LOGISTICS SNACKS ICE CREAM BREAKFASTS PIZZA APRIL 2011

BETTY BUYER
‘TWEETS’
WITH
SAMMY SELLER
PAGE 20

BILL
HENDRICKSEN
& ROUNDTABLE
ON LOGISTICS
TECH
PAGE 60

LINDA BEAN
(OF LL BEAN)
GETS INTO THE
LOBSTER BIZ
PAGE 66

PETER PENGUIN
WITH THE
DATABANK
PAGES 10 & 18

DENISE
LEATHERS
IS PROMOTED!
PAGE 8

WHOLE FOODS:
RETAILER
OF THE YEAR .

Why it succeeds so well.

To learn more, visit on-cor.com
 Exclusive partnership with
Every Day with Rachael Ray

Inspiring, unique and helpful tips, tools and

special offers at the new on-cor.com

Quality ingredients create timeless, wholesome

frozen family size entrées everyone can agree on.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

C O V E R STO RY
WHY WHOLE FOODS IS
22
OUR RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Well, there are more reasons than you can shake a stick at.
Here’s what a cross section of competitors, vendors and
consultants have to say.

THE FRONT END

6 Out Warren’s Way

STREAM OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS
12 New Products
Two pages of unique, delicious items sure
Random thoughts and notes taken to sell like hotcakes! Please don’t charge
while attending the SymphonyIRI them slotting!
Group Summit in Miami last month.
20 BETTY BUYER
8 Who Said That?
When Does POS Become Clutter?
Betty Buyer & Sammy Seller ‘Tweet’
their usual love story.
And, Denise Is Promoted!

T H E D ATA B A N K
10-11 SymphonyIRI Group’s latest data, courtesy
& 18-19 of Peter Penguin and Bessie Bovine.

C AT E G O RY S P O T L I G H T S

36 SNACKS & APPIES BOUNCE BACK

It’s been a soft year for the category, but the most recent data shows an uptick.

42 ‘HEALTHY INDULGENCE’ DRIVES ICE CREAM $$$

Brands outpace private label in both ice cream and novelties. Portion-control
sizes gain momentum.

50 FROZEN BREAKFASTS GAIN 10.4%

Double-digit gains in waffles and handhelds heat up category.

54 DELIVERY CHILLS FROZEN PIZZA

Using cross-promotions, meal deals and a slew of unique new items, manufacturers
hope to win back consumers drawn in by rock-bottom prices for delivery.

58 EXCEPTION REPORT: FROZEN SWEET GOODS

From time to time, we take a look at brands doing particularly well when the
category as a whole is down.

LOGISTICS

60 TECHNOLOGY SPEEDS GAINS IN LOGISTICS

Rapidly advancing technology is helping logistics providers
become ever-more efficient. Here’s a look at how leading-
edge companies are putting it to good use.

GETTING PERSONAL

66 L.L. BEAN SELLS LOBSTERS!

Okay, so we mean Linda Lorraine Bean, but that “other” L.L.
Bean happened to be her grandfather. Here’s a look at some
of Linda’s memories, and her hopes for the future.
OUT WARREN’S WAY
STREAM OF
UNCONSCIOUSNESS
Random thoughts and notes taken
while attending the SymphonyIRI
Group Summit in Miami last
month.
C
an’t believe I suckered IRI
into letting me come to
this conference
again as “press.” Why
does everyone look so
young? Cops began
looking young years
ago, but now category
managers and exec
vps?
Club store growth
will slow from today’s
5%-6% down to 1%.
Supers won’t do great.
Dollar and drug are do-
ing best. Loyalty cards work okay if
you’re Kroger and put a lot of effort
into it, but most of us don’t know
much about our shoppers.
Did I turn my cell phone off?
Promo spending hasn’t paid
off; we oughta be spending more
on building brand value, and less
on deep discounts, which aren’t
productive. There’s a disconnect
between FSIs, Catalina, and in-store
merchandising. It all seems kinda
random, with duplicate spending.
Is that blueberry muffin still in
my briefcase?
Shoppers, in a recent poll, said a
price increase would impact spend-
ing, but their level of negativity
wasn’t much affected by whether
the increase was 5% or 15%. So, go
for it. There are an average of 360
items in consumers’ pantries today,
10% less than four years ago. Stores
with around 4,000 SKUs are doing
well now; you got too many SKUs?
The camera that shows the
speaker also shows people in the
front row, up on this big screen.
Wonder who that balding guy is, off
to the left. Oh, my God…
6 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
Only 1% of 150,000 new items
wind up doing $7.5 million a year.
Shoppers care about products
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 8
Warren Thayer
that improve their lives, that their Editor, Managing Partner
families will love, that will save time warren@fdbuyer.com
and provide good value. We launch 603-252-0507
too many SKUs. Better off adding Paul Chapa
25,000 new items, and maybe 10%
Sales Director, Managing Partner
or 15% will do $7.5 million. paul@fdbuyer.com
Gosh, this guy is smart. 913-481-5060
Shoppers aren’t Tommy Howell
responding to Associate Publisher
loyalty programs as tommy@fdbuyer.com
well anymore, cuz 913-371-6811
they’re just disguised Joan Weinberger
discounts — nothing Advertising Manager
like Amazon’s sug- joan@fdbuyer.com
212-254-4627
gestions for you and
all that. Got to break Randy Szarzynski
Art Director
down the silos in our
randy@fdbuyer.com
organizations and
make sure everyone Jordan Beckley
talks to each other. Webmaster/Wizard
jordan@fdbuyer.com
Retailers and manufacturers have to
communicate better. Denise Leathers
Executive Editor
THINGS DON’T CHANGE denise@fdbuyer.com
215-489-5090
Gee, I wrote about that 30 years ago.
Some things don’t change. Contributing Editors:
Whoa! Some guy from Walmart Len Lewis, Dan Raftery, Randal Con-
is saying that 52% of population stant, Mike Friedman, Morgan Little
and Betty Buyer.
growth in the U.S. over the next
five years will be Hispanic. And this EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
lady from Univision is saying that Dan Raftery,
one in four babies born in the U.S. is Raftery Resource Network
Hispanic. Lots of similar data. Mes-
Todd Hale, The Nielsen Company
sage: don’t consider Hispanics as a
segment, but as part of the overall Bob Anderson, former vp of
private label, Wal-Mart
consumer basis; include them in
your marketing plan, don’t just tack Dr. Brian Harris,
them on at the end. The Partnering Group
How can I write stories about Skip Shaw,
all this when I go to the printer National Frozen & Refrigerated
Foods Association
tomorrow? I know! I’ll just blog it,
in print…. Thom Blischok,
SymphonyIRI Group
Celebrity Chef Rick Tarantino
Published by CT Media Partners,
Postmaster: Send address changes to
CT Media Partners, 11472 S. Wilder St.,
Olathe, KS 66061
Warren Thayer, Editor
warren@fdbuyer.com
RETAILWIRE
WHEN DOES POS
BECOME CLUTTER?
The topic on RetailWire
(www.retailwire.com) recently was
signage, POS and in-store clutter.
Here are a few of the comments we
found most interesting…
What I think is needed is more focus
on educating the shopper as to how
products can be used to meet the
shopper’s needs (health concerns,
recipes, preparation tips, etc.) and
more “storytelling” type messaging
LEATHERS IS OUR
NEW EXEC EDITOR
Denise Leathers has been promoted
from contributing editor to executive
editor of Frozen & Dairy Buyer. The
veteran business journalist edited
Private Label Buyer (then Private La-
bel News) for five years and has since
written extensively for that magazine,
as well as for Refrigerated & Frozen
Foods Retailer, when it was edited
by Warren Thayer, now the editor of
Frozen & Dairy Buyer.
Denise has a bachelor’s degree in
8 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
to create connections. Not just the
typical “shouts” that occur in-aisle.
—David Zahn, owner,
ZAHN Consulting
In-store advertising is amazing. They
build stores with wide aisles for ease
of shopping and then fill the aisle
up with displays that block access
to products on the shelf and impede
the flow of traffic. They place elabo-
rate signs on the displays but cannot
keep accurately priced signs on the
shelves. The American grocer is the
very worst offender and leads the
pack when it comes to poor merchan-
dising practices. This is due in most
part by the fact that good marketing
and merchandising long ago gave
way to “who will pay the most” to be
advertised and displayed.
—Ed Dennis, president,
Dennis Enterprises
Shoppers are NOT moved by price.
Mostly, they buy what comes conven-
iently to hand. The shopper’s autopi-
lot doesn’t interrupt the shopper and
say, “Oh, look! Here’s something with
the price marked down.” Shopping
is NOT a highly cognitive process,
and those of you who walk through a
store, carefully evaluating, are prob-
ably self-delusional. The objective
fact is that you don’t even understand
how you shop yourself. The fact that
you are using a self-referential base
journalism
from Penn
State and a
master’s in
rhetoric and
communica-
tion from the
University of
Virginia. She
has two chil-
DENISE LEATHERS dren, Tate (10)
and Shayne (8), and is “an honest-
to-goodness soccer mom.” She is
preparing to run (OK, mostly walk)
her first 5K in May and she loves to
for understanding shoppers (nearly
everyone does) is ridiculous to those
who have actually, you know, MEAS-
URED shopper behavior throughout
the store. So...millions of shopping
trips studied on a second by second
basis, wouldn’t be of interest?
—Herb Sorensen, Ph.D., TNS
Global Retail & Shopper Practice
Retailers ought to remain firmly in
control of POP ads. Obviously, the
standards should vary by brand, and
there should be a maximum accepted
level given the brand’s standards.
Within that, though, significant POP
ought to be tested, with the mantra
that if you can’t prove it works, it
shouldn’t go in the store.
—Jonathan Marek,
Applied Predictive Technologies
Sign work that is over the top gets
lost, messages make no sense after
a while and credibility even at times
becomes in question if you cannot
make the backup for the claim stick
in every situation. Make the message
meaningful, timely and where you
really have the story to tell.
—Charlie Moro, president,
CFS Consulting Group
play Texas Hold ‘Em.
“My favorite frozen food is
Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine Chicken
Florentine Lasagna, which I hope
they never, ever discontinue. I’m
still mourning the loss of Sara Lee
Chocolate Brownies a decade ago,”
she says.
“I’m thrilled to have Denise tak-
ing on additional responsibilities
at our magazine as it grows,” notes
Thayer. “She’s a diligent, hard-
working and creative writer who
has already built a good following
within our industry.”
International Women’s Certified Organic Certified GFSI Manufacturer Category Colonels,
Business Enterprises Certified Organic Certification via the BRC Standard Audit Excellence In Private Label
Trade Association Partnership Programs.
THE DATABANK
FASTEST
DAIRY
Dollar sales of dairy products in U.S.
supermarkets reached almost $11.80
billion during the 12 weeks ended Feb.
20, 2011, a 3.8% increase over the same
period a year earlier, according to
Chicago-based market research firm
SymphonyIRI Group. Units expanded
0.2% to 4.99 billion, but volume dropped
1.8% to 39.83 billion. Percentage of
volume sold with merchandising support
fell nearly 1.9 points to 40.0%.
For the 52 weeks ended Feb. 20,
dairy dollar sales jumped 2.8% to $47.92
billion. Units were also up (+0.5% to 20.88
billion), but volume slipped 1.1% to 170.34
billion. Percentage of volume sold with
merchandising support decreased 3.6
points to 43.0%.
Our chart shows the fastest-growing
dairy department subcategories with at
least $200,000 in sales over the past 12
weeks. Data is for the brands as originally
trademarked and may not include line
extensions. Brands with less than $50,000
in sales are not listed.
F A C T O I D S
38.9%
Dollar gain by private label refrigerated
pourable salad dressing (to $1,498,390),
highest by a store brand dairy product
with at least $1 million in sales over the
past 12 weeks.
-21.6%
Dollar loss by the private label-domi-
nated refrigerated pastry/Danish/cof-
fee cakes segment (to $1,766,574), worst
by a dairy subcategory with at least $1
million in sales over the past 12 weeks.
6
Number of no-hitters thrown in 2010,
most in a single season since 1991 when
Major League Baseball saw a record
seven (same as the year before).
7.3
Increase in percentage of refrigerated
bagel/bialy volume sold with merchan-
dising support (from 36.3% a year ago to
43.6% today), the biggest jump by a dairy
subcategory with at least $1 million in
sales over the past 12 weeks.
10 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
CRANBERRY JUICE/CRANBERRY JUICE BLEND $739,126 771.4 208,885 907.0 3,655,686 312.8
POM Wonderful $682,639 * 193,721 * 3,099,541 *
GRAPE JUICE $1,833,587 545.4 579,522 245.9 30,590,420 774.3*
elch’s Healthy Start $1,690,680 * 493,069 * 29,091,090 *
Tropicana $103,256 (42.1) 71,465 (41.9) 857,586 (41.9)
SNACK CAKES/DOUGHNUTS $6,346,435 493.5 2,213,260 774.9 1,031,351 518.8
Pillsbury Sweet Moments $3,990,829 * 1,458,595 * 535,503 *
Jell-O Temptations $1,213,679 * 441,428 * 331,346 *
Private Label $966,329 7.8 254,742 20.9 135,861 (3.0)
JUICE/DRINK CONCENTRATE/SYRUP $666,683 43.0 44,433 42.0 1,822,590 25.3
Brownwood Acres $367,593 23.6 22,875 26.4 696,912 24.3
Cherry Ridge Juice $144,185 42.5 9,817 74.1 278,886 67.7
Nature Blessed $91,575 366.7 4,036 370.2 129,167 370.2
PEANUT BUTTER $600,260 22.5 134,675 17.3 158,860 14.8
Parkers Farm $464,980 34.7 111,029 26.5 126,730 24.0
Private Label $115,036 (8.5) 19,877 (14.4) 28,361 (12.3)
CAKES (NO SNACK/COFFEE CAKES) $24,374,070 21.2 3,218,874 23.7 5,333,235 27.0
Private Label $19,822,610 23.4 2,582,618 25.2 4,400,682 29.7
Dutch County $1,579,689 19.0 247,945 20.4 338,977 20.0
Creative Occasions $487,580 (2.1) 37,581 0.1 87,688 (3.9)
Dutch Maid $347,818 (0.1) 38,642 (8.9) 73,227 8.8
The Original Cakerie $243,405 49.0 39,045 47.0 36,700 56.7
Best $241,333 335.2 69,872 393.1 69,207 388.4
Rich’s $117,678 115.9 7,381 167.3 18,384 110.8
Allen $117,081 12.4 9,045 (8.3) 20,866 2.3
The Muffin Mam $111,958 8.6 17,520 1.4 44,378 4.7
Taste It $98,879 (7.1) 7,159 (7.3) 10,738 (7.3)
BUTTER $378,132,700 21.1 124,522,400 (0.0) 117,804,400 (0.1)
Private Label $199,432,100 27.2 72,074,770 1.8 70,059,460 1.8
Land O Lakes $96,747,170 15.9 26,620,040 (2.5) 24,674,430 (2.5)
Challenge Butter $15,534,670 21.4 4,608,447 11.3 4,119,121 14.7
Breakstone’s $8,337,461 19.9 3,033,462 2.5 1,779,499 6.6
Keller’s $6,020,041 19.0 2,117,858 6.4 2,074,813 7.3
Crystal Farms $5,604,706 (3.3) 1,779,870 (30.1) 1,718,979 (29.7)
Tillamook $5,286,439 1.9 1,524,266 (14.3) 1,524,266 (14.3)
Hotel Bar $4,735,724 37.2 1,844,834 22.5 1,753,748 25.1
Cabot $4,618,357 (12.1) 1,357,377 (35.2) 1,356,166 (35.2)
Darigold $3,578,317 19.0 1,202,604 3.1 1,183,276 3.6
GRATED CHEESE $32,205,260 20.3 9,204,698 22.1 4,574,439 26.7
Private Label $15,687,190 (0.3) 5,261,475 0.6 2,509,480 1.0
Kraft $4,935,467 * 1,482,969 * 815,633 *
Locatelli $3,210,761 11.9 420,492 11.6 209,925 13.4
Di Giorno $1,543,407 (23.5) 358,594 (22.7) 134,473 (22.7)
Belgioioso $709,677 7.5 192,321 14.2 69,793 14.7
Crystal Farms $526,829 (1.6) 167,728 (5.0) 83,864 (5.0)
Milano’s $516,415 63.9 128,427 63.8 107,681 82.8
Bella Famiglia $491,743 156.9 142,863 190.5 71,432 190.5
Rienzi $432,849 7.9 76,562 22.9 38,281 22.9
Il Villaggio $421,920 (5.8) 77,711 (5.8) 33,999 (5.8)
JUICE AND DRINK SMOOTHIES $51,884,860 18.4 15,903,890 14.9 317,181,200 8.4
Bolthouse Farms $14,054,630 21.5 3,969,025 16.5 105,058,500 22.4
Naked Superfood $12,017,940 40.0 3,268,477 36.9 66,635,380 40.2
Naked $8,924,938 23.8 2,649,507 23.9 45,268,290 24.0
Odwalla $6,296,576 7.9 1,925,743 10.4 36,064,660 11.7
Bolthouse Farms C Boost $2,193,285 7.9 652,876 10.3 15,938,390 6.2
Naked Protein Zone $2,118,305 45.4 595,652 43.4 9,703,393 45.6
Odwalla C Monster $1,422,477 1.6 480,221 9.1 7,507,043 2.1
Naked Energy $891,758 (44.9) 290,999 (45.2) 4,423,189 (45.2)
Odwalla Superfood $807,173 (11.2) 282,712 (9.1) 4,297,220 (9.1)
Del Monte $470,454 719.1 348,431 1,536.7 4,250,857 1,536.7
PROCESSED/IMITATION CHEESE-ALL OTHER $10,570,020 17.9 3,665,107 25.6 1,805,841 19.0
Private Label $2,844,948 4.0 1,350,304 2.5 770,833 1.3
Kraft $2,483,715 867.3 951,859 918.0 356,368 1,000.3
Hoffman’s $2,159,004 (6.2) 423,409 (8.7) 212,037 (8.6)
Cabot $501,789 13.2 217,430 21.7 108,715 21.7
Galaxy Nutritional Foods Veggie $311,641 (11.1) 66,758 (15.3) 33,379 (15.3)
Swiss Knight $196,758 2.7 43,554 5.7 14,847 (3.9)
Shullsburg $180,538 5.7 62,956 1.9 33,917 1.1
LARD $1,235,312 17.9 321,259 1.7 783,619 (1.3)
John Morrell Snow Cap $1,014,302 25.7 227,687 2.3 684,242 3.3
Lundy’s $97,767 9.7 52,956 3.9 52,956 3.9

