we would have presumed that this is one of the reasons they were purchased by Fresh Brands; Dick’s also had the reputation of being willing to try any new technology as it endeavored to find new ways to serve its customers.
It probably only is a matter of time before the Dick’s name is taken off the banner; this sounds like a transitional move.
And that’s a shame, even if it a good business move.
