CLANCY'S COMES EAST
Dec 19, 2011
London, Ontario--(London Free Press - December 19)
Clancy's Meat Co., a British Columbia-based food retailer, is moving into the Ontario market by opening its first store in London.
Located in the retail complex at the corner of
Southdale and Wonderland roads, the store was opened this month by franchisee Mark Edmundson.
Founded in 1997, Clancy's Meat Co. has eight outlets in its home base of B.C. and two in Alberta.
Its expansion into Ontario is being spearheaded by London businessperson Brian Davy.
Davy was one of the first franchisees for M&M Meats, opening the first shop in London in 1983. He went on to open eight locations in southern Ontario but gradually sold them off.
Clancy's offers a mix of high-quality fresh and frozen meats and prepared meals.
A London native, Edmundson played for the OHL's Ottawa 67's in the early 1990s and later spent four years in the United States playing with several teams. Most recently he was a financial adviser with London Life before being recruited by Davy to take over the Clancy's franchise.
Clancy's provides customers with a distinct product mix, Edmundson said.
"We have fresh foods that distinguish us from some competitors and single servings if you don't want the big boxes."
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New Kelowna Franchisee, Monique Widing, Offers up a Fresh Take on What it Means to be a "Mompreneur"
Aug 9, 2011
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Aug. 9, 2011)
With many corporations still inflexible to family demands, Canadian moms are striking out on their own in unprecedented numbers. Bolstered by an energetic online community and changing job market, mompreneurs are popping up all over the nation.
According to Alison Konrad, professor of organizational behavior at the University of Western Ontario, many organizations don't do enough to help women maintain a connection with their careers during times when they have heavy family responsibilities.
In her survey of Canadian companies, only 43% of respondents offered flexible work scheduling to employees, even fewer (35%) offered reduced work hours, and a mere 19% allowed for working at home.
Up until Monique had her third child, she worked for many years at WorkSafeBC (formally B.C. Workers' Compensation Board). It was here that she developed the skills in customer service that would later help her build her business as a franchisee.
For Monique Widing, the latest addition to the Clancy's Meat Co. family of franchisees, mompreneurship was a no-brainer when brother-in-law (and fellow Clancy's Meat Co. franchisee) Miles, introduced her to Clancy's CEO, Paul Monger and with that introduced the idea of becoming afranchise business owner.
Just under a year after Widing and her husband first met with Monger and toured some of the keynote locations in the Lower Mainland, Widing recognized that Clancy's – with its wide range of products specially selected to service busy families searching for value, taste and healthy options – was just the ticket, and decided to open up a store in West Kelowna.
As a Clancy's Meat Co. franchisee and new business owner, the mother of three, who devoted the last eight years to being a stay-at-home mom, has traded in her day-to-day routine of transporting kids to dance and soccer practice, to planning the construction of the new store and getting to intimately know the range of products.
"I really appreciated Clancy's unique franchise concept," says Widing. "It allowed me the flexibility to juggle my career and family obligations – all while owning and operating a business that I'm passionate about, with products that I'm proud to serve to my family and my customers' families."
Monique's advice for new franchisees?
- Pick a franchise with a strong support system in place for new franchisees
- Choose a franchise opportunity with a product you feel great about selling
- Embrace the whole experience by getting to know what your customers REALLY want
How to Save on Organic Foods
Jul 28, 2011
When I hit the farmers market, I want to buy everything. The produce looks so good and so fresh. I tend to leave with more cherries, berries, green beans and tomatoes than my small household can reasonably consume. I prefer to buy local, and try to buy organic whenever possible.
Given a choice, the majority of shoppers also opt to purchase organic foods, according to a recent Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll conducted in the U.S.
Fifty-eight per cent of those polled said they choose organic over conventionally produced foods when they can. Among those who buy organic foods, 36 per cent said they do so to support local markets and 34 per cent said they want to avoid exposure to toxins in non-organic foods.
Paul Monger, CEO of Clancy's Meat Co., says his store is constantly developing their selection of organic and preservative-free products due to an increased demand by customers. Mr. Monger acknowledges there can be a significant price increase for such foods and the markup on proteins is higher than produce. A whole chicken, for example, is $8.48 a kilogram. For organic, it’s $10.98 a kilogram.
All organic products found at Clancy’s Meat Co. are frozen and packaged goods. Mr. Clancy says that is one way families save. His customers stock up on frozen organic products when there is a sale.
Before you shop, look for coupons and information on upcoming deals at company websites or directly through the stores where you regularly shop. Sites and apps for coupons can be overwhelming, but at the very least, sign up for the mailing list of the shops you frequent. Social media buying sites, such asGroupon and LivingSocial, also help you hone in on organic product deals.
Price differences for organic and non-organic produce are sometimes small. Organic bananas at my grocery store, for example, are only 10 cents more per pound.
Certain organic items aren’t worth the price, however, according to The Environmental Working Group. This non-profit organization has come up with a list of fruits and vegetables, dubbed “the dirty dozen,” that contain the highest amounts of pesticides and should be bought organic when possible. Apples, celery, peaches and strawberries top the list. You can print out a wallet-sized list or download the list to your phonehere. They’ve also compiled a list of “cleaner” fruits and veggies you don’t need to buy organic.
Joy Bauer, nutrition and health editor for Today, says if you can’t afford to opt for organic with the dirty dozen then lose the skin before consuming, lay low on these items, or mix them in with other fruits and vegetables that don’t appear on the list. Eating items in-season is another way to save money on produce. Kraft Canada provides a simple chart that shows what’s in season, every season. There are also free apps available, such as Locavore that will pull up local farms and farmers markets in your area based on your phone’s GPS location. The site currently only supports Ontario and B.C. markets.
Opting for organic depends on your preferences and your spending plan. If it’s a priority to shop organic, then using all available resources to save helps ease the extra costs.
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Buying a Franchise-How to Make the Best Choice When Looking to Invest in a Brand
Jul 27, 2011
- Choose a concept that you believe in and a brand that has room to grow.
- Seek out a franchise with a leadership team that's been there (i.e. experienced franchisors AND franchisees).
- Look for opportunities where you can own multiple locations.
- Look for a franchise that has great branding and is already generating deserved recognition.
CEO of Specialty Food Franchise Shaking Up the Competition by Launching Successful System-Wide Rebrand
Jul 27, 2011
- Bring in the pros: Hire the best and the brightest – people that have been there, done that, and are capable of making immediate changes. (To resurrect Clancy's, Monger brought in longtime M&M Meat Shops exec Brian Davy as VP of Franchise Development, longtime Earls Restaurants Purchasing powerhouse, Don Rankin and Original Joe's Operations & Franchising pro, Terrie Aylesworth).
- Rebrand: Get rid of all collateral connected to the old brand. Embark on a new advertising and marketing campaign – an entirely fresh approach.
- Don't be afraid to mix it up: When Monger took over Clancy's he decided that the missing link wasn't doing more of the same, but shaking it up. He added a whole new arm of the business by adding in frozen and packaged goods to accompany the fresh cut meats that the company was built on.