-3.3%
Dollar loss by the dairy department’s
largest national brand, Tropicana Pure
Premium OJ. Despite its stumble and
a 2.5% loss by No. 2 private label, the
subcategory managed a 1.8% gain,
thanks in part to No. 3 brand Simply
Orange (+20.1%).
8,000,000
Estimated number of sparrows killed
by Chinese citizens in 1958 and ‘59 at
the behest of Chairman Mao Zedong,
who believed they ate too much grain.
Ironically, their near-eradication trig-
gered a dramatic increase in the locust
population, which led to widespread
destruction of crops and a famine that
killed nearly 30 million.
40.3%
Dollar gain by cream cheese-all other
forms (to $175,984), best by a subcat-
egory not quite big enough to qualify
for our list. Top seller Kaukauna
Connoisseur (+276.4%) gets most of
the credit.
-16.9%
Dollar loss by refrigerated side dishes
(to $19,643,230), thanks mostly to the
departure of Shedd’s Country Crock
combined with private label’s poor
performance. However, the potato
side dish subcategory, which includes
many of the same brands, saw its sales
jump 8.5% to $70,804,670.
10%
Percentage of U.S. taxpayers who
wait until April 15 to file their federal
income tax return. (Not surpris-
ingly, most of them owe money.) This
year, however, they’ll have an extra
three days, as the filing deadline was
moved to April 18 to accommodate
Emancipation Day in Washington, D.C.
1.8%
Dollar sales gain by the dairy depart-
ment’s largest subcategory, refriger-
ated skim/lowfat milk — despite a
2.2% decrease in unit sales linked to
rising retail prices. But No. 3 brand
Horizon Organic posted double-digit
dollar and unit gains.
KEFIR/MILK SUBSTITUTES/SOYMILK $129,473,800 16.8 40,770,780 18.8 153,483,100 18.8
Silk
Blue Diamond Almond Breeze
Silk Light
Silk Pure Almond
$43,718,380 (12.6) 13,109,110 (11.9) 52,985,930 (11.7)
$18,065,140 204.0 5,814,871 213.2 23,399,850 215.1
$14,432,050 (8.7) 4,550,991 (8.6) 18,203,950 (8.1)
$13,723,430 1,139.2 4,527,617 1,191.5 18,110,470 1,191.5
Private Label $12,431,870 (4.1) 4,591,915 (4.7) 18,172,940 (4.4)
Lifeway $7,964,235 26.7 2,346,320 30.1 4,547,566 27.2
8th Continent $4,112,636 (15.1) 1,363,301 (14.6) 5,453,204 (14.6)
Silk Plus $3,192,155 (21.8) 947,858 (19.3) 3,791,431 (19.3)
FLAVORED SPREADS $85,861,110 15.5 25,397,750 15.7 15,899,390 15.4
Sabra $42,937,340 32.5 10,937,630 28.9 6,938,605 31.0
Kraft $9,844,975 5.2 3,505,467 18.3 1,765,361 19.9
Tribe $9,566,675 4.6 3,137,703 7.3 1,908,974 8.2
Cedar’s $6,214,023 (1.6) 1,865,616 3.8 1,296,864 (2.2)
Private Label $5,910,723 15.5 2,637,347 12.1 1,916,186 9.5
Garden Fresh $2,392,465 (4.7) 823,671 (4.1) 512,827 (3.9)
Joseph’s $1,854,858 (11.6) 586,088 (10.4) 392,786 (12.3)
Marzetti $750,543 (33.4) 226,887 (31.5) 155,985 (31.5)
APPETIZERS/SNACK ROLLS $98,164,590 14.3 15,126,050 10.3 8,798,388 9.1
Southern Tsunami $41,777,830 0.1 6,313,161 (5.3) 3,839,135 (6.6)
AFC $9,957,734 497.8 1,314,738 430.6 830,834 572.2
Hissho Sushi $6,581,516 50.0 1,071,024 46.5 465,601 46.7
Private Label $5,847,682 (2.8) 1,033,150 9.2 761,110 (1.5)
Kikka $5,068,051 8.8 832,578 8.4 324,809 8.7
Japanese Food Express $4,461,253 56.9 694,380 51.7 354,277 64.8
Fujisan $3,665,240 (3.8) 567,644 (3.4) 410,801 (5.9)
Ace $2,483,118 (12.7) 395,184 (14.0) 189,219 (14.9)
Okami $2,478,343 11.6 392,107 2.9 292,818 27.5
Sushi Avenue $1,993,280 28.0 304,074 30.1 163,167 29.3
FRESH SOUP $37,267,660 13.9 9,378,304 16.4 12,074,340 17.4
Private Label $34,136,880 13.1 8,565,263 15.6 11,220,930 16.5
Harry’s $615,129 174.1 157,095 148.8 162,859 174.4
Legal Sea Food $380,362 35.1 57,565 38.7 71,956 38.7
Bob Evans $338,946 (0.0) 115,089 (6.2) 86,317 (6.2)
Soluppa $226,178 (11.2) 28,341 (12.8) 56,683 9.8
Hanover $190,730 64.3 116,557 69.6 136,954 69.6
Evolution $143,348 (9.2) 20,950 (12.3) 28,806 (12.3)
NATURAL CHEESE ALL OTHER FORMS $19,860,540 13.8 7,627,012 15.6 4,073,739 15.2
Private Label $11,195,820 25.1 5,922,826 21.5 3,042,241 20.4
Kraft Snackables $2,235,877 (52.0) 507,236 (52.7) 285,320 (52.7)
Emmi $1,601,348 50.9 142,337 54.6 119,406 57.5
Kraft $1,521,724 * 357,073 * 200,853 *
Kraft Cracker Barrel $546,604 * 167,081 * 104,426 *
Gerber Swiss Knight $509,022 (12.4) 48,428 (16.3) 42,374 (16.3)
Anoco $384,910 (16.2) 30,263 (16.7) 26,480 (16.7)
Swissrose $339,534 (17.4) 39,977 (18.6) 34,980 (18.6)
BREAD $1,433,803 11.8 443,411 9.4 355,583 11.0
Mrs. Olson’s $480,741 4.9 126,876 (4.8) 93,143 (2.4)
Freddy’s $171,786 16.2 40,595 12.4 33,582 14.0
Countryside $137,028 16.5 56,806 18.9 21,408 18.5
Laura’s $117,035 14.4 38,773 18.8 24,233 18.8
Nobrand $112,777 41.8 15,919 33.9 15,919 33.9
Mestemacher $107,231 15.1 31,470 21.8 34,617 21.8
Baker’s Pride $91,838 10.5 65,294 12.3 81,617 12.3
MEAT SPREAD/SALAD $15,515,410 10.9 4,140,295 9.0 2,660,232 9.0
Private Label $8,055,477 21.7 2,270,791 20.9 1,434,456 24.1
Reser’s Fine Foods Inc $1,113,422 4.6 366,964 0.8 261,602 (0.6)
Pates & Quiches $890,839 19.5 104,596 28.0 46,536 24.1
B & H Foods $775,523 4.9 236,621 (4.5) 152,903 (5.0)
Charterrie Tour Eiffel $704,109 5.6 123,932 5.5 41,080 (0.5)
Star Food $625,784 (2.5) 209,641 (10.5) 151,944 (5.9)
Willow Tree $321,054 (5.6) 50,898 (10.9) 37,983 (11.2)
Ballard’s Farm $294,783 (2.5) 94,805 (0.1) 71,103 (0.1)
PROCESSED/IMITATION CHEESE-SHREDDED $8,870,253 10.5 4,210,495 5.2 2,318,607 7.0
Private Label $3,417,079 8.6 2,046,728 0.1 1,100,338 1.3
Kraft Velveeta $1,869,635 9.9 746,506 7.1 373,253 7.1
Galaxy Nutritional Foods Veggie $1,430,751 3.1 424,352 5.7 182,620 5.3
Borden Ched-O-Mate $587,267 (2.4) 486,132 (0.1) 200,788 (0.5)
Kraft $276,930 1,199.2 120,158 1,275.7 72,095 1,275.7
American Accent $212,793 72.4 41,375 50.5 73,259 73.3
Whitehall Specialties $210,796 5.2 42,811 8.7 85,621 8.7
*Number is either not available, or very high, indicative of a recent launch working off a small base.
APRIL 2011 www.fdbuyer.com 11
NEW PRODUCTS

