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Archive for Week of Sept 14, 2009
 SUPERMARKET NEWS
BI-LO Launches Fuelperks Fuel Rewards Program For Shoppers
BI-LO of Greenville, S.C., is the latest retailer to launch of a new program called fuelperks that links saving money on fuel to buying groceries. For every $50 a shopper spends at BI-LO, they receive a five cent per gallon reward applied to their new BI-Lo Bonuscard to be used at the pump to roll down the price of gas. The $50 threshold can be achieved through multiple visits to BI-LO and it is all tracked automatically.
There is no limit to the amount of fuelperks rewards a customer can earn. If a shopper and his or her family spend $200 over the course of several weeks or in a single visit, they accumulate a 20 cent per gallon reward. Customers are able to redeem their fuelperks rewards by swiping their full-size “My BI-LO BONUSCARD: in the card reader at any of the participating Shell-branded or Spinx gas stations. The price per gallon on all grades of gas will automatically roll down the amount of fuelperks! rewards earned and the customer can pump up to 20 gallons of gasoline per visit. BI-LO stores in Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson and Asheville, S.C. are participating in the program.
COOL Problems With Frozen Fruits & Vegetables
According to the Food Marketing Institute and the Mass. Food Assn., one major issue with the Country of Origin Labeling requirements continues to concern frozen fruits and vegetables, which are "covered commodities" subject to the country of origin labeling requirements unless they are "processed" (e.g., cooked, restructured, or combined with other substantive food ingredients).
Under the law, retailers are required to inform consumers of the country of origin of these products, and many retailers have assumed that the prepackaged frozen products were labeled with country of origin information by the manufacturers.
Unfortunately, retailers and inspectors are finding that many of these products have not been so labeled. The USDA has taken the position that frozen produce packaged prior to September 30, 2008 (the day that the law took effect) does not need to bear labeling. The challenge for retailers is determining when unlabeled products were produced and the country of origin for unlabeled products.
The USDA will provide retailers with an "affirmative defense" if USDA cites the retailer for failing to provide country of origin for a frozen covered commodity. That is, if the retailer can obtain information from the supplier indicating that the product was produced prior to September 30, 2008, "no further action will be taken" by USDA.
This approach presents two problems for retailers: First, retailers have to scramble, probably with insufficient information, to document to USDA that the particular product in question was produced prior to September 30, 2008. Second, even if the retailer finds the necessary information, the "non-compliance" still exists. FMI is working with USDA to establish a process that will "reverse" the non-compliance.
New York Grocery Leaders To Convene At FIA Grand Red Carpet Salute
Twenty-six grocery and trade leaders in the New York area will be introduced at the 13th annual Food Industry Alliance of New York (FIA) Red Carpet Salute set for Oct. 28 at the Rye Town Hilton, in Rye Brook, N.Y The keynote speaker for the event is former New York Knicks’ NBA All-Star shooting guard John Starks. The event begins at 6:00 pm.
Retail Latest Word…
Boston Salads and Provisions recently marked its relocation to their newly renovated manufacturing facility with a grand opening celebration at the New England Aquarium.
Carl Cool is the national director of Hansel’n Gretel Healthy Deli Heart Wise, the Health and Wellness division of the company.
It is the beginning of a very busy retail event period. The Associated Grocers of Maine fall trade show is Sept. 15-16 at the Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, Maine The C&S Wholesale Grocers Fall Show is Sept. 17-18 at Foxwoods of Ledyard, Conn. The United Way-Imperial Distributors Golf Outing is Sept. 17 at Cyprian Keyes Golf Course in Boylston, Mass. and the New England Food Foundation Golf Tournametn is Monday, Sept. 21 at the Pine Hills Golf Course in Plymouth, Mass.
   
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 FOODSERVICE NEWS
NRA, Loyalty 360 Form Strategic Alliance
The National Restaurant Association has formed strategic partnership with the Loyalty Marketer’s Association, to conduct operator and consumer research that will analyze loyalty marketing programs in the restaurant industry. Loyalty 360 will also assist the NRA in developing strategy for its members for social and emerging media as additional methods by which to drive loyalty and engagement.
The NRA will use the research to provide its restaurant members best practices guidance for building engagement and member rewards programs. The project will also focus on the relevance and use of social media applications - including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter – to help create increased loyalty and brand engagement with customers and employees.
