He Stacked the Grapefruits

As the category-killer big-box phenomenon raged in the 1990s, business articles debated who the brain really was behind the notion. It was Leonard Riggio of Barnes & Noble. No, Charles Lazarus of Toys R Us. No, Bernie Marcus of Home Depot, Richard Schulze of Best Buy, Jack Smith of Sports Authority, Nathan Morton of CompUSA.

The fact is, there were as many brains as there were product categories. One of those, Leo Kahn of Staples, passed away last week. Not sure if it was Kahn or partner Thomas Stemberg or some smart ad agency that coined the term “office superstore” in 1986, but there it was, the complete idea – clear and unambiguous – in a single two-word phrase. Office. Superstore. You knew exactly what was going on inside.

The name on the door had some genius, too, in a Mad Men creative kind of way. If the name Staples was not quite as direct as, say, Office Depot, it was so cleverly ambiguous. “Staples” as in basics, everything you need; and “staples” as in those little metal fasteners all over the bottom of everyone’s desk drawer, a “staple” of the office equipment room.

Eventually, of course, just as category killers had cut into department stores and general merchandisers, Walmart cut into the category-killers with its superstore concept, killing any number of categories in one shopping trip.

But Kahn was off frying other fish by then. In 1991, he opened the first Fresh Fields food store in Boston, convinced that a new kind of affluent consumer was concerned about nutrition and the environment, but had to be approached in a higher-end, non-supermarket kind of way.

It was in about 1995, at the Fresh Fields store on Northern Boulevard in Manhasset, N.Y. (talk about affluent), that I first saw bright yellow pyramids of grapefruits contrasting with a deep red sculpture of apples and vertical layers of green, yellow and red peppers. Specialty lighting made everything look desirable and delectable. And aromas – of hot soups, grilled meats, spicy sauces – filled the store.

Great idea? Apparently. Because in 1996, Whole Foods bought what had become the 22-store Fresh Fields chain for $134.5 million. And in the who-gets-credit department, John Mackey gobbled up the accolades for first taking a visual merchandising approach to food, investing in lighting, high-end fixtures and eye-catching, not-your-mother’s-supermarket’s signage.

I’m not sure Leo Kahn died at 94 wondering why nobody gave him the credit for color coordinating produce the way Macy’s first did Polo shirts. After all, he did get much of that $134.5 million. Still, on the occasion of another retail giant passing from the earth, it’s nice to set the record straight.