The store, which is located in Somerdale, N.J., opened December 17 and represents Swiss Farms' first expansion into New Jersey.
"I am excited to bring this exceptional and unique shopping experience to New Jersey consumers. We plan to open two additional Swiss Farms stores in Camden County over the next [two years] establishing more critical [image-nocss] mass in our Jersey-side beachhead," Betz said.
"The store which boasts a dramatic sleek, award-winning architectural design and iconic fresh farm imagery, is built for fast service and selection, and is well positioned against area supermarkets with drive-thru convenience plus 'supermarket prices without the supermarket hassles," said Paul Friel, CEO of Swiss Farms Stores.
The store was built by partners William & Tony Santora, who own and operate A&E Construction Inc., a major construction management firm in the Philadelphia market.
A&E Construction also built the new Swiss Farms corporate prototype store in Ridley Park, Pa., which opened in November 2009. And based on its success with customers and employees alike, it became the model for the Somerdale store.
According to Rocco Fiorentino, president of Swiss Farms Franchising, "The Somerdale store embodies a list of elements that capture our joint vision of a world class drive-thru."
The Somerdale store is 1,600 feet, almost double the size of many current Swiss Farms stores. For faster service, there are two service doors on each side. And it has a bypass lane on each side, so if a customer is done with their order before the car in front of them, there is no waiting; they just drive around the car in front.
When the customer drives up to the new store, they encounter what looks like a glass house: floor to ceiling glass walls on three sides, rising 14 feet for maximum visibility. Custom racking systems complement the store with prominent product exposure, including refrigerated dairy and produce display cases. The result of this merchandising is that the store's interior serves the customer from the car, showing them the offerings and tagging sale prices.
For increased visibility merchandising, the new store has eight 46-inch LCD screens and a large LED pylon sign highly visible from the street. The entire system is integrated to a meteorological site tying the offers to the weather, so that it is promoting tea cooler and ice cream when the temperature hits 90; soup and hot chocolate when it drops to 30 degrees. The message also changes by daypart.
"With our digital signage, we have maximum flexibility in targeting our promotions and we don't kill a tree in the process. This is very green," said Rob Coldwell, franchise development director for Swiss Farms.
The store offers fresh-baked rotisserie chicken with sides of baked potatoes and veggies. There is also a fresh bakery in store with fresh artisanal loaves, muffins and cookies. An expanded line of produce is in evidence as well as a line of fresh Swiss Farms dinners.
"This is a high-touch business," said Betz. "We are now using technology and superior store design to make the Swiss Farms customer experience more efficient and delightful. But I'm not stopping there. Our store associates will always be up front and center, providing a world-class customer service experience. That's our calling card."
Broomall, Pa.-based Swiss Farms has operated corporate stores in Delaware and Chester County, Pa., since 1968. Swiss Farms is a convenient replacement for the supermarket express lane, where customers pick up staples such as milk, bread, drinks, produce, meals-to-go, eggs and ice cream without getting out of the car. Swiss Farms has launched a franchising program, with the intention to expand the concept nationwide, with emphasis on multi-unit franchisees.
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