Non-Dairy Flaxseed Milk All-Natural Turkey Burgers

Flax USA (www.flaxusa.com), Tamaqua, Pa.-based Koch’s Turkey Farm (www.kochs-
Goodrich, N.D., debuts “the first turkey.com) expands its line of frozen turkey burgers
and only” dairy-free beverage made with the addition of an all-natural variety made from
with flaxseed. Available exclu- free-range turkeys fed a vegetarian diet free of hor-
sively at Walmart until October, mones, stimulants and antibiotics. Low in saturated
all-natural Flaxmilk delivers 1,100 fat, sodium
mg of Omega-3 per serving and as and calories,
much calcium as dairy milk. Also free the rosemary-
of both gluten and soy, the low-cal flavored
kosher drink comes in both Original burgers are
and Vanilla flavors. Suggested retail designed to
price is $3.30 per half gallon. go directly
from freezer
Pizza for the Grill to skillet —
Sidney, Ohio-based MaMa Rosa’s (www.mama-rosas. no thawing
com) presents a new line of pizzas designed to cook required. Ready to eat in just 7 minutes, they come in
on the grill in their four-count, 16-ounce boxes with a $5.99 suggested
own packaging. retail price.
Made with 100%
real cheese and New Ice Cream Flavors
sauce “from edge Turkey Hill Dairy (www.turkeyhill.com),
to edge,” Pizza Conestoga, Pa., adds a pair of new flavors to its
Grillers come premium ice cream collection. Originally a lim-
in four flavors: ited edition variety that was so well-received
Four-Cheese, the company decided to make it permanent,
Pepperoni, Italian Double Dunker features mocha ice cream
Sausage and mixed with chewy cookie dough and crunchy
Grilled Chicken chocolate cookie swirl, while Homemade
with BBQ Sauce. Vanilla boasts a more
Shipped frozen, they can also be thawed and sold traditional flavor
fresh alongside burgers, hot dogs and other sum- that harkens back
mer grilling fare. Each three-serving, 13-ounce pie is to the company’s
expected to retail for between $4.99 and $5.99. roots. Both varieties
come in rectangular
Organic Baby 48-ounce containers
Food and carry a $3.99 sug-
Miami-based gested retail price.
Nature’s
Select Food Gluten-Free
Group (www. Soft Pretzels
naturesselect- Chicago-based Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels (www.
foodgroup. kimandscotts.com) rolls out its first gluten-free
com) intro- soft pretzel. The all-natural, hand-twisted product
duces a new is made from a blend of 5 “ancient grains,” includ-
line of minimally processed, certified organic frozen ing sorghum flour, millet flour, quinoa flour, ama-
baby food made with high quality Glatt kosher meats ranth flour and teff flour. In addition to rice flour,
and poultry. Recently named “Best New Organic these ancient grains offer more fiber and therefore
Product” by Kosherfest, the microwaveable Petite a healthier soft pretzel. Given that this gluten-free
Select line includes gluten-free Shepherd’s Pie, Pasta twist is free of dairy and made in a nut-free facil-
Bolognese, Beef Barley and gluten- ity, consumers with many
free Mango Jambo. Prepared in dietary constraints can
small batches without added now enjoy a delicious soft-
sugar or salt and then flash frozen baked pretzel. Suggested
to lock in freshness, each 8-ounce retail is between $5.99 and
package includes two 4-ounce $6.99 per 8-ounce 2-count
servings in individual BPA-free package.
plastic containers. Suggested retail
price is $5.99 to $6.99.

12 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

 Our chefs create it. You brand it.
Your customers enjoy it.

Thai Green Curry Rice with Fire Roasted Pineapple

Convenient microwaveable
steam pouches available from
Haliburton International Foods.
For more information about our innovative flavors
and private label products, e-mail us today at
info@haliburton.net

2539 East Philadelphia Street, Ontario, California 91761 | 1.877.980.4295 | www.haliburton.net Equal parts food, science and taste.
NEW PRODUCTS

Raspberry Lemon meats and cheeses

Italian Ice atop a thin, crispy
Lindy’s Home- crust, Freschetta
made (www. Simply...Inspired
lindyshomemade. is offered in eight
com), Charlotte, varieties. Hawaiian
N.C., introduces Style, Farmers Mar-
a new raspberry ket Veggie, Harvest
lemon flavor to Supreme, South-
its Italian ice line. ern BBQ Chicken,
This new flavor has a blend of red and black raspberry Rustic Pepperoni
with a hint of lemon. The products are fat free, low in Pomodoro and Clas-
sodium, gluten free, and only 100 calories per cup. The sic Bruschetta plus limited-edition Tuscan Farmhouse
packaging is made of recycled material that the com- and Chicken Bianco. All come in the company’s new
pany is testing as a sustainable option. Each box has six Fresch-Taste Seal packaging, which locks in flavor while
single-serve cups with six fluid ounces. eliminating the need for an outer cardboard carton.
Ready in 12 to 14 minutes, each 11.5-inch pizza has three
Frozen Meatballs to four servings. Suggested retail price is $6.79.
Norwood, Mass.-based Home
Market Foods (www.cookedper- Recipe-Ready Frozen Beef
fect.com) launches a collection of Wooster, Ohio-based Certified Angus Beef (www.
frozen meatballs flame-broiled to certifiedangusbeef.com) partners with Tyler, Texas-
sear in natural flavors and juices. based John Soules Foods (www.johnsoulesfoods.
Offered under the Cooked Per- com) to create the first line of frozen products
fect sub-brand, the fully cooked offered under the Certifed Angus Beef brand. The
0.5-ounce meatballs come in fully cooked, recipe-ready collection includes
both Homestyle and Four Cheese Carne Asada, Flame-Broiled Steak Strips and
flavors. Homestyle meatballs Thinly Sliced Beef Steaks, all of which are cooked
are available in 16-ounce ($2.50 on real flame broilers, not steam cookers. The
SRP), 38-ounce ($5.99 SRP) and gluten- and MSG-
80-ounce ($10.99 SRP) packages free beef comes
while Four Cheese meatballs in resealable
come in 24-ounce ($5.99 SRP) packages. The meatballs 16-ounce, five-serving
can be prepared in microwaves or conventional ovens packages that feature
or on the stove top. cooking instructions
and meal ideas. Sug-
Turkey Burgers gested retail price is
Butterball LLC $8.75 per package.
(www.butterball.
com), Garner, Coconut Milk
N.C., introduces WhiteWave Foods
“grill-ready” Fro- (www.whitewave.com),
zen Turkey Burg- Broomfield, Colo.,
ers designed to go a subsidiary of Dean Foods, expands its dairy-free
straight from Silk line with the introduction of Silk Pure
freezer to flame — no thawing or sea- Coconut coconut milk. An excellent source
soning required. Offered under the Butterball of vitamins D and B12, the plant-based al-
Every Day sub-brand, the bun-size burgers ternative to dairy milk contains 50 percent
contain 70% less fat than burgers made from more calcium than cow’s milk. Produced
beef and two-thirds the recommended daily without the use of GMO ingredients and
allowance of protein. Each 24-ounce box verified by the Non-GMO Project, it’s
contains six one-third pound patties packaged available in two lactose- and cholesterol-
in resealable stay-fresh inner bags. free flavors, Original and Vanilla, which
contain just 80 and 90 calories per serving,
Super-Premium Thin-Crust Pizza respectively. Suggested retail price is $3.39
Bloomington, Minn.-based Schwan’s Con- per half-gallon.
sumer Brands (www.freschetta.com) adds a
new super-premium sub-brand to its Fres-
chetta frozen pizza lineup. Featuring large-cut Got a new product you want featured?
vegetables, distinctive sauces and blends of Tell Warren Thayer, at warren@fdbuyer.com

