Harding’s Friendly Market strives to be the go-to store in the neighborhoods it serves
Harding’s Friendly Market (Harding’s), founded in 1944 by Mel Harding, is celebrating 80 years in business. The group operates an independent chain of 28 stores across southwest Michigan and northern Indiana, focusing on a customer and community centered approach. Company President Tim Harding explains how this strategy has continued to find success throughout the business’ history: “The families and individuals who own stores are residents of those communities, and always have been. Many of the managers have been internally promoted, and so already have an in-depth understanding of not only the different roles within the store, but also of the local community.”
Providing a less corporate and more personable environment where employees’ voices are listened to has been a key factor in retaining high-quality staff who are
in tune with customers’ needs. Harding’s is a business where people make all the difference. Tim goes on to outline how these practices differentiate the company from its highly established competitors like Walmart, Meijer, and Aldi.
“These companies are very competitive and often open stores in close proximity to each other as they pop up, whereas our stores are more bespoke and personalized to the communities they serve.
“Customers are able to see familiar faces, perhaps someone they went to high school with, and can rely on a level of service that wouldn’t be possible within a bigger, more corporate structure.” On top of creating secure long-term employment and providing a local and personalized service, Harding’s also goes out of its way to give back to its communities. “On the local level,” Tim continues, “our stores are tapped into what their community needs, whether it’s helping a local girl scout or boy scout cookie sale or raising money for a community based non-profit or partnering with a local school for a particular program. On the broader, company-wide level, we’re involved in major campaigns with various partners. Our current campaign helps raise awareness and funds for suicide prevention. We are also a big supporter of food banks, and the local Special Olympics program. To date, we have donated over two million dollars to local schools, churches, and non-profits through our Community Rewards program.”
Community-centric solutions
Catering to the needs of each location has also enabled the business to apply a more efficient approach than a standardized one-size-fits-all model. Tim expands: “In some locations for example, demand for delivery exists mostly for fast paced smaller shops for lunch and convenience, in these instances stores partner with Door Dash. In other locations there is greater demand for delivery options and so they utilize the facilities Instacart provides.” This means the business isn’t required to make the massive investments and infrastructure building that creating an in-house delivery and logistics operation would require while still being able to offer customers the services they demand.
Striking the perfect balance between personable customer experiences and efficient processes means Harding’s can provide a very high level of service while allowing customers to “get in, get out, get home fast,” as the company motto states. “It’s always a challenge,” Tim shares, “and has to be adapted to each location as the demands vary.”
In line with the company’s ethos, local produce can often take center stage in Harding’s stores. “By utilizing our relationship with our established suppliers to find new, exciting local products, and partnering with smaller distributors, we are able to make sure we always stock the best products. We also partner with the exceptional farmers market in Kalamazoo, providing often the first retail space for local producers seeking to make the move into stores.”
Organic growth
Looking to the future, Tim shares the company’s approach to sustainable growth. “Our offering is specific, so, rather than aiming to open a certain number of stores in the next five years for example, we instead look for opportunities that fit the business as they arise. Location is more crucial than with a big box store, so it must be the right location in the right community, where we can see needs that aren’t being met that we could provide for.” In terms of improving our current portfolio, we are adding between three thousand and five thousand square feet to one of our locations, as well as providing updates as required in terms of modernized equipment and face-lifts. We tend to average two or three stores a year undergoing this process,” Tim adds.
Operating in states that aren’t experiencing the boom of their southern neighbors like Florida can be challenging. Reliability and differentiation can become essential in mature markets that aren’t experiencing much growth. Over 80 years, Harding’s has established itself as a reliable brand offering personalized services matched to a community’s needs. By providing superior working environments, it retains skilled, high-quality staff who know what their customers want, enabling the company to compete with the much larger, more established grocery store brands. By tailoring the facilities of each store to the demands of the location, the business can maximize efficiency and minimize overheads without compromising the level of service.
To capitalize on this position over the coming years the business must, as Tim says, “be open to unique opportunities for growth as they are presented, whether that manifests as a perfect location for a new store, or a broader deal offering exit strategies that would interest all parties.” Having a mature, streamlined and efficient business model enables the kind of flexibility required to seize these possibilities as they arise.