Living in the shadow of giants such as Walmart and Kroger that have claimed much of the grocery business, Jim Oppe figures he survives with fresh produce, specially cut meat and customer service.
"We believe our niche, especially in this market, is fresh meat. We cut and grind our meat every day. We feature Angus beef (and) tender choice pork," said Oppe, who owns four Foodland stores in the Parkersburg market, one in Spencer and one in Ohio.
"You order it, we slice it the way you want."
The Foodland chain itself is taking steps to retain or increase market share. This week it unveiled a company-wide rewards card program. The program allows customers to download exclusive weekly eCoupons with one click in coming weeks, elect in to e-mails with added savings, and take advantage of special in-store offers that are available for Foodland Reward Card holders The Foodland chain of locally owned stores has 33 stores, of which 25 are in West Virginia, said company spokeswoman Meredith Klein.
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