14 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

IDDBA SHOW
IS JUNE 5-7
M
ore than 8,000 attendees
will be visiting the
International Dairy-Deli-
Bakery Association’s (IDDBA)
47th annual seminar and expo,
Dairy-Deli-Bake 2011, June 5-7 in
Anaheim, Calif., at the Anaheim
Convention Center.
The full-service “Show of Shows”
seminar and expo for qualified
retail buyers and merchandisers fea-
tures top speakers and 1,500 booths
with dairy, deli, bakery, cheese,
foodservice products, packaging
and services.
Speakers include: Dr. Condoleez-
za Rice, Guy Fieri, Joe Montana,
Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullen-
berger, Dr. Lowell B. Catlett, Harold
Lloyd, Marcus Buckingham, Sinbad,
John Gerzema, Carol Christison,
DELI CONSUMER
STUDY RELEASED
T he International Dairy-Deli-
Bakery Association (IDDBA),
Madison, Wis., has released
a new deli benchmark study,
Consumers in the Deli: Attitudes,
Buying Behavior, & Purchase Drivers.
An update of the last study pub-
lished in 2004, it determines how
much is actually a change in eating
behavior or taste and how much
is influenced by economic factors.
Additionally, to validate how the
economy continues to affect consum-
er attitudes, some questions from last
year’s New Value Shopper study were
asked again.
The research identifies three
distinct shopper clusters based on at-
titudes and buying behavior. “Qual-
ity-Driven” customers, those who
are more “Convenience-Driven”, and
“Health-Conscious.” Each cluster vis-
its the deli for different reasons and
the study helps identify their unique
16 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
Mark Rudy, and Jack Li.
One of many popular features of
the show is “Show and Sell,” which
offers world-class merchandis-
ing ideas and demonstrations with
actionable ideas. For more info, call
608-310-5000 or visit www.iddba.org.
PROGRAM
SUNDAY, JUNE 5
7:30-7:50 a.m., Non-denominational Worship Service
8:00-8:30 a.m., Innovations: Marketing Tips,
Technology Tricks, and Great Ideas (new research),
Jack Li
8:30-9:15 a.m., The Supermarket Department
Manager: What Makes Them Tick; What Turns Them
on?, Harold Lloyd
9:15-10:10 a.m., Making an Impact, Captain Chesley
“Sully” Sullenberger
10:10-10:30 a.m., Coffee Break
10:30-11:30 a.m., From Daytime to Primetime –
A Food Passion, Guy Fieri
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Weighty Issues: The World of
Sinbad, Sinbad
12:30-5:30 p.m., Expo and the Show & Sell Center
Merchandising Pavilion Open
purchase drivers. Here are just a few
areas covered in the full report:
—Consumers and their pocketbooks:
price/value and price perceptions.
—Communication channels con-
sumers use for meal planning, shop-
ping, etc.
—Saving money preparing food at
home, entertaining at home.
—Dietary concerns and how they
influence food purchases.
—Fad or trend: retailers speak out
on 12 food issues.
—Primary reasons for shopping
in-store service and self-
service delis.
—Importance of 18
deli services and char-
acteristics.
—Buying more or
less from supermar-
ket delis than two
years ago.
—Where prepared
food is bought that
is eaten at home
but not prepared
at home.
MONDAY, JUNE 6
8:00-8:20 a.m., Merchandising for Impact, Mark Rudy
8:20-9:20 a.m., Rock Star Food, Themes, & Trends,
Carol Christison
9:20-10:20 a.m., Remarks by Dr. Condoleezza Rice
10:20-10:40 a.m., Coffee Break
10:40-11:40 a.m., 2020: A Vision for Tomorrow,
Dr. Lowell Catlett
11:40 a.m. -12:30 p.m., Spend Shift: Brands and the
Post-Crisis Consumer, John Gerzema, author of Brand
Bubble and Spend Shift
12:30-5:30 p.m., Expo and the Show & Sell Center
Merchandising Pavilion Open
6:00-9:30 p.m., Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
Sponsored Party
TUESDAY, JUNE 7
8:00-9:00 a.m., Great Leader or Great Manager: The
One Thing You Need to Know, Marcus Buckingham
9:00-10:00 a.m., Driving Performance Excellence: In
Sports, Business, & Life, Joe Montana
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., expo and the Show & Sell
Center Merchandising Pavilion Open
6:00-10:00 p.m., Reception and Awards Banquet
(tickets required)
The survey assessed demographic
and economic data for 4,000 re-
spondents and specific deli shopping
behavior and preference information
from 2,000 respondents. The 2010 re-
sponses were compared with studies
done five, ten, and fifteen years ago.
Purchase behavior data are broken
out by eating occasion and purchase
and consumption locations. The
report analyzes consumption and
purchasing data for 39 products and
includes 143 tables.
Copies are $395 each for IDDBA
members and $795 each for non-
members, plus shipping
and handling. For
info on this and
other studies, or to
order, call the IDDBA
Education Department
at 608-310-5000 or visit
www.iddba.org.
The new report analyzes
consumption and purchas-
ing data for 39 products and
includes 143 tables.
 /4/11
B Y 5
P
I G N U
S

Watch your sales

stack up.
This summer, pile on the excitement and sell more milk,
with everyone’s favorite combination, milk and OREO cookies.
It’s our exciting June promotion, with consumers winning
free milk and cookies every hour online, all month long.
And it’s your chance to remind moms that milk helps kids get
the essential nutrients they need. To sign up or learn more,
call your processor or ADA representative, or call the
MilkPEP Hotline at 800-945-MILK.

© 2011 America’s Milk Processors.

got milk?® is a registered trademark of the California Milk Processor Board.
© 2011 Kraft Foods
THE DATABANK
FASTEST
FROZEN
BY PETER PENGUIN
Dollar sales of frozen foods in U.S.
supermarkets topped $7.53 bil-
lion during the 12 weeks ended
Feb. 20 2011, a 0.1% increase
over the same period a year
ago, according to Chicago-
based market research firm SymphonyIRI
Group. However, units slipped 1.3% to 2.51
billion, and volume was off almost 2.0%
to 3.30 billion. Percentage of volume
sold with merchandising support fell 0.3
points to 44.9%.
Our chart shows the fastest-growing
frozen department subcategories with at
least $200,000 in sales during the most
recent 12-week period. Data is for the
brands as originally trademarked and may
not include line extensions. Brands with
sales under $50,000 are not listed.
F A C T O I D S
-5.0%
Dollar loss by frozen drink/cocktail
drink concentrate, the first decrease
since subcategory leader Yoplait
Smoothie debuted more than a year
ago. Its sales edged up another 1.6%
over the past 12 weeks, but seven of
the eight remaining brands in
distribution more than a year saw
sales decline.
19.9
Percentage points separating the
increase in frozen pie unit sales
(+20.4%) and dollar sales (+0.5%).
Portion-control and single-serve
sizes contributed to the large gap.
9.17
Pounds of blueberry pie consumed
in 8 minutes — hands-free, no less
— by world record-holder Patrick
Bertoletti at the World Pie Eating
Championships July 28, 2007.
Bertoletti also holds world records
for shoo-fly pie, key lime pie and
strawberry rhubarb pie eating.
18 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
BABY FOOD/JUICE/SNACKS $683,957 240.2 317,773 440.0 65,663 298.4
Happy Baby $382,596 199.7 182,863 361.8 38,677 341.3
Happy Baby Happy Melts $155,586 917.0 50,028 937.7 3,127 937.7
Happy Tot $82,572 * 68,242 * 18,002 *
COOKIE DOUGH $1,211,165 40.6 261,887 54.2 326,221 39.3
Otis Spunkmeyer $374,972 429.9 98,076 471.4 100,054 419.9
Complete Recipe $321,251 15.3 77,586 20.6 97,559 20.4
Gregory’s $188,280 28.7 23,095 27.3 57,611 25.6
Private Label $81,668 (12.4) 10,318 (21.8) 12,855 (24.6)
Sweet Martha’s $80,798 (37.8) 16,648 (41.4) 24,972 (41.4)
French Meadow Bakery $56,642 659.2 8,851 743.4 7,468 743.4
WAFFLES $130,798,900 27.0 53,547,360 22.9 45,334,740 26.3
For brand listings, see our story on breakfast foods in this issue.
SOUP $7,743,312 18.7 2,267,772 29.0 2,284,306 18.4
Tabatchnick $1,883,055 3.6 912,179 10.5 829,510 7.8
Stouffer’s Corner Bistro $1,147,653 * 360,812 * 225,508 *
Phillips $804,722 (2.3) 169,352 3.8 147,284 2.0
Private Label $783,638 (7.1) 186,209 (2.1) 310,694 9.1
Boston Chowda $506,771 (16.7) 84,243 (6.7) 105,304 (6.7)
Soup Supreme $405,613 18.3 27,860 14.3 89,664 16.7
The Original Soupman $301,040 28.7 79,144 49.5 49,541 (0.2)
Kettle Cuisine $273,444 14.3 79,996 14.8 49,997 14.8
Goya $208,335 1.3 42,398 (3.3) 74,196 (3.3)
Reames $202,464 16.4 38,262 20.1 47,828 20.1
PIZZA CRUSTS/DOUGH $2,679,410 16.8 1,045,083 7.6 1,339,050 2.8
Kinnikinnick Foods $327,828 38.1 41,202 44.8 54,050 45.5
Private Label $283,860 (3.2) 135,869 (6.3) 166,508 (6.1)
House of Pasta $248,516 (7.0) 94,802 (7.3) 189,603 (7.3)
Udi’s $242,248 376.3 46,336 353.9 23,168 353.9
Tiseo $171,559 7.5 100,647 3.6 100,647 3.6
Calise & Sons Bakery $164,196 1.3 109,743 1.1 109,743 1.1
Stefano’s $145,618 33.2 83,841 33.3 83,841 33.3
Rhodes $124,662 (5.9) 36,101 (6.2) 108,304 (6.2)
Cassone’s $115,173 8.2 60,215 1.0 60,215 1.0
Portesi $83,040 21.7 19,904 24.1 27,368 24.1
BREAKFAST HANDHELD $95,542,500 14.6 23,533,060 13.2 21,810,040 15.6
Jimmy Dean $43,660,620 18.5 7,813,897 20.0 9,808,492 21.3
Jimmy Dean D Lights $9,685,700 12.3 1,664,805 17.7 2,047,589 18.8
W. Watchers Smart Ones Mrning Express $5,118,721 (7.6) 1,868,664 (6.0) 934,332 (6.0)
Odom’s Tennessee Pride $5,919,172 26.9 1,050,928 27.9 1,383,467 20.2
Hot Pockets $4,088,238 (18.8) 1,962,600 (18.5) 1,062,197 (19.3)
Bob Evans $3,821,075 48.1 841,987 43.4 820,878 44.3
Tennessee Pride $3,763,298 43.2 1,140,629 22.1 868,397 28.1
Lean Pockets $3,489,357 (11.9) 1,634,870 (11.8) 919,615 (11.9)
Private Label $2,997,942 13.6 800,892 10.0 757,082 8.7
Aunt Jemima $1,963,030 (36.1) 553,037 (37.3) 399,392 (37.7)
PROCESSED ALL OTHER POULTRY/
POULTRY SUBSTITUTES $890,611 12.9 130,718 14.4 134,067 7.6
Aidells $442,760 24.3 77,490 24.7 58,117 24.7
Maple Leaf Farms $344,689 11.0 37,728 9.3 27,810 11.6
Guilotas $72,974 17.4 12,508 15.8 43,777 15.8
TURKEY/TURKEY SUBSTITUTE $150,174,900 10.2 35,357,740 6.7 49,707,900 7.6
Jennie-O Turkey Store $41,526,120 5.4 9,120,457 2.2 11,675,890 2.4
Shady Brook Farms $25,300,780 (1.7) 5,444,899 (6.3) 8,485,666 (4.3)
Private Label $24,142,170 46.8 6,255,337 35.0 8,997,705 40.2
Honeysuckle White $17,741,440 8.2 4,753,878 7.7 6,573,705 4.7
Jennie-O $10,402,130 14.8 2,073,628 8.6 4,248,242 12.9
Foster Farms $9,911,849 14.9 2,191,835 14.3 2,756,127 14.2
Butterball $7,199,551 (1.4) 1,287,648 2.5 2,280,792 (1.2)
Perdue $4,056,174 1.2 1,399,954 1.2 1,467,197 0.2
Plainville Farms $2,487,067 32.2 572,300 33.5 571,980 33.5
Zacky Farms $1,953,766 (29.5) 576,441 (37.5) 791,207 (33.0)
PREPARED VEGETABLES (SAUCE/CRUMBS) $72,327,570 9.5 38,746,560 10.4 27,621,420 10.9
Green Giant $25,527,670 6.2 15,677,820 7.9 11,013,520 7.4
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers $17,828,390 24.5 8,353,082 24.5 6,145,969 22.2
Birds Eye Steamfresh $10,999,130 32.8 5,329,830 38.9 3,922,964 36.3
Green Giant Just For One $4,097,583 (4.8) 1,203,321 (3.0) 1,262,241 (2.9)
Green Giant Simply Steam $3,184,898 6.0 2,298,521 8.5 1,284,456 8.9
Green Giant Healthy Weight $1,557,378 2.0 1,071,846 4.2 468,932 4.2
Birds Eye Steam & Serve $1,441,974 (42.2) 592,513 (40.9) 370,321 (40.9)
Private Label $1,426,840 (9.7) 909,334 (23.7) 624,614 (20.9)
*Number is either not available, or very high, indicative of a recent launch working off a small base.

