Where do you see the industry heading with all the changes that are going on today?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions and the same question that we have heard since the early days back in 1912. “Will the consolidation of the smaller players into the larger national players continue and how will it affect business? (this question was asked in 1925 relating to the growth of the Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) and how the chain and others like it at the time were leading to the “end of an era” in the locally operated grocery store business. I guess the best answer is that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The perspective we’ve gained over 100 years of business is that change is constant and things in business are always evolving. We at A.J. Letizio have made it our mission to embrace change and remain on the cutting edge. We’ve never lost sight of the fact that productivity and the ability to deliver a consistently exceptional service at a fair price, never goes out of style. Our customers, the individual operating units of our business will always need to be the focus in our industry as they are the ones who are buying the products that our clients sell. This will never change no matter what direction our industry takes. We make sure that we maintain close and personal relationships with every one of these operators and continue to serve them with an ever-evolving array of products, ideas and service that help them be profitable and successful. We make it our business to be able to meet or the service levels of our “national” counterparts, while delivering personalized, expert service and personal contact that make each client feel like they’re our only client.