Grocery Headquarters

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Articles in September, 2004 issue of Grocery Headquarters

• Fresh bread products: one of the oldest consumer food products has suddenly become hot in the supermarket. A large crop of innovative new products helps the bread aisle cater to shoppers' health and diet concerns, says Matt Hall, vice president of corpora
• Finding a new direction: supermarkets are beginning to promote the dairy case as a true fresh food department. This change in attitude has led many shoppers to consider the section as a place to find more meal ideas
• Grapes: with year-round availability, table grapes can help draw shoppers to the produce section. Mike Aiton, Sun World's senior vice president of sales and marketing, discusses how retailers can take advantage of the grape category
• Pineapples: sweet and juicy, pineapples are a favorite fruit among consumers. Jacqueline E. Bohmer, trade communications manager at Del Monte Fresh Produce, explains how retailers can make pineapples one of their favorites as well
• Piecing together pricing: whether it is item markdowns or trade promotions that need tweaking, supermarkets are warming up to revenue management applications
  by Deena M. Amato-McCoy
• Tomatoes: tomatoes have moved from being a seasonal salad item to a year-round centerpiece in the produce section. Steve Phipps of NationFresh believes that supermarkets should carry a variety of tomato products and actively promote each to shoppers
• Dates: consumers will find a real treat waiting in the produce department when they try the Medjool date. Dwight Hurst, president of the Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers Association, explains why these dates are the fruit of kings
• Berries: Gloria Chillon, marketing director for Driscoll Strawberry Associates, advises retailers to promote all four varieties of berries, stressing their health benefits, availability and, above all, flavor
• California avocados: promoting ripe California avocados is a sure way to increase consumer interest in these fruits. According to Jan De Lyser, vice president of marketing for the California Avocado Commission, avocados are a natural hit with health-consc
• Building employee relations: smart retailers need to rely on more than hourly wages to retain their best employees
  by Jill Lewandowski
• Back to the drawing board: retailers are experimenting with formats and technologies to gain an edge over their competition. Can these strategies succeed in attracting more consumers?
  by David Litwak
• Sometimes smaller is better
  by David Litwak
• Building a branded produce department: more branded produce items are hitting supermarket shelves, which gives retailers a golden opportunity to attract consumers while differentiating their produce departments
  by Jessica Squazzo
• Out of the shadows: by making more effective use of their in-store bakeries, retailers can draw shoppers into the fresh food areas of the store and develop loyal weekly customers
• Mushrooms: mushrooms have taken on a whole new look and have found a broader appeal in the supermarket's produce section. Joe Caldwell, vice president of Monterey Mushrooms, has some advice for promoting the category
• Private label salads: packaged salads have become the fastest growing segment of the produce section. Bruce Knobeloch, vice president of marketing for River Ranch, illustrates how retailers can successfully enter the category with their own brand of packa
• American artisan cheese: supermarkets can spice up the cheese case by featuring American artisan cheeses. Jamie Wichlacz, marketing manager of BelGioioso Cheese, discusses some ways these specialty cheeses can add big sales to the deli department
• Small-town store, big-city ideas: a rebuilt Quality Foods store surprises shoppers with its superstore-sized selection and gourmet perishables departments while maintaining a local atmosphere
  by David Litwak
• Prepared foods: Michael Farrand, director of sales and marketing--deli for Hormel, discusses how prepared foods merchandised in a chilled format can help retailers turn the deli department into a consumer destination for tonight's dinner
• Celery: celery has grown substantially from the days when it was merchandised without cellophane sleeves and pushed into a corner of the produce display. John Foley, category manager for Duda, has some advice for retailers that want to increase their cele
• The right photo
  by Seth Mendelson
• Opportunities in urban development: thanks to costly real estate and tight competition, retailers are bringing innovative new units to city centers.