-27.5%
Dollar loss by frozen bagels (to
$10,473,330), once again the frozen
department’s biggest loser. One
bright spot: Bagels Forever, the sub-
category’s sixth best-seller, whose
sales jumped 8.2% to $507,192.
413.7%
Dollar gain by private label frozen
other breakfast food (to $67,343), the
best performance by a store brand
in the frozen food department.
Despite its success, subcategory dol-
lar sales fell 5.5%, thanks mostly to
poor showings by Pillsbury’s Toaster
Strudel and Toaster Scrambles.
23%
Number of photocopier breakdowns
reportedly caused by people attempt-
ing to photocopy their backsides.
-2.6%
Dollar loss by the frozen depart-
ment’s largest subcategory, single-
serve frozen dinners/entrees (to
$767,486,500), all but canceling out
a 6.4% gain in the smaller multi-
serve segment.
0
Number of frozen juice subcategories
to register dollar sales gains over the
past 12 weeks. Of the nine segments
tracked by SymphonyIRI Group, only
other vegetable/fruit juice (-0.2%)
came close to the plus side.
$125
Weekly salary of Terry, the dog who
played Toto in . Not
bad considering the little people
who took on roles as Munchkins only
took home $50 a week.
23.5
Increase in percentage of frozen
waffle volume sold with merchandis-
ing support (from 16.9% a year ago to
40.4% today), highest in the frozen
food department. With a pair of
new products to promote and a 75th
birthday to celebrate, Kellogg’s Eggo
is the primary driver.
*Number is either not available, or very high, indicative of a recent launch working off a small base.
ALL OTHER PASTA/NOODLES $9,140,889 7.4 3,453,128 1.9 3,445,616 10.2
Reames $4,338,146 13.8 1,621,921 10.1 1,468,467 12.1
Private Label $1,123,094 35.9 344,227 5.4 585,229 83.4
Grandma’s $774,776 (7.8) 235,385 (11.0) 200,240 (12.4)
Boston Market $640,221 (17.2) 253,097 (21.2) 189,823 (21.2)
Celentano $314,212 (7.9) 134,948 (6.5) 134,948 (6.5)
Seviroli $245,483 (1.7) 125,366 (4.7) 100,446 (22.0)
Andrea $228,893 (4.2) 106,146 2.4 122,405 7.2
Mama Rosie’s $211,300 (0.3) 84,237 (0.1) 124,128 (3.8)
POT PIES $74,194,780 7.2 49,899,830 1.1 31,196,580 4.6
Marie Callender’s $37,085,580 13.7 13,638,450 16.6 13,416,710 16.3
Banquet $20,716,210 9.5 28,393,430 7.8 12,422,130 7.8
Stouffer’s $5,127,731 3.4 1,893,059 1.7 1,491,384 2.1
Swanson $2,163,839 (30.6) 2,269,859 (34.2) 993,063 (34.2)
Willow Tree $1,503,201 3.2 278,833 (0.4) 414,747 (0.9)
Amy’s $1,389,737 8.4 406,561 7.3 192,317 7.3
Private Label $1,358,239 (46.1) 1,761,609 (57.9) 838,107 (55.8)
Claim Jumper $1,189,549 (7.7) 369,658 (10.0) 413,696 (10.0)
SAUSAGE $63,442,930 7.0 32,707,760 3.7 21,469,960 3.4
Banquet Brown ‘N Serve $26,253,200 7.7 18,574,010 9.2 8,476,378 9.4
Hormel Little Sizzler $4,601,372 5.4 3,183,962 1.5 2,335,068 1.4
Jones Golden Brown $4,374,926 5.2 2,112,530 1.7 905,240 (1.2)
Private Label $4,238,959 (0.1) 1,691,680 (19.7) 1,666,854 (12.1)
Jimmy Dean $3,387,333 1.9 924,861 (10.2) 991,241 (7.6)
Purnell Old Folks $3,344,920 34.9 470,980 32.6 1,089,085 22.5
Jones $2,595,961 (8.1) 815,245 (8.9) 602,977 (10.5)
Tennessee Pride $2,327,797 5.6 290,304 (7.4) 685,178 (7.8)
MULTI SERVE DINNERS/ENTREES $324,121,000 6.4 58,234,940 7.1 115,588,400 4.9
Stouffer’s $107,930,900 2.8 16,045,190 5.2 46,631,690 4.8
Bertolli $28,435,970 (5.8) 4,099,504 (4.2) 6,166,405 (4.0)
Birds Eye Voila! $27,716,430 15.2 6,988,881 15.4 9,696,506 15.8
P.F. Chang’s Home Menu $21,181,420 * 2,583,558 * 3,552,392 *
Private Label $16,680,060 (14.0) 2,416,687 (12.4) 5,657,118 (15.1)
Marie Callender’s $13,023,410 131.7 3,157,740 90.1 4,937,744 83.3
Wanchai Ferry $9,597,844 53.4 1,406,341 64.8 2,109,512 64.8
SPINACH $32,537,980 6.1 24,472,720 2.2 17,726,850 2.7
Private Label $20,479,350 6.5 16,595,660 2.2 12,238,490 2.9
Birds Eye $4,215,944 (2.6) 3,171,768 (3.9) 2,011,464 (4.2)
Green Giant Weight Watchers $2,346,148 * 1,561,420 * 878,299 *
Seabrook Farms $805,571 4.3 432,196 12.9 290,447 9.5
Pictsweet $741,030 (34.4) 398,070 (44.9) 476,533 (32.1)
Birds Eye C & W $668,190 2.7 306,215 1.8 274,450 4.1
Cascadian Farm $493,466 1.3 161,409 6.1 100,881 6.1
YOGURT/TOFU $37,992,380 4.2 10,215,620 2.5 26,873,800 4.3
Private Label $8,320,049 14.8 2,387,858 6.4 9,093,115 5.1
Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slowchurned $7,297,359 (10.3) 1,956,387 (9.1) 5,869,159 (9.1)
Ben & Jerry’s Lighten Up $3,309,536 (3.1) 888,512 (6.2) 888,512 (6.2)
Häagen-Dazs $3,260,449 (1.7) 896,732 (4.1) 784,640 (4.1)
Turkey Hill $1,851,988 1,417.9 618,020 1,468.0 1,854,061 1,380.6
Purely Decadent $1,757,461 28.1 349,744 22.8 349,744 22.8
Kemps $1,670,307 12.0 474,993 10.8 1,424,979 10.8
Organic So Delicious $1,568,846 (11.5) 299,027 (14.0) 526,631 (12.9)
CHILI $3,310,733 4.1 1,073,265 (0.5) 1,028,320 1.6
Skyline Chili $913,917 (3.6) 308,286 (5.9) 273,419 (6.1)
Gold Star Chili $560,537 0.3 229,046 (3.3) 150,323 (3.3)
Dolores $478,010 11.6 118,342 10.3 148,139 10.1
Bueno $233,858 5.8 88,832 (0.7) 93,984 2.4
Bueno Autumn Roast $178,771 6.5 54,922 4.9 44,624 4.9
Baca’s $132,129 2.5 59,483 (5.7) 56,609 (3.1)
Tabatchnick $124,096 (8.5) 57,282 (9.0) 53,702 (9.0)
Manning’s $116,566 13.8 27,575 8.1 27,575 8.1
ALL OTHER POULTRY/
POULTRY SUBSTITUTES $12,489,260 4.0 2,690,681 (2.5) 5,355,534 (2.4))
Tyson $8,696,292 5.4 2,084,128 (0.9) 3,811,837 (3.8)
Codornices Supremas $896,560 21.4 50,710 5.1 556,947 21.0
Manchester Farms $567,435 (1.9) 55,446 (6.3) 64,428 (6.2)
Perdue Oven Ready $503,108 0.6 54,701 (9.8) 218,806 (9.8)
Patti Jean $434,269 (6.3) 185,032 (14.9) 231,290 (14.9)
Maple Leaf Farms $270,452 (0.1) 28,276 (7.6) 86,989 (2.6)
Perdue $245,033 46.7 80,392 51.9 111,015 51.4
Perdue Chef’s Choice $193,470 20.9 82,498 51.9 103,122 51.9
APRIL 2011 www.fdbuyer.com 19
BETTY BUYER

BETTY&
sell. You take all my best items and Never any feedback from you!
copy for PL anyway. Sammy: You remind me all time that
you own shelves, so it up to you to

SAMMY
Betty: Why you do so many Power make sure work gets done, no matter
Pointless presentations? You think who does it. You expect me do it all!

‘TWEET’
Back on April 1, my com-
puter was mysteriously
taken over by a couple
‘Tweeters,’ whom I
quickly recognized as Betty
Buyer and Sammy Seller…
BY WARREN THAYER
Betty: To follow consumer
trends, must I do all new items
by self in private label? Why you
do no innovation, Sammy? Tired of
your me-toos!
Sammy: Tired of yr slotting and BS
fees, Betty! You still make all money
when buy, not
sexy? You shuffle all data to make self
look good. Don’t believe you.
Sammy: God forbid you ever do own
research, Betty. You treat store like
parking lot where you just collect
fees. All heavy lifting done by us.
Betty: LOL!! That why you make
big bucks. I see your sales/profits up
twice as fast as ours, so why I cry for
you? Nice car you drive, too.
Sammy: Why you not put back
my fast movers, ones you cut in
SKU irrationalization program? We
both lose money on Stupid Killing
of Units.
Betty: Get clue, Sammy. Fewer SKUs
mean more profit. Maybe you think
bad if retailers make profit? Your
“fast movers” do case every six years.
Sammy: You make us pay high for
your demo people, but some of them
dead for years. No life. And you never
order enuf product to support demo.
Betty: You back out of most respon-
sibility for this years ago, and expect
me do it all, and you not help half as
much anymore. What up with that?
Sammy: Be nice to tell us when you
plan category review or reset, so we
can present new items to you. Also
be nice if you stuck to schedule.
Betty: Things change quick some-
times. Can’t always wait while you
tie shoelaces. You often one wants
exception to schedule, anyway.
Betty: Truth or illusion, Sammy; you
don’t know the difference.
Sammy: No, but we must carry on as
though we did.
Betty: Sammy and Betty. Sad,
sad, sad.
(with apologies
to Edward
Albee.)

Betty: If our demo people dead, why

we run out of product? You can’t have
both ways. Your forecasting bad.
Can’t even predict dark at night.
Sammy: Why your store execution
stink? No signage on displays. Items
missing or short-faced. New items
not on shelf in time. Cost us both big.

Betty: Why your store support stink?

Used to send in entire Army to do re-
sets, now just two retirees on oxygen
for whole chain. I miss old days.
Sammy: You not work with us on
definition of compliance or imple-
mentation. No clear lines of responsi-
bility. Never any feedback from you!

Betty: You not work with us on defi-

nition of compliance or implementa-
tion. No clear lines of responsibility.

20 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF
WHOLE FOODS MARKET
Why did we pick Whole Foods as our Retailer of the Year? Well, there are
more reasons than you can shake a stick at. Here’s what a cross section of
competitors, vendors and consultants have to say.

