Innovation

Each of the Wellness departments is staffed by a Certified Holistic Health Coach who can help guide customers on their path to developing healthier eating and lifestyle habits. Many of Heinen’s Wellness Consultants have degrees or certifications in subjects such as dietetics, biology and nutrition. The company has even gone so far as to partner with holistic physician and author, Dr. Todd Pesek, MD, making him their Chief Medical Officer, whom they believe to be the first CMO among American grocers. Introducing this innovation into each of their stores took the company many years and required a large investment, but as Jeff Heinen noted "But the investment we make, we believe, makes our stores 'different' - and creates a very different experience for our customers."

This innovation is helping to form a net positive impact, where Heinen's is not only looking to improve the health of their customers, they are also creating a different shopping experience that has helped them grow their customer base in recent years. While national grocers and big box stores are not providing services like this, Heinen's has showed that this innovation is scalable by implementing the wellness programs at all of their 22 store locations. This is proof that investments in their staff and their products pays off by changing the customer's shopping experience, and that the idea could be pursued and implemented by larger grocery chains in the future.

While there is a wellness department in each store, this innovation is not limited to just a corner of the store filled with health supplements. This notion of health and well being goes further to include responsible sourcing of hormone/antibiotic free meats and locally grown, organic produce, and even as far as helping customers learn how to accurately read nutrition labels and teaching children in their communities about healthy eating habits at a young age. These services are free to any customer, and there is no solicitation or obligation to use the wellness consultants. By making the service free and removing any pressure on the part of the customer, Heinen's shows that they are truly trying to help their consumers make better choices, not just push them to buy what could otherwise be considered "over-priced health foods".

Inspiration

The Wellness Department at Heinen’s was something that co-owner and co-CEO Jeff Henien saw as way to differentiate themselves from their much larger competition and provide the best possible grocery shopping experience to their customers. Jeff noted that “We’ve made a conscious effort to stay ahead of the curve, but it’s also been driven by customer demand for these types of products”. Looking at the future of health and wellness trends, he sees this an area for scalable growth and said: "Consuming more and more pills isn't really the answer, so why can't the grocery store be the pharmacy of the future?". In today’s world consumers care more about what they are eating and where it comes from than they ever had in the past, and Heinen’s recognizes this trend and strives to provide their customers with products they feel good about putting in their bodies.

Overall impact

Heinen’s believes that this innovation will have the overall impact of improving the health and well being of their customers while at the same time driving future profits and growth for the company as a whole. Not only have they seen the wellness departments growing, but they have been getting positive feedback from their customers on the products and services that the wellness departments offer. These departments allow Heinen’s to engage with their customers on much more personal and in-depth level than most of their competition in the grocery market. Customers value this engagement and see Heinen’s as a partner and resource in their journey to becoming healthier.

About 2/3 of adults and 1/3 of children in America are considered to be overweight or obese, and Heinen's sees developing healthier eating habits as a way to initiate change in battling America's growing health issues. Furthermore, specific diets, like gluten free foods for people with celiac disease, are a growing trend in the US and the wellness consultants at each Heinen's location can make sure that customers with these needs are buying appropriate foods that suit their individual dietary needs.

Business benefit

As Jeff Heinen sees it, one of the biggest business benefits of this innovation is that it “improves our customer satisfaction, which drives higher loyalty and more profit, which lets us invest more in our people”. Not only does he see the wellness departments as having a positive impact for the customers, which will drive sales, he also sees this as opportunity to take these profits and re-invest in the company’s employees. Thus creating a positive cycle of investing in people and products that drive sales, which creates more profit, which in turn allows for more investment back into these products and services.

Social and environmental benefit

Heinen’s is taking to heart the old adage: “you are what you eat”. They know that what you put in your body really does have an effect on your health and wellbeing, and just by eating healthier you can improve your health and even turn around old health conditions. In creating these Wellness Departments, they are helping to improve the general health and daily lives of their consumers and communities. When Heinen’s says “We are committed to helping our customers get healthy”, they really mean it, and have taken initiatives to go into local schools and educate kids to help develop healthier eating habits at a young age. All of this adds up to a local grocer offering products and services it sees as good for its customers, while at the same time providing the customers with a level of engagement and care that they feel drastically increases the overall customer experience and satisfaction. This innovation helps towards reaching the UN Global Goal 3, which aims to "ensure healthy lives and promote well being for all at all ages".

Interview

Jeff Heinen, Co-Owner, Co-CEO