The fresh departments are the places where you make your first - and best -impression; effective displays can help

Store Equipment & Design, August, 2000 by Marilyn D. Cavicchia

"I've seen some really beautiful merchandising where they're using combinations of baskets and barrels and straw," says Dan McMurray, designer and project manager at display fixture manufacturer Southern Store Fixtures, Bessemer, Ala. But Jammie Paulson, a category manager for SUPERVALU's northern region, considers such things as baskets and greenery to be "fluff" that annoys mule customers.

And so it goes. One expert eschews artificial food props next to real food in a case, while another sees such replicas as a solution for stores short on personnel and time. Some see a move toward a more rustic look in fresh foods areas; others see decor and display becoming sleeker and smoother.

It stands to reason that talking to a number of experts in fresh display would uncover some differences of opinion. Everyone agrees, however, that no matter what merchandising techniques are used, the food should take center stage. Discussing the role of props and other visual display tools, Mark Leenhouts, partner at Riesenburger Leenhouts & Associates, Rochester, N.Y., says, "I always use the example of a piece of artwork and a picture frame. What does the picture frame do? It frames the product. That's all you want it to do."

Here, from some of the best in the business, are some glimpses of emerging trends and nuggets of advice.

THE CHANGING FARMER'S MARKET?

The fresh foods "market look" has been around for a while, and it seems as if almost everyone has tried it. Its popularity isn't because of "me-too-ism" in the industry, McMurray says, but because wooden fixtures, produce crates and chalkboard signs, all in a setting with an open-air feel, happen to be the best way to sell fresh products. "The farmer's market look or fresh market approach probably helps the image more so than a lot of stark plastic," he says.

Instead of plunking a wooden display fixture onto the white VCT floor and walking away, McMurray says retailers, architects, designers and others involved in the industry are working hard to coordinate everything from lighting to decor to fixtures to flooring, creating a much stronger, more harmonious market look.

Nancy Green, national sales manager at display fixture manufacturer Amtekco, Columbus, Ohio, agrees retailers are making sure a given fixture coordinates with the overall look of the store. When Whole Foods needs a hot or cold case, the Austin, Texas-based retailer places prime importance on bolstering its wholesome image. "They always go with the natural finishes," Green says. "They use hard woods, granite tops, stainless steel, as opposed to plastic laminates, Corian and things like that."

Whole Foods also takes great pains to make sure the fixture doesn't dominate, Green says. At the retailer's request, Amtekco has been creating salad bars and other displays with frameless sneeze guards that show nothing but glass and food.

Many see the market look evolving as some retailers try to break away from the pack. Leenhouts sees it becoming more flexible and less formal--more of a farmer's market than a "fussy," European-looking atmosphere. "You'll see the use of more natural materials and more local emphasis, with the use of crates and pallets and things from local farmers." The great thing about this approach--besides the fact that it relies on items the store already has lying around--is that it conveys the message that the product is so fresh it has to get out on the floor immediately, Leenhouts says.

Gretchen Amstutz, senior product manager at display product manufacturer Hubert, Harrison, Ohio, sees a move in the opposite direction. "We are seeing a trend right now toward a smoother, more contemporary look and texture," she says, with chrome, silver, pewter and other very metal-colored metals coming to the fore. "It does create a little more contemporary atmosphere than the more rustic look and textures," Amstutz says.

It's not as if retailers will suddenly wheel their wagon fixtures out to the curb and turn their fresh section into a chilly, stainless-steel boutique. Instead, Amstutz sees a much more subtle transition. For example, retailers who want to keep those display baskets mentioned earlier might say to themselves, "'Let's maybe switch out some of these real rustic twig baskets for something that's smoother, like a light willow that's more upscale-looking." Another accent piece that's helping make the transition is terra cotta and earthenware pots and howls, which Amstutz says have a more polished appearance than wicker baskets but are less jarring to some customers than a sudden outcropping of smooth, sleek metals.

True leaders in the industry don't just jettison a theme or program when the next big thing comes along, agrees Bob Bova, president of fresh department consultancy BB & Associates, Fayetteville, Ark. "I think people who do set trends and then move on always take something with them when they change," he says. "They always find out, 'What went right with that?' and keep that element and then fix or walk away from what didn't work."