BY WARREN THAYER

W hole Foods Market is our

Retailer of the Year for so
many good reasons it’s
hard to know where to begin.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the
company because it is truly “the
consumer advocate,” having earned
the trust of its
loyal shoppers by
genuinely look-
ing out for their
interests. That’s
rare. But let’s
start with some of
the quantifiable little
factoids that popped
up during the com-
pany’s first quarter
conference call
with securities
analysts on Feb. 9.
RETAILER OF THE YEAR Whole Foods had
just posted a 14%
increase in sales, and a 15% increase
in gross profit. It also reported its
fifth consecutive quarter of accel-
erating identical store sales growth
on both a one- and a two-year basis.
Identical store sales rose 9.1% — the
highest result in four years. Average
weekly sales per store for all stores
increased 9% to $621,000, for average
sales per square foot of about $856.
Hey, aren’t we in a recession?
Well, there’s more. Whole Foods
logged a 7% increase in transaction
count in identical stores, and a 2%
hike in basket size — mostly from
customers putting more items in
their baskets. The chain became one
of only 13 companies ranked con-
secutively for 14 years on Fortune
magazine’s list of the 100 Best Com-
panies to Work For. And Whole
Foods has adopted a 5-Step Animal
Welfare Rating System.
Well, all these factoids could eas-
ily get tedious, strung together like
this, so I’ll stop now. There are plenty
more reasons I could cite, but I felt it
best to turn it over to all of you. Over
the past month, I beat the bushes
asking competitors, consultants,
manufacturers and brokers for their
thoughts on Whole Foods.
You’ll note that 97.4% of it (give
or take) is highly complimentary.
Believe it or not, I didn’t censor any
criticism whatever. So approximately
2.6% is devoted to things people
don’t like about Whole Foods. Hey,
to my mind, that just makes it all
real. And just for the record, very few
retailers ever get off this easy.
‘A GAME CHANGER’
Comments from a
competing retailer:
Whole Foods has proven to be a
game changer in the retail food busi-
ness. They have become the national
brand for products that people be-

22 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011


lieve are better for you: organics, nat-
ural, HBC, wellness in general, fresh
seafood, etc. They charge a premium
and they have taken a lot of heat for
their prices. It is interesting to note
that in most cases I have observed
they are less expensive than many of
the independent or small chains of
organic retailers. Which, when you
think of it is really their competitor,
not traditional retailers.
Similar to the impact Walmart has
on the industry, when Whole Foods
says it will not buy a certain product
or products with certain ingredients,
it sends a ripple through that entire
supply chain. Relative to their seg-
ment of retail, they may own more
total share than Walmart does versus
the traditional channel. This is a
point I do not see reflected since they
have a relatively low number of stores
and the people that ‘cover’ them in
the trade and financial press also
Natural light via a sky light from the
Austin landmark store’s plaza illuminates
the frozen food offerings, below left. At
right is the original Whole Foods store, in
a 1980 photo.
cover all of the food retailers.
I think they have a stronger loyalty
from their customers than almost
any food retailer in the country. I
also think this loyalty is based upon
the ‘trust’ that their customers have
in them to provide the type of foods/
products that they are looking for.
Their customers even seem to like it
more when they move toward a more
‘militant’ stance.
The wellness/organic/natural
consumer is a real challenge to fit
into traditional demographic profiles.
They have participants in every de-
mographic segment. Their customer
is just as likely to be a high-income
person driving up in their Mercedes
as it is to be a young adult riding a
bike and spending a third of their
limited income on the products that
Whole Foods provides.
The recent TV program that aired
about “The Big, Bad, Crazy Grocery
Store” turned out to provide Whole
Foods a platform that they could not
have bought. They came across great.
(Notice that the founder was not on
the program — the board doesn’t
trust him to keep his mouth shut.)
As industry observers, we stand
back and say Whole Foods is way too
expensive for the average household,
their products are too specialized,
or that they will get customers for
some things not available elsewhere
but they will not get customers to
buy a full basket. To all of us with
that perspective I suggest two things.
First, spend more time in their stores
to see how wrong your basic assump-
tions are. (Careful though, you likely
will see some of your customers and
you need to be prepared.) And sec-
ond, go ahead and move into the 21st
century — consumers are loyal to
themselves first and then loyal to the
retailer that allows them to be loyal
to themselves. The CEO or President
from CVS had a recent quote that I
really like: “Customers want to save
APRIL 2011
money where they can so they can
spend money on what they want.”
‘WEATHERED THE STORM’
Don Stuart, president of
Kantar Retail, Wilton, Conn.:
Operationally, they have a strong
distribution network, excellent serv-
ice and in-stock levels, and strong
supplier relationships. They weath-
ered the economic storm better than
expected (fell early/rebounded early)
and have responded well to customer
sensitivities over pricing.
Pricing remains a concern, along
with widespread availability of
healthier, natural options and contin-
ued weakness in organics. Much of
their success (or weakness) depends
on the founder and visionary.
‘PRICE BECOMES
SECONDARY’
Manufacturer:
Whole Foods seems to have staked
out and fully exploited the upper tier
consumer. The stores invite impulse
sales as most of the proprietary
products are romanced for margin
enhancement and to make the con-
sumer feel good about the purchase.
Price becomes secondary, and that,
in this economy, is no small feat.
Many consumers will “treat”
themselves with a visit to Whole
Foods. Paying for quality can be a
value many consumers can live with.
I think Trader Joe’s has become the
poor man’s Whole Foods and the
market has embraced both brands.
Price is, as always, the key driver and
even more so today, but retailers can
learn from both these competitors —
that offering quality products, fairly
priced, will be judged as a value.
My guess is, where price compari-
www.fdbuyer.com 23

Whole Foods’ 365 Organic line pioneered
the trail for private label organic offerings
by other retailers.
sons are easily made, Whole Foods
may suffer. But in private label and
regional brands, where comparisons
are more difficult, the Whole Foods
environment carries the day.
The prevailing wisdom was,
“Whole Paycheck” would wither
under the weight of the recession, but
the opposite has happened. GENIUS!!
Every product recall helps Whole
Foods. Every crop shortage helps
Whole Foods. Every food related
health scare helps Whole Foods. Peo-
ple believe Whole Foods helps them
live healthier, more fulfilled lives —
put a price on that, if you can.
Is Whole Foods for everyone? No.
But for a growing number of seniors,
active adults, and parents wanting to
provide better alternatives for their
kids, Whole Foods has become at
least part of the answer.
‘A VERY STRONG BRAND’
Rob Walker, New York Times
Magazine contributing writer,
and author of Buying In:
Despite the “Whole Paycheck” rap it
sometimes gets, and other occasional
criticisms, I think it is a very, very
strong brand. In general it’s perceived
as being a far bigger chain than it
actually is. I remember reading at
least one article about a neighbor-
hood group trying to get Whole
24 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
‘BEST IN CLASS’
Manufacturer:
Being one of the first natural/organic
food chains they have remained the
best in class. They went through
a tough merger where they had
employee issues but have worked
through them. They’ve done a good
job with their private label organic
offering, but could be a bit sharper
on price. It will be interesting to see
if they can continue to get younger
shoppers versus the 60’s and 70”s
Volvo shoppers. They are miles ahead
of say, a Sunflower, or any other mul-
tiple store organic chain.
Broker:
They are definitely best in class when
Foods to build in their area, to spark it comes to organic, natural, good for
economic development and improve you and wellness types of products.
the area’s image (somewhere in DC They are high priced for sure but
area, I think). if you took the segment down just
And remember the “boycott” talk to the organic side of the business
after (founder and chairman John) and compare apples to apples, they
Mackey’s Wall Street Journal op-ed are not any higher than the major
piece on health care? It had no im- retailers that stock like items. In
pact, and nobody remembers it. And most cases they do not have the same
that was the second time Mackey items as most retailers so they cannot
was a distraction — his chat-board be compared directly.
anonymous comments about the
stock price episode also faded away.
On a note related to the brand,
in my experience the store environ-
ment is really distinct; if somebody
blindfolded you and led you into a
Whole Foods, took the blindfold off,
you’d know what store you’re in im-
mediately. There is no Whole Foods
where we live (Savannah, Ga.) but
every time I visit one while traveling
I’m impressed how consistently that
store design/look/feel is executed.
IF THE CONSUMER WERE
A SEARCH ENGINE
Manufacturer:
If the consumer were a search en-
gine, whenever one entered “natu-
ral/organic foods,” the item with the
most hits by far would be Whole
Foods. I don’t think you could ask
for more as a niche retailer. There’s
a lot to be said for knowing who you
are and having been able to com- When Whole Foods won’t stock items
municate that to the customer well with certain ingredients, the refusal has a
enough that they clearly know who ripple effect on the entire ‘healthy foods’
you are also. supply chain, says a competitor.
‘TOO DECENTRALIZED’
Manufacturer:
We find them challenging to work
with as they are very decentral-
ized, have a lot of different dairy
distributors (versus just one or two)
and distribution centers typically
have a small number of stores. All
this makes achieving minimums on
specialty items difficult. The decen-
tralization and multiple distributors
make achieving consistent pricing
and distribution tough.
If they ever get enough mass per
distribution center to buy more items
direct and thus become more cost-
competitive, they could really be-
come a force that traditional grocers
need to worry about.
I have never seen so much em-
ployee loyalty and their enthusiasm
seems to run off on their consum-
ers, driving amazing loyalty among
those who can afford or are willing to
spend extra to shop there.
‘THE INDUSTRY CADILLAC
(OR LEXUS?)’
Broker:
Whole Foods is the Cadillac (or
maybe now it would be the Acura
or Lexus of Supermarket Class of
trade). Their stores are magnificent
examples of “feels good for your
grocery shopping.” They give a
consumer a feeling of confi-
dence that you are doing the
right thing for you and your
family.
They have also embraced the
concept of “keeping it local”
by knowing and dealing with
the community their stores are
located in. Whole Foods will
work with local vendors to be
sure they make the consumer
feel like Whole Foods is the lo-
cal grocer.
The Whole Foods associ-
ates are very knowledgeable on
the products they sell and why
you should buy them. They
definitely show loyalty to the
company and what it stands
for, and are very down to
earth, making consumers feel
Whole Foods’ prices aren’t any higher than the major
at home while shopping. retailers that stock the same items, says a manufacturer. the farms, talk to producers, see
26 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
‘BE CAREFUL ON
ANIMAL WELFARE’
Manufacturer:
They are internally managing their
new animal welfare program with
supplier input to guidelines rather
than having independent third-party
audits based upon a scientific advi-
sory board. They should be cautious
about how they handle this program.
‘THEY GIVE
CONSUMERS VALUE’
David J. Livingston, DLJ
Research, Waukesha, Wis.:
Whole Foods always seems to find
a way to make consumers want to
spend more money. However they
are obviously giving the consumers
value for their money. Otherwise
they would not be doing so well. I’m
impressed with their sales per square
foot and with their site selection. You
can’t accuse them of over-expanding.
They have grown slowly and me-
thodically. During the recession they
carefully backed off but now it seems
they are right back on track.
‘PREMIUM NICHE
POWERHOUSE’
Manufacturer:
Whole Foods is a premium niche
powerhouse. They’ve built their
own brands well, for Whole Foods
outside the store and 365 inside the
store. I agree with everything others
have said. You’ve got a terrifically ac-
curate portrait here. I’d emphasize,
however, the comments made about
the difficulties presented by their
regional decision making.
‘CHANGED HOW WE
RUN OUR BUSINESS’
Alicia DePatsy, marketing
director, Pineland Farms
Natural Meats,
New Gloucester, Me.:
First I would like to say that person-
ally, Whole Foods has changed the
way I buy groceries for my family.
Professionally, it has changed how
we run our business. Education
and consumer awareness for how
to shop smarter and eat healthier
is at the forefront of their business
model — especially knowing where
your food comes from and how it’s
raised, grown and transported to
Whole Foods. This constantly con-
nects the consumer to the products
in the store.
Unlike other large retailers, it’s not
confusing to walk into the store and
find the “healthy” products because
the consumer knows and trusts that
Whole Foods has investigated, tested
and stands behind its vendors.
In some regions they also have
Vendor All Access shows where
they invite vendors to come and
display their products for em-
ployees of Whole Foods Market.
The average Whole Foods em-
ployee is energetic, helpful and
well informed about products
and the mission of the Whole
Foods Market shopper experi-
ence. Each store has its own
marketing coordinator who in
turn works within that immedi-
ate community connecting the
consumer to products, causes
and the locality of where their
food comes from. Each buyer
we deal with is 110% invested in
“who we are” as a company and
“how we raise/grow our prod-
ucts”. These buyers often visit
the animals and totally subscribe to
the GAP mission. They even offer
grants for local farmers. It’s a class
act through and through!
‘THEY WON TRUST
& RESPECT’
Mona Doyle, The Consumer
Network, Philadelphia:
Whole Foods won the trust and
respect of consumer thought leaders
primarily by refusing to carry soft
drinks. For many years, consumers
who found out that soft drinks were
the biggest sellers in most supermar-
kets were shocked into thinking that
something was wrong with the way
Americans shopped.
Shopping at Whole Foods was a
way to change that, to make the kind
of change that millions of consum-
ers want (and still find difficult) to
make. The fact that many millions of
consumers are making that choice is
confirmed by the news that Subway
store locations have surpassed Mc-
Donald store locations.
There are two other things that
shoppers tell me set Whole Foods
apart from many supermarkets. One
is that they are rarely out of stock on
items that are important to their cus-
tomers. Another is that they are very
good operators with stores that are
almost always squeaky clean — they
pay close attention to the aesthetics
of their merchandising. Produce at
Whole Foods may be pricey, but it
almost always is a pleasure to look at.
‘SOLID CORE OF
EMISSARIES’
Dan Raftery, president, Raftery
Resource Network, Antioch, Ill.:
I interviewed several Whole Foods
store managers a few years ago
and came away impressed with the
amount of autonomy they have and
the way that they focus on the neigh-
borhood. I believe that they operate
as neighborhood stores as well as any
retailer and better than most.
The Whole Foods employee is the
best Whole Foods customer, which
means a solid core of emissaries.
Best Buy and Apple are other retail-
ers where the demographics of the
staff and best customers match.
28 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
One thing to note about store lo-
cations — Whole Foods has been in
urban areas for a long time. We are
just now seeing other retailers re-
entering the “food deserts.” It will be
interesting to see how they compete.
‘THE RIGHT LEVERS’
Doug Adams, president,
Prime Consulting Group,
Bannockburn, Ill.:
News stories about product recalls,
crop safety, organic and even obesity
help Whole Foods. They are asso-
ciated with all things wholesome,
healthy and natural. They have
strong loyalty from their core and
for the less loyal they are the store
where you ‘treat’ yourself. A good
friend of mine, who runs a large di-
vision of a very well respected grocer
once said, “Price is the lever I pull
when I can’t get anything else right.”
Well Whole Foods has figured out
other marketing levers.
Selection is not the largest, but it’s
plenty in the right categories. Ever
been in a Whole Foods with a large
salad bar at lunch time? It’s as busy
as a good McDonald’s! They staff
extra registers to speed you to a very
tasty lunch of your choosing. Across
some of the perimeter departments
there is a good bit of mystery and
discovery (i.e. fresh baked bread,
deli, sushi bar and salad bar). It’s not
prepared — it’s fresh.
‘THEY MAINSTREAMED
NATURAL’
Manufacturer:
Whole Foods Markets has taken
natural products from the small, lo-
cal co-operative grocer to the main-
stream. Where else do you see soccer
moms, foodies, Goth kids, lawyers,
college professors, and, frankly,
Whole Foods is rarely out of stock on
items important to their customers, says
Mona Doyle.
everything in between all joined
together under the common goal of
finding a healthier, more delicious
way of life? They successfully tackled
the monumental task of raising our
awareness about impact of the deci-
sions we make every day.
What I find most fascinating
about Whole Foods is the how
they have changed their customer’s
perception of value. A traditional
grocery store is going to have a hard
time selling Gala Apples at $2.99
a pound, but WFM can get that
price by telling the story behind the
apples. Grown locally, free from pes-
ticides, and, to top it all off, you get
to see a picture of the farmer and his
or her family. And, if you are there
at the right time, you get to meet the
producer sampling their product in
the store. The “theatre” of shopping
at Whole Foods has a value, and
their customers are willing to pay.
Will Whole Foods be a victim
of its own success, educating its
customers right back to the local
farmer’s market and natural food
co-operative? Or, will the giants of
the grocery retail industry figure out
how to recapture their lost custom-
ers, realizing not all will respond to
the blunt instrument of low price
but to the elusive concept of “ex-
perience?” Will natural, specialty,
and organic products become so
ubiquitous that there will no longer
be a need for specialization? Maybe
Whole Foods will continue to inno-
vate to forever capture the imagina-
tion and delight of folks looking to
check grocery shopping off their
weekend list of “to do’s.” n
 s
u l ate d
n g rat Name
o
h e f C Being ar!
o o r C s on he Ye
d od ft
Tan le Fo iler o
o a
Wh Ret

