“Wegmans is ahead of the curve in the supermarket industry in banning cigarette sales.” “Wegmans markets itself to upscale customers as a grocer that sells fresh, wholesome food, which dovetails nicely from a marketing perspective with the decision to eliminate cigarettes.  However, don’t expect other supermarkets to follow suit, cigarettes are too profitable to remove.”

“An independent should never be out-freshed; never be out-serviced and never out-communityized.” “They ought to be able to get closer and stay closer to their customers than the larger folks just because of the size dimension.” “They should be the ‘my hometown’ type of store.”

“Safeway didn’t change the banner.  It changed everything else when it bought Genuardi’s.” “Giant is going to change the banner, and I think the key will be to maintain as much of the integrity of Clemens as they can.”