Bridging cultures and customers around grocery stores

In this episode, we discuss grocery stores retailing worldwide with Frederic Levy-Perrault, Al-Raya CEO, the leading supermarket chain in western Saudi Arabia, and one of the ‘Top 10 Leaders in the GCC – 2022’ according to CEO Insights Asia. He has also been CEO and Country Manager at Majid Al Futtaim, where he has been in charge of positioning Carrefour KSA at the forefront of retail in Saudi Arabia, and spent 9 years at Carrefour, including 2 years in France as Store Manager, over 4 years in Japan as General Manager, and 2 years in Thailand as Regional Manager. So he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to managing grocery stores around the world.

It is precisely his extensive experience in the grocery retail industry that we start talking about.  “The biggest challenge,” he says, “is to connect with the neighborhood of the store.” He means the importance of listening to and understanding the perceptions of customers in different countries. “I have benefited from consumers who are outspoken,” he explains, to identify how best to approach them.

He also underlines the need to create a customer-oriented culture and how it is crucial to involve the whole team to ensure its success. “In retail and in supermarkets, you need people, and people who have the right culture to do the right things for customers,” he emphasizes. 

The guest also discusses the significant challenges faced in managing complex retail operations, especially in rapidly changing environments such as Saudi Arabia.  “In retail, every day is a new day,” he says, “especially in a market like Saudi Arabia that has been changing so fast.” He underlines the importance of managing change in sync with the team, as it is crucial for the success of the transformation. 

It also recognizes the critical role of technology in overcoming operational complexity and facilitating various retail processes. Although digitization is a great enabler, it can be challenging for some employees who have been with the company for decades and are not as tech-savvy. In this sense, he again emphasizes teamwork to ensure the success of the necessary digital transformation. But one thing he is sure of, having a software like Orquest, “is definitely an opportunity for us to improve employee satisfaction, company productivity and customer service”.

Finally, Frédéric talks about his business philosophy, which can be summed up as “doing the right thing”. He highlights the importance of sincerity, truth and respect in interactions with people, whether they are employees, customers or partners. He also mentions the importance of the human touch in the retail sector, and sees the future in creating exceptional in-store experiences through technology and building strong social connections with customers. 

Listen to the full conversation for more insights. A transcript of the entire episode is also available. And if you enjoyed this topic, check out our CEO Alberto Del Barrio’s article on operational efficiency in supermarkets. Don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode of RETALES, from retailers to retailers.