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WHY THEY SHOP
WHOLE FOODS
Here are 10 key reasons why
Whole Foods shoppers choose
to shop there.
BY WARREN THAYER
Q
uality, selection and the avail-
ability of whole and organic
foods are three key reasons
why Whole Foods shoppers shop
where they do. And while price is a
primary driver for 74.5% of shoppers
in their store selection, only 13.3% of
Whole Foods shoppers see it as one of
the top reasons to shop Whole Foods.
This story will take a look at the
reasons why shoppers pick their
grocery store of choice, focusing at-
tention on not just Whole Foods, but
Walmart, Kroger, Publix, Wegmans
and national averages for all shop-
pers. It’ll tell you what’s important to
whom, and why shoppers may migrate
to different stores from time to time,
or stay very loyal.
The data you’ll see here comes from
last August’s Consumer Intentions
and Actions Survey (CIA) put out by
BIGresearch (www.bigresearch.com),
Worthington, Ohio. The national aver-
ages are based on a BIGresearch survey
of 8,201 adults — that sample size
provides a margin of error of +/- 1.1%.
Here’s a breakout of respondents who
chose different stores as their first-
choice grocery retailer: Walmart, 1,524
(margin of error +/-2.5%); Kroger, 586
(margin of error +/- 4.3%); Publix, 340
(margin of error +5.5%); Wegmans, 59;
Whole Foods, 34.
Yes, those last two numbers are
too small to consider truly defini-
tive. Consider them directional and
nothing more. I wouldn’t normally use
numbers that low, but the responses fit
uncannily with the anecdotal reports
I’ve picked up within the market over
the past year or two, so I decided to
include them, with the caveat here.
As the data is presented, you’ll
first see the national average of the
8,201 adults who cited the selected
attributes as among the reasons they
chose their grocery store. Then you’ll
see what percentage of shoppers at,
say, Walmart, said about attributes
that are important to them. The ques-
tion asked of consumers is: “What are
the reasons why you buy your grocer-
ies there?” From a list, they are asked
to check all that apply.
30 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
In our first example below, 47.9% of
shoppers say that product quality is
a reason they chose their store. Only
35.3% of Walmart shoppers said they
chose Walmart because of the quality
of the products they carry. And so on.
At the bottom, you’ll see “WF gap vs.
avg.,” which depicts the gap between
the Whole Foods’ shoppers’ response,
and the national average. See? It’s not
rocket science.
1. PRODUCT QUALITY
Average 47.9%
Walmart 35.3%
Kroger 59.5%
Publix 74.5%
Wegmans 85.4%
Whole Foods 87.9%
WF gap vs. avg 40.0
Nearly 88% of Whole Foods shoppers
say product quality plays an important
part in their store selection. That’s 40
percentage points above the average for
all shoppers, and it’s higher than any of
the other retailers listed here.
High quality is expensive, of course,
and shoppers at Whole Foods are
clearly willing to pay for it. As we’ll
see a little later, price is not one of the
reasons Whole Foods shoppers single
out as important in store selection.
2. SELECTION
Average 57.3%
Walmart 60.0%
Kroger 70.3%
Publix 72.0%
Wegmans 89.5%
Whole Foods 83.4%
WF gap vs. avg 26.1
Good selection is another reason
Whole Foods shoppers choose to shop
there. On average, 57.3% of shoppers
say selection is a key reason in their
store choice, but 83.4% of Whole
Foods shoppers see it as that impor-
tant. In the stores listed above, only
Wegmans — another industry icon —
tops Whole Foods.
Selection is a bit different from
“unique products,” at least to my mind.
It implies, for example, the ability to
choose from more than a few brands,
flavors and sizes of ice cream — but not
necessarily that special unique item
that no other store has.
3. AVAILABILITY OF
ORGANIC/WHOLE FOODS
Average 7.7%
Walmart 5.2%
Kroger 7.8%
Publix
Wegmans
12.5%
29.1%
Whole Foods
WF gap vs. avg
79.8%
72.1
These numbers show the enormous
importance Whole Foods shoppers
put on the stores’ offerings of organic
and whole foods. Nearly 80% of them
say that the available selection of
these items is an important factor
in their decision to shop at Whole
Foods. By contrast, fewer than 8% of
all shoppers surveyed see the pres-
ence of organic and whole foods as an
important factor in choosing a store.
The 72.1 percentage point gap
between Whole Foods and the aver-
age shows just how different Whole
Foods shoppers are from the norm in
this regard. And despite all the hoopla
about Walmart’s entry into the organic
market, only 5.2% of its shoppers see
the presence of these foods as impor-
tant factors in deciding where to shop.
4. FRESH PRODUCE
Average 32.0%
Walmart 25.2%
Kroger 36.6%
Publi 47.8%
Wegmans 73.5%
Whole Foods 51.9%
WF gap vs. avg 19.9
Whole Foods shoppers are significantly
more likely than average to find fresh
produce an important factor in store
selection. But Wegmans shoppers saw
fresh produce as important more often
than any of the stores above. That’s
possibly because Wegmans’ produce
departments are larger (based on a
larger overall store footprint) and seem
to have more of a “wow!” factor when
you enter. When I think of Wegmans, I
do think of their sprawling and beauti-
ful produce departments, so perhaps
part of this is just association.
5. UNIQUE PRODUCTS
Average 6.0%
Walmart 4.8%
Kroger 6.0%
Publix 5.5%
Wegmans 29.6%
Whole Foods 39.0%
WF gap vs. avg 33.0
In this age of SKU rationalization,
Whole Foods isn’t afraid to go out on
a limb and offer unique products —
things you just can’t find anywhere
else. It helps create a treasure-hunt
atmosphere, and makes shopping fun.
Some 39% of Whole Foods shoppers —
33 percentage points above the average
— say unique products are important
in their choice of where to shop.
6. TRUSTWORTHY RETAILER
Average 21.0%
Walmart 15.1%
Kroger 24.2%
Publix 39.6%
Wegmans 53.1%
Whole Foods 35.8%
WF gap vs. avg 14.8
My initial reaction on seeing these
numbers was to be somewhat upset
that Whole Foods didn’t get a higher
score. For many years, I’ve held the
chain up as an example of trustwor-
thiness — very much the consumer
advocate. But then I remembered
that this data is just a listing of what
customers of different retailers see as
important in their own store selection.
In other words, it’s not a ranking of
“most trustworthy.” So, Whole Foods
shoppers just see other attributes as
more important in their store selec-
tion. Perhaps they take it for granted
that Whole Foods is trustworthy. I do.
7. LOCATION
Average 71.1%
Walmart 69.0%
Kroger 83.8%
Publix 83.5%
Wegmans 69.2%
Whole Foods 32.4%
WF gap vs. avg 38.7
Whole Foods stands kind of alone here.
For most retailers, having a convenient
location is a big deal to shoppers. But
Whole Foods customers don’t see it
that way. What I take from this: Whole
Foods shoppers are very loyal, and find
other unique attributes so much more
important that they don’t mind having
to drive out of their way to get to one of
the stores.
8. MEAT/SEAFOOD DEPARTMENT
Average 24.6%
Walmart 17.3%
Kroger 27.2%
Publix 34.3%
Wegmans 53.0%
Whole Foods 30.9%
WF gap vs. avg 6.3
Here, Whole Foods is much closer to
the average. Nobody will be surprised
at the number for Walmart, but to
my mind all of the others above do a
really good job in these departments.
Perhaps it’s worth mentioning that a
fair number of Whole Foods shoppers
are likely to be vegetarians, or vegetar-
ian wanna-be’s. Those folk are likely to
care a lot less than average about meat
and seafood departments.
9. SERVICE
Average 28.6%
Walmart 17.3%
Kroger 33.4%
Publix 58.5%
Wegmans 61.6%
Whole Foods 30.8%
WF gap vs. avg 2.2
One of the first things that comes to
mind when you think of Wegmans
or Publix is service. Sure, service at
Whole Foods is good, but it’s not
what really differentiates the chain.
Shoppers at Whole Foods care a bit
more about service than the national
average, but they don’t see service as a
prime reason to shop there.

