Ling & Sons Food Market

L ING & SONS FOOD MARKET Sons targeting the U.S. market and working on becoming #1 for the European market. Barrientos reports, “We have the largest assortment of items of any supermarket in the region and I’m proud to say if you cannot find something here, you cannot find it anywhere. There are a lot of ways to source goods. Aruba has a network of distributors that suggest products. We have a purchasing committee involving marketing, merchandising, and store management that reviews the product and the category. If it’s something that’s going to fill a need or be an expansion of the category, then we decide on the packaging and the novelty of the item.” Company management also attends major food shows across the United States – North Carolina, Chicago, and Miami – and they’re now putting attention on the European market, as well, so they’ll be attending shows in Germany and Spain and other areas of Europe. Ling & Sons Food Market processes thousands of transactions per day – customers passing through the registers with big purchases, small purchases, and people just stopping by for lunch. The new Hot Food section is especially popular and features a brand new salad bar double the size of the previous one. The new lunch area now offers 20 to 25 different dishes. The plan is to have an enclosed outdoor area with tables, so customers can either buy the food to go, or sit outside and enjoy the day. The renovation concepts are a joint effort among the owners, the management, and the designers – Core Retail Group (CRG) in Ohio. CRG is a subsidiary of Supermarket Source, which supplies all Ling & Sons equipment. As for the future, Barrientos notes, “We’re always looking for opportunities because of the competitiveness of the market. Right now, our plans are focused on finishing the remodel of Ling & Sons and making sure we’re the best on the island. When the revamp is done, we’ll have a big event to show off the store and