Grocery shoppers don’t think about the equipment needed to maintain bakeries, deli and meat counters and hot food sections; they simply appreciate the convenience. But grocery stores like Acme work hard to provide the cakes and cookies, freshly cut meats and cheeses and pre-cooked meals customers expect.
Rotisseries, pressure fryers, ovens, bread and meat slicers and even knives and hand-wrap stations make this happen. For these needs, Acme has relied on CFED for more than 25 years.
A Working Partnership
The F.W. Albrecht Grocery Co., known as Acme, has served customers for 125 years. Like CFED, Acme is a third-generation family business. CFED is their equipment supplier for everything in the meat, deli and bakery departments.
When a new Acme store opens, or an Acme store is remodeled, CFED helps facilitate all the equipment purchases. But that’s just the start of the relationship.
“We have daily contact with Acme team members,” says Mike Gealy. “Our involvement goes beyond supplying equipment. We also offer training and support, handle purchases and repairs and constantly look for innovative ways to meet their changing needs.”
Trusted Brands and Industry Knowledge
When Acme has a new product offering, they turn to CFED to research the best products and come up with solutions. Mike Gealy helped Acme purchase and use the Ovention oven to support their new pizza and hot sandwich program.
“Acme trusts CFED because we have access to so many products through both ITW and PRIDE,” says Mike Gealy. “With PRIDE, our buying group, we have more than 80 different manufacturers to purchase from, giving us an edge over our competition. We can consider specific needs and choose the best option because of our extensive access.”
CFED’s depth of knowledge about products translates to bottom-line benefits for Acme. A purchase of a Unox combi oven enabled Acme to save $10,000 compared to the price of similar ovens on the market. Five years later, the oven continues to serve their needs.