Newsletters: September-October 2009

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Annual Report 2008/2009

Natural Times September/October 2009

This past year was a doozy, we changed our fiscal year from May-April to July-June to be in-line with other co-ops in the National Cooperative Grocers Association. Doing so meant that we had a short two-month “year” before beginning the July 08-June 09 fiscal year. The combined sales for both periods came to $13 million—drastically exceeding projections.

Our successes didn’t stop there. We made a profit! It is common for stores completing an expansion to experience at least one, if not a few, years of loss. Thanks to our loyal customers and staff, New Leaf Market is proud to be in the minority.

We’ve also made strides in the community. Due to the success of the Grand Re-opening we were able to donate $5,000 to Oak Ridge Elementary School for library books—just a fraction of the donations for the year. Through partnerships with four local health and wellness experts, we expanded our community education through presentations about green cleaning, eating naturally and healthy living. The Co-op is also active on Facebook, which allows us to update our fans/customers daily about what’s happening in the store.

Perhaps the biggest, or most momentous, event this year was New Leaf Market’s 35th anniversary. In a time when so many businesses are struggling, Tallahassee rallied around the Co-op to celebrate 35 years of service to the community. This year has brought so many blessings. Thank you all and here’s to another bang-up year to come!

Larrane Hartridge, General Manager

Accomplishments

• Completed expansion without business interruption
• Expansion came in under budget/with a year-end profit
• 671 new owners
• 300 more than an average year
• Hired 26 new employees
  - We now have 107 employees, up from 82 prior to the expansion
• $30,000 profit sharing to staff
• Conducted 106 seminars
• Participated in 44 community events
• Sponsored 64 community presentations
• Purchased local products from 94 vendors
  - ($1.6 Million)
• Did business with 90 local companies
  - ($1.6 Million)
• Now on Facebook
  - We have just about reached 1,000 fans
• Four people sent to co-op conference
• Marched in Springtime Tallahassee Parade
• Monticello Watermelon Parade
  - Won “Most Unusual Award”!
• Became training location for managers of sister co-ops
• Hosted an expansion workshop and three produce trainings
• Celebrated 35th Anniversary

Plans 2009-2010

• Add additional lighting
• Possibly add a floral department and an olive bar
• Change shelf tags to larger format text
• Identify gluten-free/sugar-free and raw items
• Add more demos and cross merchandising
• Newsletter changes
  - In January 2010 we will go to four issues a year.

Educational and Promotional Events

• New Leaf Market spent $65,879

Donations

• New Leaf Market donated $8,714 to the community
• $5,000 to Oak Ridge Elementary School for library books
• Total $74,594.48

Customer Donations

• $3,169 was collected at the registers for Second Harvest Food Bank

Patronage Rebate 2008 - 2009

Sales

May 1, 2008 - June 28, 2008 *Short Year

Owners	54% of Sales	= $838,772.37
Non-owners	46% of Sales	= $719,193.00
Total	100%	= $1,557,965.37

June 29, 2008 - June 27, 2009 *Full Year

Owners	54% of Sales	= $6,107,155.17
Non-owners	46% of Sales	= $5,331,979.62
Total	100%	= $11,439,134.79

Total Profit

May 1, 2008-June 27, 2009	= $125,810.00
Owner-Generated Profit Total	= $72,202.00
Patronage Rebate — to be returned! 70% of Owner-Generated Profits
	= $50,541.40

* Rebates will be distributed no later than January 15, 2010.

For more information about Patronage Rebates, visit www.newleafmarket.coop/ownership/rebates.php