Winn-Dixie Wauchula Grand Opening
Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Firm: St. John & Partners -- Jacksonville
Client: Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.
Specialty Area: Community Relations
Date: 07/19/2005


Research/Situation Analysis:

The town of Wauchula, Florida, is located an hour south of both Tampa and Orlando and is home to approximately 4,000 hard-working, middle- and lower-income Americans. In a six-week stretch during the summer of 2004, Wauchula was devastated as three powerful hurricanes tore through the town causing over $2 billion in damages. The hurricanes significantly damaged the town’s Winn-Dixie, forcing the store to close for five months. Winn-Dixie charged St. John & Partners with coordinating the grand reopening of the new store. Extensive market research in the form of telephone conversations and meetings with local store personnel and community leaders, online research of storm and recovery media coverage, and in-market visits revealed that the storms did not weaken, but rather strengthened, the resolve and spirit of the community that was still trying to recover. Our research indicated that Winn-Dixie had a unique opportunity to make an emotional connection with the community through this reopening that transcended normal business/community partnerships.

Objectives:

1) Create a reopening event that would cement the store as a community center in the city of Wauchula and attract at least 200 local attendees.

2) Re-establish employee pride among the associates returning to their store.

3) Attract shoppers back to the reopened store in numbers comparable to pre-storm traffic.

4) Enhance Winn-Dixie’s image through positive press coverage in Wauchula and beyond.

Implementation:

The agency strategically repositioned the grand reopening into a community celebration, positioning the Winn-Dixie store as a microcosm of what the community had been through and marking the recovery and community spirit of Wauchula. The evening prior to the opening, the store’s employees gathered for what they believed was an employee meeting to prepare for the next days opening. We arranged to have this meeting interrupted by a surprise appearance from a corporate officer who turned the “business meeting” into a pep rally and celebration, showering the team with praise for their steadfast loyalty to the company and rewarding them each with dinner and a gift of appreciation.

The morning of reopening, Winn-Dixie held a “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” Community Celebration and arranged for the Mayor of Wauchula to host the observance. During the program, he publicly recognized city workers, firefighters and police officers for their heroism and bravery during and after the hurricanes. Beneath an arch of red, white and blue balloons, the Hardee County Sheriff’s Honor Guard led the commencement of the ceremony, followed by a group of children from Hardee County Elementary School to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The patriotic mood was fortified by a stirring rendition of the national anthem sung by a student from the local high school. The entire event utilized the “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” theme, which was supported by a button depicting “I [heart] Wauchula, Neighbors Helping Neighbors” and the Winn-Dixie logo, and was included in speeches delivered by each dignitary.

Once political dignitaries from the governor’s and state representative’s offices had concluded their remarks, the event culminated with remarks from Winn-Dixie’s new CEO Peter Lynch, which included his presentation of $5,000 checks to two local not-for-profit organizations instrumental in the town’s recovery. The event concluded with the dignitaries cutting the ribbon as the Hardee County Middle School Marching Band played their school song. Later in the day, Winn-Dixie’s Corporate Chef grilled hot dogs as almost half of the town’s population passed through the store’s doors.

Evaluation:

1) The reopening event truly embraced the “neighborhood supermarket” mission, underscoring Winn-Dixie’s position as a community center, and strengthened the store’s emotional bond with the community. The event, attended by approximately 300 residents, provided the mayor and other local leaders the opportunity to praise the many individuals and organizations that were instrumental in handling the storms as they passed through, as well as the town’s recovery since.

2) The surprise visit at the staff meeting brought several store associates to tears, and associates were extremely grateful for the gift.

3) In weeks following the grand reopening, sales at Store #667 were well above performance expectations for the given time period.

4) Television coverage of the opening appeared on all Tampa news stations and was picked-up by stations in Jacksonville, FL, and Houston, TX, as well as being televised nationally on CNN. In addition, articles appeared in The Tampa Tribune and The St. Petersburg Times.