DJL Research In The News

David J. Livingston is a panelist for the Retail Wire Brain Trust and his comments are published frequently.

He is an authority on the supermarket industry who is often quoted in the business press.

News articles for January–March 2004

Dollars & Sense: Stocked with savings
Star Tribune, Minneapolis, March 25, 2004
Will it be a flash in the pan? Livingston doesn't think so. In his 22 years in the business, he's never known an Aldi store to close except for relocation or consolidation.

Are lumpers coming to town?
Oconomowoc Focus, Oconomowoc, WI, March 24, 2004
Lumpers are freelance laborers who hang around grocery and produce docks, and unload freight for drivers for cash payments. David Livingston, a Pewaukee-based supermarket consultant and former employee of Roundy's for 16 years, said lumpers are typically poor, uneducated men who have spent time in jail."When I saw that neighbors had filed a lawsuit against Roundy's, my first thought was I would not want lumpers in my front yard," Livingston said. It's one thing to have lumpers hanging around an industrial park, Livingston said, but quite another to have them in Oconomowoc.

Piggly Wiggly's owner sets modest strategy, new credit line
The Business Journal of Milwaukee, March 19, 2004
“They have stayed out of the bigger cities,” said David Livingston, general partner of DJL Research of Pewaukee. “In a small, one-store market, they do a good job. They seem to have a difficult time going up against the larger chains.”

Fresh Brands to focus on wholesale
Supermarket News, March 8, 2004
David Livingston, a Pewaukee, Wis.-based retail consultant, told SN the company's best chance for success is to stay close to its small-town roots.

"Fresh Brands is still the premier wholesaler in Wisconsin for servicing smaller, rural one-store communities," Livingston said. "They can improve sales with added offerings, such as pharmacy and fuel. I would also expect to see several small, rural stores begin converting their business to Fresh Brands."

Ahold puts Bi-Lo and Bruno's on the block
Supermarket News, February 16, 2004
David Livingston, a Pewaukee, Wis.-based retail consultant, told SN neither chain is likely to be acquired by a single company "because they're performing poorly." He said the fate of Bi-Lo and Bruno's was likely to be similar to that of other recent, smaller divestments, such as the sale by Spartan Stores, Grand Rapids, Mich., of its Food Town units, or by A&P, Montvale, N.J., of its Kohl's stores in Wisconsin, where one chain bought a handful of units, independents took a few more, and the rest of the stores went unsold.

He added that recent store sales have rarely met sellers' expectations. "A lot of chains are surprised by how little they get for their stores," he noted.

However, Livingston observed that at least some of the Bi-Lo and Bruno's stores should attract buyers. "This could be an opportunity for Ingles, Kroger, Publix, Harris Teeter and Piggly Wiggly and a lot of independents to say, 'OK, maybe they've got a better location we can move into,"' he said.

Schnucks executes careful growth plan
Supermarket News, February 9, 2004
David Livingston, a retail consultant in Pewaukee, Wis., said Schnucks will never be guilty of getting in over its head by over-expanding. "They study the market carefully, and make slow, calculated moves," he said.

A&P expands food basics via conversions
Supermarket News, January 19, 2004
David Livingston, a Pewaukee, Wis.-based retail consultant, said he's been favorably impressed by a Food Basics store that he's visited several times in Windsor, Ontario, which lies just across the Canadian border from Detroit, but added that he didn't believe the format would work in the United States.

"I don't think A&P will ever lower prices enough," he said. "Aldi and Save-A-Lot are already in Detroit, and I can't see how A&P is going to get down to their level of pricing."

A family affair: A Wisconsin supermarket operator builds employee loyalty by involving the parents of his workers
Supermarket News, January 12, 2004
"He has this emotional attachment to his employees. The people who work for him will do anything for him."

David Livingston, a Pewaukee, Wis.-based retail consultant, offered a similar assessment. "He has very high employee morale," he said. "I've been in all of his stores, and the morale is through the roof. His employees just love working for him."

Facing an uphill battle: Shares of food retailers showed little growth in 2003, despite an improving economy
Supermarket News, January 12, 2004
The company also could face a challenge maintaining sales in the face of the growth of Wal-Mart and Roundy's in its markets, said David Livingston, a Pewaukee, Wis.-based retail consultant, earlier this year.

“Most analysts will evaluate the competition using either a microscope or telescope. I use a proctoscope.”

— David J. Livingston