NRA members will participate in a survey to identify what loyalty practices are being utilized, if dedicated resources are available for strategy and implementation, and what metrics/KPI’s restaurants are looking to achieve with loyalty programs. Customer research will focus on key drivers of behavior, including awareness, favored programs in the restaurant industry, what it takes to keep them loyal to restaurants, and why consumers may choose the restaurants they frequent most often.
Five New Directors Added to MRA Board
The Mass. Restaurant Assn. Board of Directors will holds hits first meeting of the new fiscal year on Sept. 23. The board consists of 33 voting directors, eight voting officers; and many honorary lifetime members who are still actively involved
Five new directors include: Barbara Lynch, acclaimed chef and founder of Barbara Lynch Gruppo; Jeffrey Gates one of three partners which operate the Aquitaine Restaurant Group in the greater Boston area; Wioletta Zywina, co owner of DaVinci Ristorante; Sebastian Snow, assistant vice president of Ecolab; and Dan Newcomb, owner of Atlantic Restaurant Group, a commercial real estate firm specializing in restaurants.
Papa Gino’s, D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches Partner With N.E. Dairy Council To Use Vt, Cheese
Partnering with the New England Dairy Promotion Board, Papa Gino’s and D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches announced new items that willl increase the use of locally produced cheese in New England.
“We wanted to create great tasting menu items with a distinct New England flavor,” said Michael McManama, senior vice president of brand marketing for Papa Gino’s and D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches. “We worked with the New England Promotion Board to tap local Vermont Cheddar producers to increase the amount of cheese in our products and provide our guests with unique, flavorful sandwiches and pizza that will appeal to every New Englander’s palate.”
Papa Gino’s and D’Angelo will add an estimated annual 174,000 pounds of locally-produced cheese helping dairy farmers throughout Vermont and New England. According to the New England Dairy Promotion Board, 174,000 pounds of cheese is equivalent to 1.74 million pounds of milk.
Food Service Latest Word…
Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out returns Sept. 20-26. The program works to end childhood hunger in America. Many restaurants in many cities are participating by donating a portion of their proceeds from the week, creating a special menu items, or selling promotional coupons to generate extra sales. This’s year program is sponsored by SYSCO, S. Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, Ecolab, The Food Network, the NRA and USA Today.
Tavern on the Green, a famed restaurant in New York’s Central Park. recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing the sluggish economny and recent loss of its contract with the New York City Parks Dept. which owns the location. The restaurant will continue operations until it pursues options including reorganization of its debt or other corporate changes.
Dunkin Donuts has named Christine Deputy as senior vice president of human resources and Karen Raskoph as senior vice president of corporate communications.
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 C-STORE NEWS
Lance To Purchase Stella D’oro Brand
Lance, Inc. of Charlotte, N.C, plans to buy the Stella D'oro brand as well as certain manufacturing equipment and inventory. Lance will manufacture the Stella D'oro products in its Ashland, Ohio bakery. The company plans to close on the purchase early in the fourth quarter. Terms of the purchase agreement were not disclosed. Stella D'oro is a leading brand in the specialty cookie segment with a rich heritage and strong brand equity. Stella D'oro products include shelf stable cookies, breakfast treats, breadsticks and biscotti with a high concentration in the Northeast and Southeast regions of the country.Lance manufactures and markets snack foods throughout much of the United States and other parts of North America. The company's products include sandwich crackers and cookies, potato chips, crackers, cookies, other snacks, sugar wafers, nuts, restaurant style crackers and candy. Lance has manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, Iowa, Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, Ohio, and Ontario, Canada. Products are sold under the Lance, Cape Cod, Tom's, and Archway brand names along with a number of private label and third party brands.
GACS Launches Small Operator Membership Program
The Georgia Association of Convenience Stores (GACS) announced last week a new membership program for single-store operators under the program, GACS E-Membership. This aims to accommodates Georgia’s growing segment of single store owners. The fee is $100 a year for single store owners, a significant reduction from prior rates.
“We have built this outreach around the idea that ‘If You Have E-mail, We Have the Answers’, in order to help get the word out,” said Neal Anderson, GACS membership chairman. “As we examined our membership mix, it was obvious that the fastest growing segment in our state was new single store owners. It was also obvious that we weren’t very successful in reaching them initially. “ “We needed to make a more concentrated effort to get important information to smaller operators,” said Rob Patterson, GACS chairman. “Many violations, such as price gouging, impact not just the individual operator, but the entire industry. We’ve got to get everyone in the information loop. The expansion of the store email database now makes this much closer to reality.” “We have always stressed that ‘GACS Membership Matters,’” said Jim Tudor, GACS president. “There’s a large number of potential members in our state who we want to reach with this message. It’s good for both the operator and our industry.”
