Lifestyle Markets, Victoria, BC, celebrates 30th anniversary
By Bruce W. Cole
This is a big anniversary year for Lifestyle Markets in Victoria, BC. It was 30 years ago—in 1995—when Lifestyle Markets first opened on Victoria’s Douglas Street with the goal to offer natural and organic produce and groceries, supplements, vitamins, and bodycare products.
Thirty years later, Lifestyle Markets is still operating out of its 10,000 sq. ft. flagship location, and it has two other outlets: a 2,400 sq. ft. space in Victoria’s Cook St. Village and a 1,200 sq. ft. spot 30 minutes north in Sidney. Lifestyle Markets has become an integral part of the communities it serves, and has established itself as the destination for people seeking knowledgeable, professional advice and a wide selection of quality natural and organic products.
Carmine Sparanese has been around for all of it, from the very beginning. In fact, he has been around since before the beginning. Prior to the store opening, he was hired by founder Lorraine Peterson to get things up and running. He had a hand in every aspect of setting up and launching the store. Carmine stayed on, becoming the store’s general manager, overseeing the entire operation, opening the two additional locations, and ultimately attaining an ownership position.
The secret to longevity
Who would know the secret to Lifestyle Markets’ longevity and success better than Carmine? He is more than happy to share the formula: “Our secret is staying true to our roots. We came into this business 30 years ago to bring quality natural supplements, organic and natural foods, and ideas to live a healthy lifestyle to our community, and we’ve never swayed from that. We just have a certain way of doing it. We are not trying to mimic others. We have not tried to copy anyone else’s playbook. We’ve created our own retailing recipe.”
When asked specifically about what Lifestyle Markets does differently from other health food stores, Carmine really can’t answer that—because he’s not tracking competition, he’s focused on staying true to his vision of serving the community with purpose. “We’ve created our own way of doing things. For us, it’s just about pleasing our customers as best we can.”
The ideas for improvements to service and systems, what products to bring in, and content for product displays or promotions come primarily from two sources: staff and customers.
“Most often, an idea is presented by one of our store managers or department managers,” explains Carmine. “But in reality, those ideas that are raised in a conversation or at a manager meeting are generally brought forward by consumer demand. Again, it goes back to listening to our customers and giving them what they want. There’s only so much you can re-invent in retail.” Carmine believes the real difference lies in how people are treated. He emphasizes the importance of making everyone—whether a staff member or a customer—feel that their input is valued.
Connected to community
Carmine says that, like most health food stores, being engaged with your community is vital. “We try to take part in local events as much as possible. We are honoured that people of the community think of us and ask us to take part in a harvest event or a cycling race, really anything within the health-related realm. If we’re invited, we always try to be a part of it. Local events are something we have embraced since the beginning.”
Having high visibility in the community by taking part in events often results in those full circle moments a store dreams about. “As an example, we may have had a local athlete that we supported along the way 15 years ago. They may now have a child in school and their class is having an event or year-end auction, so we help out. We’ve seen a lot of kids we have supported previously who are now parents. Some have shopped with us all along, and they think of you when it comes to community support. That relationship we started all those years ago still exists. It’s nice.”
It’s all about customers
Everything starts with customers, and everything ends with customers, Carmine points out. After witnessing this “customer-first” strategy up close for three decades, he knows it is working. “When our customers shop here, I know they feel comfort, and a level of trust, knowing someone is going to guide them to find the products they want or are best for them.
“They know they are getting value from shopping with us. We are primarily focused on bringing forward the best we can, in all areas, be it product selection, advice, pricing … everything.”
Culture at store’s foundation
This relentless focus on customers first is truly at the heart of Lifestyle Markets’ corporate culture. Everything revolves around it. Culture is often the personality of an organization. A strong culture can drive employee engagement, innovation, and collaboration, ultimately impacting business performance. Finding the right people is the first step to maintaining the store’s culture. “Our culture is a difference maker, because we have people whose intention and heart are right here.”
Carmine gives an example, imagining all current staff at Lifestyle Markets being replaced by people from outside our industry. “It’s still going to be a store, but it’s not going to be the same. Of course, it’s going to be a different culture. Hiring good people, the right people, is key. To work here, there has to be a base of, ‘I love what’s happening in your store, I love your store.’
