Mrs. Fields: bringing class to mass market baking - Mrs. Fields cookies are boosting discount store sales - Food Merchandising

Discount Store News, Feb 20, 1995

Baking chocolates that are a chip above

Mass market retailers are seeking products that can differentiate them from the pack and build consumer loyalty.

Carrying premium-brand names such as Levi jeans or Elizabeth Arden cosmetics can encourage shoppers to select one store over another.

The same is true in the $300 million baking chocolate chip category where many discount and drug chains are tapping into the high acceptance of Mrs. Fields cookies to build baking sales.

The chocolate chip category is important to mass market retailers because it sells huge quantities, especially around seasonal events such as Christmas.

In fact, the category outranks other areas such as the $150 million dried fruit and $250 million tin popcorn categories.

Carrying Mrs. Fields can help retailers enrich chocolate chip sales. Much consumer acceptance has been established through the over 400 Mrs. Fields stores across the country. That's because an astounding 80% of consumers in major markets identify Mrs. Fields as a brand name. For retailers, there is instant name recognition by millions of consumers who are pre-conditioned to try Mrs. Fields products ... and to return for repeat purchases. In fact in a consumer acceptance test, after trying the product 84% of consumers were willing to buy it.

Retailers can enjoy robust sales of chocolate chips as well as ancillary items purchased with chips such as flour, vanilla, sugar and cookie sheets.

Mrs. Fields chocolate chips deliver on customer expectations. They are the same chips used by Mrs. Fields for her best cookies - the kind loved by millions around the country.

Mrs. Fields semi-sweet chocolate baking chips are especially formulated for flavor and baking. They aren't JUST another chocolate chip. Only the best cocoa beans from around the world are selected, blended and roasted exclusively for the Mrs. Fields brand. Even though others would like to, no other chocolate chip company has a formula that comes close to Mrs. Fields.

Mrs. Fields chocolate chips are not only superior in flavor, they are bigger, too. That makes Mrs. Fields a more valuable choice for bakers than competitive chips.

Beyond Christmas and fourth quarter, retailers can enjoy seasonal sales of chocolate chips during the Easter, Back-To-School and Thanksgiving selling periods.

It is easy for shoppers to locate Mrs. Fields chocolate chips on the shelf thanks to distinctive red and white packaging.

Mrs. Fields displays help retailers maximize the visibility of the Mrs. Fields name via floorstands, endcaps and counter displays. Product is also displayed in popular 48-count shipper units shown to the right. Some retailers even enjoy additional sales by positioning Mrs. Fields at the checkouts.

Mrs. Fields offers merchants the chance to promote a brand that has far-reaching consumer acceptance. Profitable promotional programs allow retailers to feature Mrs. Fields as a special product for customers without widespread competition from traditional outlets such as supermarkets.

Mrs. Fields is produced and marketed by Ambrosia Chocolate, North America's leading producer of private label baking chips.