Astoria Co-op hires new GM

Published 5:00 pm Monday, March 31, 2008

The Astoria Cooperative has a new general manager. Matt Stanley joined the organization April 1. He formerly worked as assistant manager for perishables at the People’s Co-op in San Diego.

“It’s a fairly large store, about $10 million in sales annually,” Stanley said. “We did about $2 million a year alone in my department.”

Stanley said he worked closely with the general manager and co-op financial officer for the past six months before leaving to take the job in Astoria.

He spent a day visiting Astoria before accepting the position.

“I walked around downtown, and I really liked the people I met,” he said. “There are lots of independently owned stores.”

Stanley is eager to share the knowledge he gained mentoring with co-op management in San Diego. He said the People’s Co-op has held its own in a tough market, despite the influx of formidable competitors like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

“I really want to get a feel for what current members want to see in the store,” he said. “We need to create a niche that separates us from even a natural foods section in a local grocery store.”

Stanley said one strategy is to sell some staple items below normal margin, to get shoppers coming into the store, where they will tend to purchase other merchandise. He plans to work closely with the board to outline strategies that will work in Astoria.

Astoria Co-op Board Chair Dr. Tracy Erfling said the board is also looking forward to moving forward with Stanley at the helm.

“We are excited to have his youthful energy, experience and enthusiasm for natural foods coming to Astoria,” she said.

Stanley outlined planned changes at the Astoria Co-op that include a point-of-sale system that will track sales and inventory. He also said managing the co-op will be much more than just a job.

“I’m into organic and natural foods as a lifestyle that goes way beyond my work,” he said. “It has to do with my philosophy of life.”