Rita York Hennecke
From the general manager
KCK Location Updates
Rita York Hennecke, General Manager
The Merc Co+op’s store in Kansas City, KS is growing to better serve the community. While operating this downtown store has been challenging due to low foot traffic, we are encouraged to see that we are steadily approaching the necessary sales volume to turn a profit. Residential and mixed-use developments in the area are gaining traction and once those come to fruition, we are optimistic about the long-term sustainability of the store. Here are a few recent updates and successes.
Sales Growth: In Q3 of this year (January-March), our KCK store saw a 3.07% increase in sales compared to the same time last year. In April, we had the second highest sales month since opening in 2020! Most notably, our packaged grocery, bakery, produce, and meat and seafood departments have shown the strongest growth. We are especially excited to see a 15% increase in filtered water refills, as this shows a shift towards reusable bottles instead of single-use plastic ones.
We want to recognize and appreciate our new Management Team at the KCK store.
Seleste is joining us as the new Store Manager today, May 13. With her experience in managing diverse teams and exceptional organizational and customer service skills, we are looking forward to her leadership.
Dakota, our Grocery Manager, joined the team in January of 2024. Dakota is responsible for packaged grocery, dairy, frozen and the front end and his experience has been crucial in driving recent sales growth.
Tessa, who joined us last fall, has been doing a great job as a specialist in our produce, meat, deli, and bakery sections. We're excited to announce that Tessa has been promoted to manage all these areas!
Daynai joined us in March 2023, and has been promoted to Fresh Specialist. She is always ready to greet our guests and engage with staff. With her amazing people skills and hardworking attitude, she has played a crucial role in the success of our grocery department and we’re excited she’s taking on new responsibilities.
Jenesis started at the co-op in 2022, and is as our new Grocery Specialist, she brings valuable experience to the team. She plays a vital role in our grocery department, acts as lead trainer, excels at prioritizing and delegating tasks, ensuring that everything runs smoothly.
Community Outreach
In February, several board members came together to find ways to better reach residents in the KCK area about our store. We held our first KCK Advisory Council meeting and will be having our follow-up meeting this month. This group of community leaders has helped us understand misconceptions about our co-op and has connected us with other groups to build lasting relationships.
We are thankful to all our KCK store shoppers, staff, and board members for their dedication and support in spreading the word about our co-op. We take pride in carefully selecting products, improving the shopping experience, and actively engaging with the community.
If you are unfamiliar with our store and how we came to be in this low-income, low-access community, please visit this link: KCK Expansion — The Merc Co+op.
