Andronico’s Community Markets’ CEO, certified health coach and group exercise instructor Suzy Monford wears a lot of hats. Several of which she transitioned between during the session “Improving the Health of Your Brand,” which she kicked off at the Health and Wellness Summit presented by SN with an energizing group stretch.
“We think about health and wellness as vitamins, supplements and nutrition bars. That’s health and wellness, and sometimes pharmacy,” Monford said during the session held Wednesday at Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore. “I’m saying fitness. Why? I’m going to use fitness as a business case example. Some people say ‘follow the money.' I say ‘follow the fitness’ if you want to evolve and innovate your business.”
Monford pointed to increased demand for innovative fitness providers Soul Cycle, Flywheel and Orangetheory.
“SoulCycle was the first niche studio environment that you had to book online. They understood supply and demand and culture but they use technology for their customer acquisition platform,” she explained.
“Flywheel added on personal metrics, personal tracking. You go in and ride their bike and five or six times during the class they put the screen up there and you see where you’re ranking in, and all of the sudden you see your heart rate and your metrics and you’re working a little bit harder.”
Monford added that Orangetheory Fitness, which aims to keep the heart rates of exercisers in an optimal zone, is the fastest growing franchise of any type in the world right now.
“With the advent of the ACA and this pandemic of ‘diabesity,’ where people finally start to wake up to their health, fitness has led out and people have said, ‘Hey, we can customize tailor a solution for you. We can give you personal coaching, we can track your metrics and help you be that new social media athlete.’
“Say goodbye to old school health and wellness. There is a massive opportunity to address the unmet need for more than just pharmacists and dietitians because people want us to bring everything together. With FitMarket we’re synthesizing and creating a holistic and virtuous cycle to how we shop, cook, eat, live, exercise,” said Monford of Andronico’s new health and fitness community program for shoppers and employees, including health coaching, nutrition and fitness guidance from leading professionals. Andronico's, a five-store chain, is based in San Leandro, Calif.
She shared a video showing the program's launch, with attendees.
As reported in SN, supporters of the program include Michael Pollan and the Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition, whose works provide healthy eating and living tips used on signs around the store aimed at educating and inspiring consumers to make healthy choices.
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