  by Jessica Squazzo
• Broccoli: whether in salads, as a dip scoop or as an integral part of a main dish, broccoli has become a consumer favorite in the produce department. Retailers should be more involved in showing shoppers the many new uses for this nutritious vegetable, su
• Sanitation: keeping customers and employees healthy around fresh food products can be accomplished by using hand sanitation products, says John Luposello of Nice-Pak's foodservice division
• Potatoes and onions: the low-carb craze has hurt many of the food categories traditionally perceived to be high in carbohydrates. According to Steve Ottum, COO of Potandon Produce, LLC, the potato category is aggressively fighting back with consumer educa
• Organic dairy products: organic dairy products have moved to the mainstream by becoming an important staple in supermarket dairy cases. Theresa Marquez, chief marketing officer of Organic Valley, offers some advice on taking advantage of this growing cate
• Natural beef: more consumers are demanding natural beef and other meat products. Dick Uhlich, vice president of Meyer Foods, explains how to take advantage of this growing category
• Clamshells: there is a lot riding on the way produce looks when it is displayed in the supermarket. Firm, colorful, unblemished fruits and vegetables will fly off the shelves much faster then dull, bruised items. Ted Behrmann, general manager of Pacific A
• Changing hands: my time in the grocery industry is coming to an end with this issue. Here are some views I would like to share before I depart
  by William J. D'Alexander
• Spotlight on the perimeter: decking the aisles along the store's four walls with quality fresh foods is the best way for supermarket retailers to shelter their operations from the ravages of price-driven competition.
  by David Litwak
• Wisconsin cheese: new varieties and flavor combinations and the popularity of low-carb diets have spurred the growth of Wisconsin Cheese. Nick DeRose, director of sales, retail grocery channel, for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, believes retailers ca
• Bakery's best season: fall and winter holidays are key times to promote bakery
  by Carol Radice
• Keeping the customer satisfied: while sales in the produce section can make or break a supermarket, offering shoppers a variety of products and services can guarantee increased consumer interest in the section beyond the traditional commodity items
• Spinach: retailers can build muscle in the produce department by aggressively merchandising and promoting the spinach category, advises Bruce Knobeloch, vice president of marketing for River Ranch
• Making sense of the numbers: grocers' declining profits suggest it's time to re-examine what we think we know about the industry
  by Ryan Mathews
• Seasonal campaigns spur beverage sales: beverage marketers are finding that the holidays are an excellent time to build brand equity along with sales
  by Jill Lewandowski
• Men, babyboomers driving HBC sales
  by Seth Mendelson
• Floral supplies: keeping fresh-cut flowers in the supermarket floral section looking fresh and appealing is no small task. Retailers need to be prepared to pamper their products a little bit, says Jay Winnerman, national sales manager for Floralife Inc
• The dilemmas of cooperation: traditional supply chain management is no longer the best foundation for growth
  by Patrick Kiernan
• Layering the onion category: new onion varieties, greater availability and increased consumer consumption are adding a new layer of excitement to produce's oldest vegetable
  by Jessica Squazzo
• Avocados: fresh avocados have dramatically increased in popularity during the last three years. Jacqueline E. Bohmer, trade communications manager at Del Monte Fresh Produce, has some advice for retailers that want to increase avocado sales
• A movable feast: fresh meals available whenever the shopper wants them is the No. 1 challenge and opportunity for supermarkets. Stores that can meet this challenge in an efficient manner will be the big winners
• Perishables technology: technology specifically developed for the fresh food department can help managers improve sales, cut costs and generate more profitability. Randy Fields, president of the Park City Group, advises retailers to use software as an aid
• Sustainable packaging: Lisa Owen, global business leader, rigid packaging, for Cargill Dow LLC, talks about the opportunities for retail growth of products sold in this new packaging material
• Targeting young shoppers with technology: a can of soda is the latest product to feature head-turning technology
  by Deena M. Amato-McCoy
• Fun and games: Toys "R" Us, the self-proclaimed world's greatest toy store, now seems ready to abandon the toy market for other categories. Did the chain fall victim to competition or bad merchandising moves?
  by Seth Mendelson
• Cabbage: cabbage is a more versatile vegetable than most retailers and shoppers realize. According to Lyn Hughes, senior marketing manager--fresh at Birds Eye Foods, supermarkets should promote cabbage more aggressively throughout the year
• Transportation management turns the corner: a recent research study shows that transportation management systems have been changing to better suit the needs of the logistics industry. The hosted model has emerged as the preferable method for licensees to
  by David Litwak
• The incredible shrinking HBC market: supermarkets still register up to 25% of all mass retail HBC sales, but they used to capture 40% of them
  by Carol Radice
• Cough/cold category nothing to sneeze at: thanks to a bad cold and flu season, the cough/cold/allergy category posted impressive sales gains in mass market outlets. Will the coming winter provide an encore?
  by Seth Mendelson
• Recapturing the center of the plate: what's for dinner? Supermarket operators are trying to answer this question by steering shoppers to the meat and seafood cases
• Industry vital signs a concern: though there are a few signs of rebirth, many Wall Street experts say they are concerned about the health of the overall grocery store industry
  by Gary Giblen