Driving force

Bashas' drove into the winner's circle with a temporary supermarket set up on the grounds of the Phoenix International Raceway. Housed in a 6,500-square-foot tent near the RV parking area, the store offered a full range of grocery products to pit crews, teams, and patrons, and was by all accounts a smash hit. It was in operation from Nov. 4 through Nov. 10 and was open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

"The store was a huge success," says Mimi Meredith, director of public relations for the Chandler, Ariz.-based chain. "Our customer count was 18,000 and we did close to $200,000 in sales."

"Our guests can't tell us enough how much they love it," says Kenny Kane, director, publicity & business development, at Phoenix International Raceway. "In fact, if it came to the point where we didn't have it, we would probably be in trouble with the fans. It is one of the most popular fan amenities at our track. People write us letters and send us e-mails about the store."

This was the third year that a supermarket has been part of the NASCAR Busch Series Race at the track; Albertsons operated the store the first two years. "Albertsons was a year-to-year contract, and then we entered into a three-year arrangement with Bashas'. They are also the title sponsor of our Busch Series Race, and that is why we switched from Albertsons to Bashas'," Kane says.

The store was a mini-version of a full, conventional supermarket, and included groceries, over-the-counter medicines, perishables, a full meat case, Seattle's Best coffee bar, barbecue pit, and bakery with fresh doughnuts brought in every morning. "We sold a lot of birthday cakes. They came up with a special car-shaped cake and would design it for whatever driver the customer was supporting. That was a big hit," Meredith says.

"Our only limitation was that we couldn't sell individual servings of anything because that would have been in competition with the food vendors," she adds, noting that Bashas' popular breakfast burritos had to be sold by the four-pack.

Construction of the store was orchestrated by Telle Ann Dong, one of Bashas' retail specialists. "She studied what Albertsons did last year and went to look at other stores at other tracks to see how they could try to bring some extra services and conveniences for the crews," Meredith says.

Help was provided by the race vendors and sponsors. "Frito-Lay, Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi, and General Mills all helped with the store layout, and they were provided with endcaps. We had a member lounge next to the store, and Pepsi and Frito-Lay donated the snacks for that. Other sponsors paid for a massage therapist to come in and give neck and shoulder massages to the crew members working out there at the track," Meredith says.

The track's isolation also helped the store's popularity. Phoenix International Raceway is located in Avondale, a good 20 miles from downtown Phoenix, and is literally in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by cotton fields, mountains, desert, an Air Force base, and saguaro cactus. The race attracted an estimated 100,000 patrons, and more than 5,000 recreational vehicles and motor homes set up camp near the store. "The RV following is just incredible, and they set up a little city for the duration of the race. Some of them are family and extended support groups for the race teams, but a lot of them are just avid race fans who follow these drivers all across the country," Meredith says.

Security concerns have cut down on what can be brought into the track, and that also helped Bashas'. Patrons entering with bags and coolers must place them in a little box no bigger than a six-pack, similar to what passengers with carry-on luggage have to do at airports.

One of Bashas' most popular features was the barbecue pit, modeled after its Eddie's Country Store, which sold tri-tip steak, slabs of ribs, and chicken. "That was a huge hit," Meredith says, adding that employees also volunteered to run errands, including going to the hardware store to pick up things like tarps, which endeared them to the patrons and crew. "We provided anything we had to offer, but we were also willing to go to other retail outlets and bring back things for them," she says.

The store accepted the Bashas' Thank You frequent shopper card and charged the same prices as the chain's regular stores. "People were pleased that we were charging regular prices," Meredith says.

The store was such a hit that officials from some of Phoenix International Raceway's sister parks around the country flew in to see how it worked. "It was exciting for us that it got that kind of attention," she says.