Draft:Green Hills 1

Green Hills Farms, Inc. is an independent, family-owned grocery store in Syracuse, New York, that retails bakery, deli, grocery, meat, prepared foods, seafood, and other products. The store is noteworthy for its unique customer loyalty program, which focuses on encouraging already-loyal customers to spend more money, instead of seeking new customers. This strategy has helped it stay competitive against larger grocery stores in the area.

The history of Green Hills Farms can be traced to 1934 when Carrie Hawkins began selling farm vegetables at a table along the road. The farm stand eventually grew into a small grocery store, and in the 1960s, grandson Keith Hawkins bought a large field where he built a shopping center. From there, the Green Hills Farms Grocery Store was established on April 13, 1977. Great-grandson Gary Hawkins took over the family business in 1985 and launched a successful loyalty program, which significantly boosted sales and customer identification. This innovation led him to become a global consultant, traveling extensively to share his expertise in loyalty marketing.

Green Hills Farms launched its customer loyalty program in the 1990s, which has been recognized as one of the most successful in the industry. The program uses data analysis to identify and reward loyal customers, and has been credited with increasing sales and reducing customer defections. The program uses a frequent shopper card to track customer purchases and spending habits, allowing Green Hills to offer targeted discounts and promotions to its most loyal customers. By analyzing point-of-sale data, Green Hills Farms has been able identify trends and tailor its product mix to customer preferences. The goal is to achieve true one-to-one marketing and strengthen customer relationships.

In addition to its loyalty program, Green Hills Farms has also implemented a tiered pricing system, which allows customers to earn discounts based on their spending habits. This approach has been successful in incentivizing customers to shop more frequently and increasing overall sales.

In 2001, Inc. (magazine) named Green Hills the "Best Little Grocery Store in America".

In 2007, store manager Bud Kennedy was named a Grand Prize winner of the Food Industry Association Store Manager Superior Service Award.

In 2009, Green Hills began offering a 10% discount to any customers claiming unemployment benefits.

Gary Hawkins' efforts earned him the title of Grocery Headquarters' 2011 Retail Executive of the Year. Green Hills became a testing lab for new retail technologies, and Hawkins' work led to the creation of the Center for Advancing Retail & Technology, promoting innovative practices in the retail industry.