Editor's note — This article features the first part of a merchandising conversation with Fall 2020 Produce Artist Award Series winner Andrew Lucero, a produce specialist for Fresh Thyme Market. Scroll to the end to check out the beautiful display photos Lucero submitted for the contest, and then head over to Part 2 of the conversation!
Fresh Thyme Market produce specialist Andrew Lucero, who was recognized this fall for the stellar work he submitted for PMG’s Produce Artist Award Series, has been in the business nearly 15 years.
He started his career as a bagger but always volunteered to help in the produce department whenever he got a chance, and he joined the produce team full-time as soon as the opportunity arose.
“I feel it’s an art form, and I love art, so that was one thing that really stuck with me,” Lucero said.
He’s been in his current role for about five years, and he has enjoyed the transition from running a single department to working with teams in a variety of stores.
“My whole role as a merchandiser and a specialist is to bring people along with me and be able to train them in what I know,” Lucero said. “There were things along the way when I was coming up that I realized, if someone would have taught me this, oh man, it would have saved me a ton of time, or it would have saved me (the) heartache” that came with some of the more difficult learning experiences.
Being able to share best practices with store teams and see them execute and have success has been a fulfilling part of the job for Lucero.
The look
Fresh Thyme focuses on building impactful, hand-stacked displays that create “Wow!” moments.
“The goal is to keep it fresh, keep it turning,” Lucero said. “Presentation sells. If it looks beautiful, you’re going to blow it out all day long.”
Training is the key to ensuring big displays can be shopped without anything falling down, Lucero said. Shrink can be limited by being strategic about what product is on those big displays and about how they are constructed.
“My goal is for the low-volume (stores) is to look exactly the same as the high-volume (stores), but through smoke and mirrors,” Lucero said.
“Through dummying up our displays, through putting foam, boxes, whatever we need to do in order to still get the big display, make it look ‘Wow!’ – but it’s got to make sense, it’s got to be something that’s going to sell, it’s got to be the right price, really being smart and more diligent about it in those (low-volume) stores.”