The Opportunity:

Beef Jerky Outlet opened their first franchise store in 2010 to take advantage of the growing popularity of beef jerky, which increased by 46% from 2009 to 2013 to over a $1.2B industry. The Beef Jerky Outlet (BJO) chain is a store concept dedicated to all things Jerky, including over 100 varieties and sizes.

The opportunity arose from the BJO Franchise owner’s desire to implement brand consistency across all their stores in the United States, which consist of 78 stores and 20 more scheduled for 2016, dispersed from Washington to New York. A new store design concept would need to be rolled out to new stores and eventually to legacy stores so that all franchise stores would have the same look and feel. They needed a vendor to fine-tune and execute their concept which had been designed by the respected retail store designer JGA. KDM aligned the best materials to the design intent, value engineered the store fixtures, and minimized the time to market for the installation.

The Solution:

A variety of textures were used in the décor and the store fixtures to give it a rustic feel that communicates the brand. Large, wooden barrels filled with jerky and wooden crates with t-shirts and promotional products. The logo signage behind the checkout features thick, braided rope on the outer edge and twine wrapped around cattle horns.

KDM POP Solutions Group collaborated with the Owner and General Contractor on the planning and execution of the prototype stores, followed by the roll-out of new stores and remodels. KDM’s comprehensive suite of retail solutions saves BJO Franchisee Operators valuable time and money by offering more services from one provider:

    • Custom fabrication, millwork and store fixtures
    • Store décor and lighting
    • Signage and graphics
    • Imported metal displays
    • Installation

KDM offered several innovations on the new store design:

        • Value engineering: modifications were made to the customer’s fixture designs to make them more feasible and practical to execute. Specs were altered to keep costs down.
        • KDM designed product bins as an addition to the cash wrap fixtures to gain incremental impulse sales at the register.
        • Designed additional displays in order to bring the branded apparel (t-shirts, etc.) out from behind the register and into the hands of shoppers.
        • Designed a freestanding merchandise display fixture to showcase and itemize their beef stick selection to gain incremental sales.

KDM provides BJO with additional value added products and services:

            • New store POP Kits: A-frame chalkboards, yard signs, window clings, sign flippers and in-store marketing signage
            • Custom temporary floor displays
            • Franchise-wide graphic signing program to consistently brand the stores
            • BJO Branded items: tents, flags, carpeted floor mats and counter mats
            • A custom online ordering site, called INTELLITRAK™, for the Franchisees to streamline the process of ordering printed to-go containers called “Beef Boxes”, product labels, business cards and loyalty cards unique to each store profile, all of which KDM produces, kits and distributes as well.

The Result:

KDM gets it done. Whatever BJO needs. Fast. The entire installation of the new store concept is completed in 2 ½ days which minimizes the time to market. This incredibly fast turn time saves the BJO Franchisee Owners an average of $2000 per day in lost sales or wasted rent payments that are incurred when the store is not opened on time.

Being reliable, flexible and having a “can do” attitude has earned KDM POP Solutions Group business that involves every division. What started with partnering with our KDM Retail division for the new concept rollouts for store fixtures, décor, signage and graphics has turned into a one-stop solution for every facet of the BJO stores: temporary, semi-permanent and permanent displays, branded products, packaging, labels, and POP kits.

Additionally, INTELLITRAK streamlines the process of ordering items specific to store locations. This capability saves the Marketing team loads of time by omitting spreadsheets, providing accurate inventory, tracking, and invoicing.

Paul Lyons, Beef Jerky Outlet co-founder, “From the very beginning, KDM has provided value to our enterprise. We have come to think of Samantha (Account Executive) and KDM not as just another vendor but rather a true partner. Vendors provide a service- true partners provide that service as if they were members of your organization. Regular vendors bring their culture to your operation- true partners incorporate themselves into your culture. There are a select few vendors that I trust enough to let them deal with our franchisees without supervision. KDM treats our people with at least as much care and attention as we ourselves do. KDM’s value to Beef Jerky Outlet Franchise lies in our ability to trust them. Trust that the install will be done properly and on time. Trust that when we ask for custom items or one-offs we are greeted with enthusiasm and not groans. The sales in the stores with the KDM built format are showing signs of positive ROI on the investment as well as additional sales from KDM designed feature fixtures. The best thing I can say about KDM is, if store design and build-out execution is a challenge for any retailer, hiring KDM is like adding an entire department of experienced and talented people all at once that you can trust like a family member.”

KDM is very proud to have been selected as the “BJO 2015 Vendor of the Year”. We look forward to the continued partnership in the quest to bring the Beef Jerky Outlet concept to life across America.

Learn More about Beef Jerky Outlet: www.beefjerkyoutlet.com