A Canadian Food Market
For more than 37 years, M&M Food Market has helped Canadians put delicious meals on the table by offering consumers easy-to-prepare, top-quality foods and personalized customer service. The brand has become Canada’s leading retailer of frozen foods, offering more than 400 items in over 340 locations across the country.
Now, poised for franchise growth, M&M has changed for the better, rebranding itself from M&M Meat Shops to M&M Food Market. Along with the name change, the brand’s evolution includes a new logo, updated products and packaging, a store redesign, newly trained meal advisors and a significant digital presence.
Many of the initiatives behind this transformation were driven by M&M Food Market’s corporate business strategies, which were adapted and implemented in response to the changing, competitive food retail market and what customers said they were looking for from M&M. Innovation across every aspect of the business will fuel growth at M&M Food Market.
Food promise assures quality
Since launching the company’s food commitment, M&M Food Market’s product development and quality assurance team has ensured all products contain no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners, reformulating existing items and only introducing new ones adhering to this promise. Already, 94 per cent of seafood sold in-store meets M&M Food Market’s sustainability guidelines and the company is continuing to work with its vendor partners on the remaining items.
Food innovation
M&M Food Market has devoted more time and resources than ever before to evaluating, improving and diversifying its food portfolio. The product development and quality assurance department has led the way in innovation by leveraging M&M Food Market’s new product development pipeline and go-to-market strategy. The team has worked with the company’s supplier partners to develop and launch many new products across multiple categories. Most recently, for example, M&M Food Market has introduced new soups and sauces made with simple ingredients, stuffed pastas filled with high-quality ingredients, rice that is ready in less than two minutes and noodles.
Beyond frozen food
Not only is M&M Food Market the leading specialty retailer of frozen foods coast-to-coast, but the company also now offers general merchandise to complement its products and reinforce the brand promise to ‘help customers make real food for real life.’ Featured items include small appliances, cookware, serving platters and utensils.
A new store experience
Updating the in-store experience with a new design was one of the key pillars of the reinvented M&M Food Market brand. After building and evaluating two test concepts, the company finalized the store’s new ‘kitchen design.’ As a result, the shopping experience and the role of product consultants shifted significantly. These changes were supported by a new training program, designed to help in-store team members become M&M Food Market meal advisors, to further ‘help customers make real food for real life.’
The refreshed kitchen design and in-store experience includes:
● no counter, so customers can shop the store freely and access products themselves
● stand-up freezers, enabling self-serve shopping
● updated menu boards
● full-colour packaging graphics, reflective of the new branding
● a new uniform program for designated meal advisors
The M&M Food Market development team has optimized the franchise network coast-to-coast, working side-by-side with the company’s franchisees during the renovation process to refresh the overall store experience. With nearly 100 locations now rebranded across the country, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
The company’s development team also continually seeks non-traditional retail opportunities to set the stage for future growth. In 2017, M&M Food Market Express opened at the Seneca College campus in Toronto. This smaller-footprint store, located within a residence building, provides new and different meals for students, unlike anything else offered on campus. M&M Food Market has also opened an urban concept store in Edmonton’s up-and-coming Ice District, featuring a newly designed point-of-sale (POS) counter, technology and general merchandise throughout the store. This concept store will serve as a testing ground as the brand seeks other downtown locations in major cities across the country.
In-store programs
To support key initiatives across the organization, M&M Food Market recognizes a continued need for innovative ways to communicate and conduct business. Thus, many new programs and capabilities have been developed and implemented.
With each location’s rebranding, more franchisees and meal advisors are emerging from behind the counter and creating personalized, one-on-one customer experiences. The company’s product of the month program promotes feature items for customers looking for new meal ideas, while the taste of M&M Food Market program ramps up the brand’s pre-existing product sampling. The updates to this program include the introduction of additional items, increasing the number of days and hours sampling is offered in-store and promoting the offerings in print and digital marketing to ensure the public is informed. Both of these programs have been popular with staff and customers.
Store operations and training
M&M Food Market’s on-boarding and training programs ensure new franchisees across the country receive the tools and information needed to provide a positive in-store shopping experience for customers.
Among enhancements and improvements to the training program, a new, state-of-the-art centre was introduced at the company’s head office in Mississauga, Ont. This fully equipped classroom includes spacious working areas for individual and group learning, dual interactive screens to facilitate video conferencing, space for in-person demos and presentations and freezers stocked with products.
POS system
M&M Food Market has introduced a new cloud-based POS system to revolutionize the way franchisees conduct business and interact with customers. This tool provides such in-store capabilities as offers and promotion options, wireless transactions, electronic receipts and full integration with other company information technology (IT) systems. The POS platform also provides opportunities for new projects and upcoming initiatives.
New loyalty program
The company is transitioning away from the existing ‘MAX’ loyalty program to a new one-to-one based Real Rewards program. The updated program will allow M&M Food Market to reach its customers on a more personalized level, providing targeted products, offers and promotions.
Digital and marketing communications
M&M Food Market has introduced many new digital capabilities for the brand’s new online presence. These developments include improved features and functionalities on the company’s newly designed website, new e-mail collection programs, data management, couponing tools and transitioning to a new e-mail marketing provider, allowing for improved connectivity.
A key pillar to M&M Food Market’s digital footprint is the relaunch of the company’s Click & Collect platform, which allows customers to place an online order and pick it up at any location across Canada, with no minimum quantity or value, no fees and a one-hour guarantee. This program has developed significantly over the years, with further growth anticipated in the future.
Demonstrated success
M&M Food Market offers prospective franchisees a proven brand history, a supportive team of food, marketing, franchising and operations experts, a simple and cost-effective owner-operator labour model and a complete turnkey franchise package, with comprehensive training and effective, hands-on support from a dedicated store operations team. The company is looking for new franchisees who are passionate about the brand, love food, enjoy working with people, have a track record of successfully managing or leading a team and are willing to become established in the community where they operate. M&M Food Market has changed for the better. Come see for yourself!
M&M Food Market
Established: 1980
Outlets: 340+
Investment: $100,000 - $500,000
Royalty fee: 4%
Advertising fund: 3% national, 4% local
E-mail: Liz Riley at lizr@mmfoodmarket.com
Telephone: Liz Riley at (905) 814-2420
Website: www.mmfoodmarket.com
