Woodman's at 100: Janesville Grocer Bets on Methodical Growth and Low Prices | Madison Wisconsin Business News

Enter the Woodman's Market and you will not find roast chickens, olive bars or even a deli counter full of gourmet salads.

You'll see acres of produce and groceries from around the world, some of the lowest in the world, and occasionally CEO Phil Woodman, whose grandfather started the business a century ago: 'grocery.

The Janesville-based company, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, has managed to do things a little differently from the competition.

Unlike many other chains, Woodman's still resembles the grocery store of 20 years ago, centered on the "central store".

"You went to buy your frozen cereals, soup and beans," O'Brien said. "Since then, this area has been greatly minimized compared to the outside edge, where you can find your deli meats, fresh produce, salad bars, olives and artisbad cheeses …"

This is part of Woodman's deliberate strategy of offering a wide selection at unbeatable prices, said Clint Woodman, president of the company and fourth generation of his family, at the management of the company.

"Anything that will increase our prices, we stay away from," said Woodman.

In years past, Woodman had been experimenting with gourmet grocery stores, bakeries and even roast chickens, said President Phil Woodman, Clint's father.

"We did not appreciate this end of the market," he said. "When you do that, it creates huge expenses, which hurts the center store."

Woodman's annual sales of more than $ 1 billion began in 1919 as a fruit and vegetable producer in Janesville following the sale of the family farm by John Woodman.

John's son, Willard, entered the business and, in 1921, they moved into a 580-square-foot store called Woodman's Super-Service Grocery.

They expanded the store several times before John Woodman's death in 1936. Business continued to grow over the next two decades, and in 1956 Woodman's opened a new 11,000-square-foot store.

Willard's son, Phil, now president of the company, began sorting empty bottles in Janesville's original store in 1953 when he was 10 years old.

"At that time, the grocery stores had only the essential – Heinz 57 and Tide," he said.

Phil badumed a management role after graduating from college in the 1960s and, in 1971, added a second store to Beloit.

Woodman's moved to the Madison Market in 1979, opening a 90,000 square foot "hypermarket" on Highway 51 and Milwaukee Street, and five years later, the 210,000 square foot Watts Road store, including a warehouse. in the basement.

The company then opened stores in Appleton, Green Bay, La Crosse and Kenosha – and later in northern Illinois and in the Milwaukee area.

O'Brien said Woodman's was attracting customers who were more concerned about feeding their families than growing their rocket.

"As stores become a bit more inclined, a valued customer may feel left behind," he said. "Woodman's went to the value track."

There are other things that distinguish Woodman.

The stores are huge – usually about 240,000 square feet. Each requires about 30 acres and has its own warehouse, which allows the company to buy directly.

They do not accept credit cards – "we should raise our prices by 3%," said Clint Woodman – although there are ATMs.

And the company belongs to its employees.

"It's a bit of a base for our success," said Clint Woodman. "Employees have an interest in the operation of the company."

Woodman's is also known for its slow and methodical growth. The chain will open its 18th site later this summer in Lakemoor, Illinois.

"It took Woodman 100 years to go to 17 stores," said David Livingston, supermarket consultant. "They could have installed 1,000 more stores in this country, but they did not do it."

This is partly because Woodman does not hire outside executives or managers.

"Basically, all Woodman employees began as baggers and progressed," Clint Woodman said. "We do not open a new store until we have enough managers and trained people."

But Woodman did not resist the change.

In 1975, it was the first Wisconsin store to use barcode readers, which, according to Phil Woodman, revolutionized the grocery sector.

In the 80s, they added video rentals and, in the 90s, photo processing to attract customers. Woodman's made a foray into the pharmacy sector, which Phil describes as a failure.

"We tried all these things," he said. "If they worked, we improved them and we grew up. If we fail, we move on to something else.

Today, they offer online shopping and delivery services via shopwoodmans.com and a smartphone app.

"It's a growing part of the business for us," said Clint Woodman. "Customers can order from us and continue to buy their really cheap shopping."

Later this summer, Woodman plans to launch a mobile shopping app that allows customers to scan items with a phone and bypbad payment leads.

At the dawn of its second century, Woodman's remains focused on slow, voluntary growth and remains true to its mission while continuing to adapt to new technologies.

"Everything is changing," said Phil Woodman. "Nothing is permanent in the world but changes. I like that. Change continuously. "