LAUDERDALE LAKES – When Wal-Mart Store Manager Charlie Martin arrived on the scene three years ago prior to the opening of his new Lauderdale Lakes, Florida store, he didn’t know what to expect – shopper wise.
Some had told him that he would get a largely Hispanic clientele in his store located at the intersection of Oakland Park Blvd. and U.S. Hwy. 441 (State Road #7). It didn’t take long for him to find out otherwise.
His customer base includes large numbers of Jamaicans and Haitians, in addition to Dominicans,
other Hispanics, Anglos and nonwhites.
The area is a real ethnic melting pot, and successful retailers must really be on their toes to meet all the needs of the large consumer base.
Knowing little of the Caribbean lifestyle and less about Caribbean foods, Martin knew he needed help.
He met Lauderdale Lakes Mayor Sam Brown who became his conduit to meet others within the community.
It was during this search to understand his shopper base that led to Martin meeting Patrick Cha-Fong, president of Kingston-Miami Trading Co. Kingston-Miami Trading Co. is 51% owned by Cha-Fong’s wife, Christine, and carries National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) certification. Together, the couple has operated the company from its Miami-based headquarters and distribution center for over 25 years and have grown into the premier distributor of Caribbean foods (both national brands and their own quality labels), distributing throughout Florida, the Southeast, nationally and internationally as well.
“I credit Patrick for teaching me much of what I now know how to best serve our Caribbean customers,” Martin recently told TODAY’S GROCER. “His expertise and assistance transcend beyond his own product lines. When we first started, it was Patrick who told me we must make available ready-to eat jerk chickens for our customers.”
It’s hard to pinpoint what Caribbean-style products sell best in this store. Volume is so great, they all sell well. Some of the fast movers though would include coconut water, Nestlé Supligen, canned mackerel, packaged ginger tea and K-MT’s exclusive line of its own JCS® (Jamaican Country Style) brand soft drinks, developed and formulated by Patrick Cha-Fong, in both 2-liter PET bottles and smaller sizes in glass.
Martin must be a good student. Both he and his store have become very good at serving Caribbean clientele. So good, in fact, that today the Lauderdale Lakes store is the top seller of these foods in Florida and perhaps the nation. “We’ve learned a lot from our distributor partner/friends at K-MT, and we’ve learned a lot from our customers as well,” Martin says. “These products are unbelievable sellers. Because we buy in large quantities and keep our costs low, we have had tremendous success here in our store.”
“It used to be that the busiest aisle in our store was the cereal aisle,” Martin says. “But now it’s our Caribbean Foods aisle.”
Success doesn’t come without hard work and good service, both of which the Lauderdale Lakes Wal- Mart get in good measure from its vendor/partner, Kingston-Miami Trading Co. The store receives KMT deliveries five days a week and is serviced daily by a team headed by K-MT Account Executive, Reggie Chong. “I think Reggie must live here,” Martin quipped, “We get strong support from K-MT. They are among our very best DSD suppliers.” The Lauderdale Lakes Wal-Mart is only one of many serviced by KMT.
Many Wal-Mart store managers put confidence in the company to set up their Caribbean sections which have in turn proven successful for both companies.
Charlie Martin has learned a lot in his thirty years of retailing. Prior to his arrival at Lauderdale Lakes, he managed a traditional Wal-Mart location, also in Broward County.
He still enjoys the business – perhaps, now more than ever and continues learning every day.
He has learned a real appreciation for the volume potential and profitability of Caribbean-style
foods. With a good distributor like Kingston-Miami Trading Co., who knows what tomorrow holds in store!
(Reprinted with permission as appeared in TODAY’S GROCER)