“Before they join us, maybe they are already a customer or highly interested in the products for our environment. The key is bringing the right people at the start, people with the fire and the heart. Base knowledge might not be there yet, but the individuals we bring in have great intentions.”
Strong managers
Lifestyle Markets’ culture is further encouraged and built upon through the strength of department and store managers. “It all starts with the managers,” says Carmine. “They are an extension of what we’ve established. They are the difference makers. That’s the key. While training our staff, the managers reinforce how we treat our customers. That always entails explaining our culture.”
Carmine speaks with his store and department managers regularly. “It’s ongoing. Not daily, but a few times a week. It can be about a specific issue or just a general conversion. This helps maintain our culture moving forward.”
One of the keys to sustaining Lifestyle Markets’ unique culture is having the right people on the team. That raises an important question: where do you find the kind of individuals who are the right fit for that role?
“We usually rely on the regular sources, by placing ads on employment websites,” he says. “But above everything else, what has been the strongest, most successful method for us is word of mouth. At times, the staff helps us recruit. When positions come up in their departments, they often have suggestions, maybe a friend of a friend or someone they know who is attending herbal college. This works better than the job boards. The staff is identifying candidates who are already interested in this realm. We are not looking for mass volume when we search.”
Bringing in the right products
Being on Vancouver Island, it is a given that carrying local products has always been important for Lifestyle Markets. “I feel we have certainly been ahead of the curve in this area, and very proud that we’ve always supported our local organic farmers and producers. Featuring local has always been our goal whenever possible. This has been a priority since day one.”
Often, vendors—especially start-ups—meet massive obstacles when trying to land their products on the shelves of retailers. Being picked up by a broker or distributor makes it easier. But for many, that is easier said than done. Carmine says Lifestyle Markets does its best to accommodate these smaller or newer producers. “We do work with local producers that aren’t going through distributors or brokers. What we ask for is proper packaging and labeling for retail in Canada. And that is something we can help them with, or at least refer them to someone who can help them. We will try and bring local producers on when it is reasonable, when it meets our standards. That is key. It goes back to the beginning: helping our customers get the best. We are staying true to our beliefs. We will not offer conventional products.”
Partnering with established brands
Lifestyle Markets does have its own house brand of products, but Carmine clarifies that it is not an area of focus for them. “It’s not what separates us. We prefer working with existing brands. They are our partners who we’ve worked with for years, some as long as 30 years. We’ve created beautiful relationships. So, that’s where we focus. They’re the ones who do the hard work: things like product sourcing, ingredient sourcing, and consumer education. Respect to them, especially in this environment and industry, where it’s not always the easiest to do business in.”
Store offerings
For natural health industry members, any visit to Victoria must include a stop at the flagship store, which in a previous life was a flooring/carpet store.
It’s a full-service operation with a large grocery department with organic produce; an impressive health and beauty section; a vast selection of supplements, vitamins, and homeopathic products; and a juice bar and deli. One of the store’s most defining elements is a wide, gently sloping ramp that allows shoppers to gradually transition from the front part of the store to the lower back section. Carmine laughs describing this feature: “It used to be one of our biggest anchors, but over the years, we’ve found creative ways to utilize it with product displays.”
The other two locations do not have the space to be full-service, but the Cook St. Village store does offer some organic produce and dairy. The Sidney location features primarily supplements and homeopathics, along with a nice grocery selection.
After all this time, after 30 years of being at the lead of creating one of Canada’s most iconic health food stores, after attaining a stake in the business as a part-owner, Carmine remains humble. He still goes by his original title: general manager. No fanfare. He considers himself to be fortunate to be in this position after all these years.
Carmine gives credit to the woman who had faith in him all those years ago. “Kudos to Lorraine Peterson. I’ve worked with her since 1995. I’ve been lucky to have her share her wisdom with me over the years. Lorraine has played a big part in us creating this positive culture. I can’t imagine we’d be where we are without her.”
As for the future, Carmine says you can expect to see more of the same—the model that has worked for Lifestyle Markets for three decades. “We are going to continue building upon this culture that has served us so well.”