Harris Teeter 2005 Annual Report Download - page 10

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Ruddick Corporation & Subsidiaries Annual Report 2005
monitor what is being harvested from the sea to
provide our customers with several fresh seafood
items weekly through our Fresh Catch program.
As part of our private-label meat program, we
now offer two quality grades of beef, Harris
Teeter Rancher®and Harris Teeter Reserve®
Angus Beef. Our programs are designed to not
only provide a wide selection of items, but also
offer the services that our customers have come to
expect. From our Harris Teeter Farmers Market® ,
Harris Teeter Green Thumb Experts®are trained
and available to answer any questions our
customers may have regarding our fresh produce
selection. As they shop, our customers are offered
helpful preparation ideas and recipes throughout
each of our perishable departments.
During 2005 we initiated our accelerated
growth plan by opening 10 new supermarkets
while closing three existing stores for a net square
footage increase of 7.8%. In addition, we
acquired six stores from Winn-Dixie that are
located in our existing markets. We are currently
in the process of remodeling these six stores in
order to transform them into Harris Teeter
supermarkets. During the year we also completed
the remodeling of 14 stores. Our new and
remodeled stores are unique to the markets in
which they reside. These store designs may
incorporate specialty departments such as cooking
and pasta stations, cheese stations and olive bars
or expanded prepared foods, depending on the
demographics of the market area.