Hartford Business Journal

17 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | May 23, 2022 Daniel D'Aprile took over D&D Market from his father, Achille. One of the big moves Daniel made over the years was relocating the store from Hartford to Wethersfield, which has improved sales dramatically. HBJ PHOTO | GREG BORDONARO PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Wayne Pesce leads the Connecticut Food Association. 115 full-timers, and like many businesses, is experiencing high turnover in a tight job market. "We're constantly interviewing because we know we're going to need people," he said. Nationally, food retailers have hired hundreds of thousands of new workers to manage the surge in demand for food and other durable goods that have stretched their stores, warehouses and supply chains, said Wayne Pesce, president of the Connecticut Food Association. "While companies are adjusting strategies to get through each virus surge, most are already working to change their labor models to avoid similar challenges in the future," Pesce said. Highland Park, said Devanney, has installed new online technology to handle a huge increase, particularly at the Manchester location, in e-commerce and call-in orders as curbside and home delivery services continue. "Before the pandemic, if we had 10 call-in orders a day, that would be heavy. During the pandemic, 100 call-in orders a day became average," he said. While Highland Park has gained new customers, the goal is to now keep them, he said. A customer loyalty program was introduced at the end of last year, which has proven more valuable given rising inflation. The online data analytics also allow the company to identify buying trends by zip code. "We're seeing a lot of price changes across the board and we want to show people why they should stay with us, that we can help you work on that food bill that's rising every month," he said. Pesce said independent grocers will need to continue to adjust to the new norm, which includes inflation, ongoing supply chain and labor disruptions and adjusting to new consumer buying patterns and behaviors, including their preference for online shopping. "Leveraging innovation and technology to reach customers and meeting that demand will be critical," Pesce said. Fresh ideas D&D Market has managed past hurdles, including in 1962, for example, when its downtown Hartford location was razed to make way for Constitution Plaza. D&D Market moved to a larger, 6,000-square- foot retail space on Franklin Avenue, in the South End known as the city's Little Italy, where in his youth, D'Aprile spent time doing odd jobs. He officially joined the family business in the early 1980s after graduating from Morse School of Business in Hartford. He left Nichols College in Massachusetts after his freshman year when an injury benched him from playing football there. In 1984, at age 22, he found himself at the helm of the family business, newly married to his wife, Rosanna, after both his grandfather and father suffered but survived massive heart attacks. Vito worked well into his golden years, he said, dying in 1999; Achille died in 2020 at the age of 80. The business courses he took at Morse, D'Aprile said, enhanced his understanding of marketing, accounting and other skills he picked up from working with his grandfather and father. "I brought the company youth and fresh ideas," he said. He also tinkered with the business model, expanding its line of imported products and wholesale and catering businesses, while streamlining the number of American brands that customers could find at big grocery chains. The changes were necessary as in-store traffic at the Hartford location continued to decline as more neighborhood patrons migrated to the suburbs, he said. "The [Hartford] store became a destination for shoppers, particularly around holidays but lacked daily customers," he recalled. Seven years ago, D&D Market joined the migration in its move to Wethersfield, where his family lives, and to a location that had previously been owned by its only nearby competitor carrying imported Italian food products. Another reason for the move was the growing cost of doing business from Hartford's high commercial property tax rate, D'Aprile said, and he had been eyeing the Wethersfield property for years. The transition has been successful, with revenues growing about 40% prior to the pandemic, he said, and with imported products now making up about 70% of all products carried, a mix updated to meet evolving customer palates, including a complete line of gluten-free pastas. "I would have never thought that possible," he said. "It tastes like real pasta." Next generations D'Aprile's daughter Lisa has been in charge of the store's website and social media accounts, which include Twitter and Facebook, for the past decade to alert customers to new products and specials. But D'Aprile said the store continues to emphasize the customer experience, with the butcher shop, for example, providing customized cuts, or deli, hand-sliced imported cheeses. "We actually wait on customers," he said. As a result of the pandemic, the market added six full-time employees to its pre-pandemic staff of 38 full- time and two part-time workers to meet rising customer demand. In 2022, sales haven't slowed down from the pandemic peak, D'Aprile said, though rising inflation is a problem, as well as a truck drivers' shortage in transporting imported goods from ports. Inevitably these costs are being passed along to customers through higher prices, which he's trying to manage. D'Aprile said he still puts in 75- to 80-hour workweeks, but has no plans to retire. He's enthusiastic that a fourth generation is now involved, with son-in-law Jordan Timpson recently joining the business. Son Daniel, an attorney, is also involved behind the scenes, and there's a promise for a fifth generation, with birth of twins Harrison and Hudson, grandsons born by Lisa and Jordan last year. "I see a light at the end of the tunnel," D'Aprile said of his succession planning. >> D&D Market Continued >> Highland Park Continued

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