{"id":17340,"date":"2020-10-28T11:57:55","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T15:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/?p=17340"},"modified":"2020-11-18T15:24:36","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T20:24:36","slug":"the-cortes-natural-food-co-ops-best-year-ever-for-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/the-cortes-natural-food-co-ops-best-year-ever-for-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cortes Natural Food Co-op’s best year ever for sales"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Roy L Hales<\/p>\n

The\u00a0pandemic<\/a>\u00a0inflicted deep financial wounds on some businesses; others prospered. Things looked pretty uncertain when the crisis reared its head last March but, as manager\u00a0Eric Hargrave<\/a>\u00a0explains, 2020 is turning into the\u00a0Cortes Natural Food Co-op<\/a>\u2019s best year ever.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Best year ever for sales<\/h2>\n

\u201cIn terms of net profit, it\u2019s the biggest we have ever seen \u2013 for the first half of the year at least, and we expect that to continue,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n

Hargave was pondering a much different scenario last March. He didn\u2019t know if he would need to close the doors and to go to deliveries only, or if the Co-op would have any staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarch and April were up about 33 per cent, compared to what they would usually be. That means we were profitable in the Spring, rather than just breaking even.\u00a0 Then the summer was busier than what we expected. We figured we\u2019d be down maybe 25 per cent. We were only down 10 per cent, so it was like a normal summer from a couple of years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Cortes<\/a>

Spinach and other vegtables at the Cortes Natural Food Co-op. Photo courtesy of the Cortes Natural Food Co-op.<\/p><\/div>\n

This fall<\/h2>\n

Sales volumes normally take an abrupt drop after Labour Day, but that didn\u2019t occur this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven in September and October, we are 25 per cent up over last year. Which is a lot \u2013 something I wouldn\u2019t have guessed,\u201d said Hargrave. \u201cJust right now, we are starting to see days that are comparable to what they were last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are \u2026 not coming to the store as often, but they are buying a lot more when they are at the store. They are looking for new and interesting things to take home because they have been cooking for awhile. They are willing to try new things. They aren\u2019t spending that money in restaurants, so they are generally willing to spend it in the grocery store,\" he added.<\/p>\n

A lot of people on this island right now<\/h2>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of people on this island right now. I do not know where they are staying, or where they are living, but a lot of people who decided to come when the pandemic started are still here. People who had a second home here, or that sort of thing, but we are also seeing new people<\/a>. I\u2019m not sure if they are just straight up tourists, or they are coming to visit other people they know here,\" Hargrave explained. \"We still have the occasional person just browsing, who has never been in our store before \u2013 which is very different for October.\u201d<\/p>\n

More<\/h2>\n

In the podcast above, Eric Hargrave also talks about keeping up supplies and how the Co-op Cafe is doing.<\/p>\n

Links of interest:<\/p>\n