Military title deployed at commissaries

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Dec 1, 1991 by Zakia Hyder

Military Grocer has accepted a mission: to deliver the advertiser's message directly into the hands of every prospective reader.

Launched in October, the 12,500-circulation bimonthly is hand-delivered by Bethesda, Maryland-based Downey Communications personnel to 400 military grocery stores worldwide. "There are 22,000 employees in the Defense Commissary Agency, which operates the grocery stores," says Downey, adding that employees are being encouraged to share or pass along copies.

Military Grocer will serve people working in the commissary system in much the same way editorially that Progressive Grocer serves the supermarket industry," he notes. Editorial, under editor Hope Daniels' command, will include articles on store planning, stocking, merchandising and customer service. Success stories will be featured, as well.

Unlike the crowded military lifestyle side, there's little direct competition for Military Grocer, according to Downey. Trade titles like Interservice, E&C News and Military Market focus on the general military retail field, while Military Grocer is directed solely at the commissary segment. Downey's other title-Military Lifestyle-is a consumer magazine that is distributed to military families in much the same fashion as Military Grocer.

Plans for expansion go beyond the launch. Next year, for instance, Downey Communications will introduce an annual guide for the Defense Commissary Agency.

General Mills, Dial and Procter & Gamble are among the major advertisers in Military Grocer's first issue. A color page costs $3,200; a black-and-white page is $2,700. The magazine is available to commissary members free of charge; other companies or individuals may subscribe at the cost of $40/year. -Zakia Hyder