WaWa Forms Online Recruiting Site For College Students
Wawa recently launched wwww.mywawacampus.com website to promote its college graduate leadership, loan forgiveness, and student internship programs. The 13-week in store internship program is designed to provide leadership basics to college students and has two tracts. The customer-service intern works closely with the customer service manager to learn business fundamentals and the food service intern works closely with the store’s food service manager.
The college leadership program seeks out candidates who have graduated from college within the past year.
Recent graduates might be attracted to the college loan-forgiveness program. They can be reimbursed up to $21,000 over a four year period to pay back their student loans as long as they remain in good standing with Wawa.
Wawa, based in Wawa, Pa., operates more than 560 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.
C-Store Latest Word…
The New York Assn. of Convenience Stores (NYACS) is advising its retailer to hold off filing 210 tobacco registration renewal applications and fees until closer to the Sept. 20 due date. According to NYACS, “By then the picture will be clearer as to whether our crusade to block or at least reduce the fee increase is succeeding.
J. Polep Distribution Co. will hold its fall trade show for retail customer only at Christina’s on Rte. 1 in Foxboro, Mass. on Wednesday, Sept. 16 from 9:30 to 4:30 p.m More than 140 vendors are expected to attend.
Chester’s fried chicken food service programs announced new market territories in Emporia, Va., Chamberlain, South Dakota, and Bennington, Neb.
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 NEW CHANNELS
Edible Arrangements Expands Station Offerings to Smoothies, Juices, and Snacks
Edible Arrangements of Wallingford, Conn., known for its hand-sculpted, fresh-fruit arrangements, has launched a “core and station” store enterprise development program and the company’s evolution into multi-unit franchising. A central component of the new strategy is Frutation by Edible Arrangements, a grab-and-go concept offering customers fresh-fruit smoothies and juices, fruit and green salads, dipped fruit and a variety of other fresh-fruit products. Frutation, which had previously been in a pilot stage, will launch nationally and open in new markets this year helping the company reach its goal of 1,000 stores by 2010.
This new multi-unit strategy features a “core” Edible Arrangements store serving as the main location within a defined area with several smaller “station” locations surrounding the core store in high-traffic areas. The core store is a full service Edible Arrangements that offers the complete line of products, and may include Frutation menu items, whereas the station stores focus will be on Frutation while also selling some of the Edible Arrangements product line.
Currently there are 20 Frutation by Edible Arrangements locations throughout the country and these recent agreements will bring six additional locations to Massachusetts and three to Virginia.
A&P Expands Online Pharmacy Services
A&P announced a new enhancement to its Live Better Wellness online drug store providing customers with the convenience of ordering prescription drugs anytime and on any day of the week. New Services include: prescriptions filled by fully licensed, pharmacists; access to pharmacists seven days a week; prescription transfers, prescriptions and refills; prescriptions delivered to households; and lower prices on select generic and mainstream prescription drugs.
Walmart Combines Channel Deals With Focus On Family Night
Walmart, capitalizing on stay at home entertainment, is now offering discounts on board games combined with snack foods, beverages and movies.
The dedicated area in the store is designed to “help customers find new ideas for memorable family time activities and savings” in a “convenient ‘one-stop’ area.”
Recent research through Walmart Customer Insights found that more than 50 percent of moms who shop at Walmart say they were watching more movies at home to save money versus going out. NPD Group also reported this year that there is an increased demand for board games, with sales in the first half of the year up 10 percent over the same period in 2008.
Family Night Centers include board games priced from $8 to $18, family movies on DVD for $10 each and assorted snack foods and Pepsi and Mountain Dew products.
New Channels Latest Word…
Stop & Shop announced last week that company card holders can save $10 on seasonal immunization from Sept. 11 through Nov. 26 or while quantities associated with the program last.
United Natural Foods has announced that net sales for fiscal 2009 showed an increase of 4.7 percent from 2008 figures. “Fiscal 2009 was a strong year for UNFI. With marginal sales growth, our associates demonstrated their resolve in delivering significant increases in operating income,” said Steve Spinner, UNFI president and chief executive officer. He noted $76 million in free cash flow and a company debt reduction by nearly $93 million.
Dunkin Donuts announced a ‘six for three bagel promotion” tied with a recycled bag initiative in the New York Tri State Area.
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Copyright Griffin Publishing Co. 2009
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