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10. KNOWLEDGEABLE EMPLOYEES
Average 11.1%
Walmart 5.5%
Kroger 14.2%
Publix 27.4%
Wegmans 38.4%
Whole Foods 20.4%
WF gap vs. avg 9.3
It’s a pretty sad statement that only
11.1% of all shoppers surveyed said that
having knowledgeable employees was
among the key reasons they chose their
store. My guess is that a lot of people
have just given up on the idea. This at-
tribute is quite important to Wegmans
and Publix shoppers, and a little less so
for Whole Foods shoppers. As noted,
quality, selection, and availability of
organic and whole foods is most impor-
tant to them.
HEY! WHAT ABOUT PRICE?
Average 74.5%
Walmart 92.6%
Kroger 81.3%
Publix 61.8%
Wegmans 68.7%
Whole Foods 13.3%
WF gap vs. avg 61.2
I knew this would come up. Okay, as
you can see, price is NOT one of the
prime reasons people shop at Whole
Foods. But despite all the jokes (you
know which one, but I thought I’d give
John Mackey a break this time) Whole
Foods’ prices are a lot more in line
with competition the past year or so.
But I don’t expect them to get credit
for that for awhile, and I do expect
you’re going to think I’ve swallowed the
Whole Foods Kool-Aid for saying that.
Whatever.
WHAT ABOUT FREEBIES?
Whole Foods doesn’t have double
coupons, gas rewards, or a frequent
shopper card. So its shoppers obviously
don’t say they shop at Whole Foods
because of them. Shoppers at Kroger
and Wegmans see the loyalty card as
a big deal, and no wonder, considering
how well those retailers make use of
them. Interestingly, 1.7% of Walmart
shoppers said one reason they shop
Walmart is because of its frequent
shopper card. I’ll have to tell the boys
in Bentonville about this, as I bet they
didn’t know Walmart even has a fre-
quent shopper program.
AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY?
We all know that Whole Foods shop-
pers are extremely loyal, but there’s one
final set of numbers not yet cited here.
That’s the Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Respondents were asked to rate, on
a scale from 0 (not at all likely) to 10
(extremely likely), the probability they
would recommend their store of choice
to friends.
10 and 9 responses indicate Promot-
ers, 8 and 7 responses are Passives and
0 through 6 are Detractors. The NPS is
calculated by subtracting the percent-
age of Detractors from the percentage
of Promoters.
Here’s how it all worked out for the
stores listed here, along with the aver-
age score. For what it’s worth, Whole
Foods’ net promoter score of 80.3 is
extremely high.
Average 29.9%
Walmart 24.5%
Kroger 35.4%
Publix 58.3%
Wegmans 71.5%
Whole Foods 80.3%
WF gap vs. avg 50.4

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SPOTLIGHT: SNACKS & APPIES
SNACKS
& APPIES
BOUNCE
BACK
It’s been a soft year for the
category, but the most recent
data shows an uptick.
BY MICHAEL FRIEDMAN
A
s the economy goes, so goes
the frozen appetizers/snack
rolls category. While super-
market sales of the category were
down in units and dollars for the
52- and 12-week periods ended Feb.
20, there may be light at the end of
the tunnel.
It’s important to look at the
most recent four-week data, which
show category sales gains in units
and dollars, points out Bryce Ruiz,
president and CEO, Ruiz Foods, Inc.
(www.ruizfoods.com), Dinuba, Calif.
“Perhaps the economy has a brighter
horizon,” he says.
FOOD PRIORITIES
Part of the reason for the softness
in the category is that basic foods
have to come ahead of appetizers and
snacks in this economy, says Steph-
anie Hernan, owner, Yankee Trader
Seafood (www.yankeetraderseafood.
com), Pembroke, Mass.
Frank Benso, vp, Great American
Appetizers (www.appetizer.com),
Nampa, Idaho, also believes that
consumers are putting their atten-
tion on the core staples. He says that Most manufacturers say that
the 12-week period ending Feb. 20
includes the year-end holiday season, is about the same today as it
a time when budgets were tightest.
Category dollar sales in super-
markets were down 2.2% to $271.5
million and units were off 2.6% to
75.3 million in the 12 weeks ended
Feb. 20 compared with the same
year-ago period, according to Chica- three varieties of Mr. P’s Pizza Bites.
36 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
go-based market research
firm SymphonyIRI Group.
Shoppers are being more
picky as they look for options
with both great taste and
a better-for-you nutritional
profile, says Tracey Parsons,
spokesperson for Heinz North
America (www.heinz.com),
Pittsburgh.
To meet this demand, Heinz
recently launched a variety of
new frozen items, including
Bagel Bites with whole grain,
Ore-Ida sweet potato fries, and
new bowl products that are like
a burrito, but unwrapped without
the tortilla, under its Delimex brand. El Monterey appetizers require only one
The new bowl items contain sea- minute in the microwave.
soned rice, strips of beef with creamy
facturers that offer Hispanic and
chipotle sauce or white meat chicken
Asian varieties. “It appears that both
with cheese sauce.
of these food choices are becoming
more mainstream American. In ad-
Windsor Foods is dition, with the low price per ounce
for frozen burritos, coupled with
now more of a fac- current economic conditions, many
tor in the category families are purchasing them as a
‘center of the plate’ dinner or lunch
with its acquisition of item, complementing rice and beans
Discovery Foods. as sides,” he says.
Houston-based Windsor Foods
(www.windsorfoods.com) is now
Timely displays and themed
more of a factor in the category
events can drive increases in sales
with the completion in February of
and profits for retailers, according
its acquisition of Discovery Foods,
to Ruiz. “Similar to salty snacks,
Hayward, Calif., manufacturer of
frozen snack and appetizer sales
frozen Asian snacks, appetizers and
are impulse buys. Displaying this
category during a higher inci-
dence of party/sporting event
times (such as March Madness,
Super Bowl, Daytona 500) will
help increase category sales,”
he says.
MORE MAINSTREAM
retail space for the category
was three years ago. What has
changed, according to Ruiz, is
that more space is being dedi-
cated to “international” manu-
Frozen Specialties recently introduced
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SPOTLIGHT: SNACKS & APPIES

entrees under the Ling Ling this mentality to home living,”

and Tai Pei labels. says Adams.
“We are excited about this Cuisine Innovations recently
strategic transaction, which introduced kosher assorted gour-
expands our presence in the met snacks in a 48-count pack-
Asian frozen food market,” age under its Cohen’s brand and
says Greg Geib, CEO of Wind- a 32-count non-kosher package
sor Foods. under its Simply Cuisine brand.
Laura Grenmyr, brand Ric Alvarez, president and
manager, Kahiki Foods, Inc. CEO, Frozen Specialties, Inc.
(www.kahiki.com), Gahanna, (www.frozenspecialties.com),
Ohio, encourages retailers Holland, Ohio, says that con-
to consider Asian doors to sumers are looking for foods that
cross-merchandise Asian-style Kahiki recently will satisfy their hunger until their
snacks such as spring rolls launched spring roll bites in two next regular meal and foods that
and egg rolls with Asian sin- flavors — chicken and buffalo-style chicken. they can enjoy when they relax and
gle- and multi-serve entrees. have fun.
The company recently intro- begun to merchandise frozen ap-
duced spring roll bites in two flavors petizers/snacks accordingly. “Instead ONE-STOP SOLUTION
— chicken and buffalo-style chicken. of focusing on party items for the Because retailers have so many prod-
“Ideas often filter down from holidays, retailers have begun focus- uct options they are strategically
restaurants to retail and consumers ing on appetizers/snacks that can be working with their customers to be
are open to foods they are seeing sold year-round as meal alternatives viewed as their one-stop solution
in their favorite restaurants,” says or meal solutions,” he says. for frozen appetizers and snacks,
Honey Konicoff, vp-marketing, Phil- Many consumers have opted for says Alvarez. Some of the ways that
lips Foods, Inc. (www.phillipsfoods. small gatherings rather than large retailers are doing this is by reduc-
com), Baltimore. get-togethers, ing duplication in the category,
“Flatbreads are maintaining proper segment space
a perfect exam-
‘Retailers have begun according Michele Ad-
to
allocation, remaining committed
ple of this — a focusing on appetizers ams, marketing to long-term private brand develop-
product that has director, Cuisine ment, and driving category aware-
been proven in
/snacks that can be Innovations LLC ness and profitability by promoting
restaurants across sold year-round as (www.cuisinein- products during times of increased
the country. It is novations.com), purchases, such as “March Madness”
invading the gro-
meal alternatives.’ Lakewood, N.J. and the Super Bowl.
cery stores now in “The traditional Frozen Specialties recently in-
many departments from pizza to the 100-count assortments that cost troduced three Mr. P’s Pizza Bites:
bread aisle and now to seafood,” she $17.99+ are not only expensive but cheese, combination (sausage and
notes. Phillips launched three sea- too many pieces for today’s party pepperoni), and pepperoni, as well
food flatbread varieties in February size. As a result, the lower-price, as two new private label Pizza Bites
— bourbon BBQ shrimp, Chesapeake smaller-count assort- flavors — nacho jalap-
crab, and asiago and artichoke crab. ments are more attrac-
tive,” she says.
DOWNSIZING TREND “Retailers should
“Small plates continue to be popular position appetizers as
in foodservice settings and consum- a fourth meal or any-
ers are looking for the same type of time food. The younger
variety at home, instead of a large generation has shifted to
meal consisting of an entree and a grazing style of eating.
side items,” says Chris Collias, CEO, At the same time, small
Goodwives Hors D’Oeuvres (www. bite-size versions appeal
goodwives.com), Wilmington, Mass. to lone diners and couples. There is Three
Collias believes that retailers are a fine line between appetizers and seafood flat-
recognizing the shift towards small entrees. Today’s consumers eat ap- bread varieties debuted
plates and smaller meals and have petizers as meals and have adapted from Phillips in February.

38 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

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SPOTLIGHT: SNACKS & APPIES
Potato Skins from Mr. Dee’s are loaded
with Monterey Jack, cheddar cheese
and fully cooked, uncured applewood
smoked bacon.
eno and buffalo chicken.
Consumers are looking for higher
quality products that contain real
ingredients, says Patrick Conway,
president, Mr. Dee’s, Inc. (www.
mr-dees.com), Libertyville, Ill. The
company is launching a 38-ounce
potato skin club pack that has real
Copyright © 2011 Zero Zone, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
cheese and nitrate-free bacon under sizes to attract different buyers and
its DeeAmoré label and cheezy focused Hispanic marketing efforts.
taters, a 40-ounce club item that Consumers are looking for con-
has shredded potato on the outside venient, great-tasting snacks with
and cheese and bacon on the inside, minimal preparation and clean-up
under its Mr. Dee’s label. A jalapeno time, according to McQuinn. “They
sliced in half and stuffed with cream also want to see variety in flavors
cheese and wrapped in bacon in a and sizes. When kids come home
24- or 30-count bag is in the plan- from school they want a tasty, quick
ning stage. snack that they can prepare them-
Several manufacturers say that selves,” he says. n
they have seen a big increase in
the demand for private label ap-
petizers and snacks. Retailers are
wanting core items with a twist
under their own labels, says Great
American’s Benso.
But Totino’s Pizza Rolls, the cat-
egory’s top-selling brand, contin-
ues to score strong increases. Matt
McQuinn, marketing manager of
the brand (www.totinos.com) of
Minneapolis-based General Mills,
Cuisine Innovations suggests positioning
says that some of the factors driving
appetizers as a fourth meal or anytime
Totino’s growth include strong con- food, noting that “The younger generation
sumer investment, offering multiple has shifted to a grazing style of eating.”
Times Change.
Commitment Doesn’t.
In 1961, when the founders of
Zero Zone started the company
in a dairy barn in rural
Wisconsin, they focused on
three guiding principles: quality, responsiveness and innovation.
Today, 50 years later, these principles still structure the company’s
philosophy and unyielding commitment to customers.
Zero Zone: 50 Cool Years. Many More in Store.
OL YE
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CASE CLOSED
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FROZEN APPETIZERS & SNACK ROLLS
Supermarket sales for the 12 weeks ended Feb. 20, according to change is versus the like period a year ago. Data is for the brand as
SymphonyIRI Group, the Chicago-based market research firm. Percent originally trademarked, and may not include line extensions.

CATEGORY $ SALES % CHG UNIT SALES % CHG VOLUME % CHG

TOTAL CATEGORY $271,503,800 (2.16) 75,289,840 (2.61) 72,009,150 (0.94)

APPETIZER/SNACK ROLLS
SUB-CATEGORY $255,131,000 (2.15) 69,101,140 (2.80) 66,087,020 (0.83)
Totino’s Pizza Rolls $63,360,390 7.11 20,374,440 9.32 22,417,140 6.87
TGI Friday’s $32,675,790 17.02 7,753,772 14.39 6,213,078 21.71
Private Label $20,673,310 (3.08) 5,965,362 (8.26) 5,630,922 (3.66)
Bagel Bites $19,094,490 (7.54) 5,566,477 (6.58) 4,058,470 (2.96)
Jose Olé $17,500,910 2.28 3,749,860 1.91 5,011,762 2.72
Farm Rich $12,108,380 16.10 2,218,594 (3.03) 3,457,105 12.12
El Monterey $9,156,034 (34.24) 1,602,718 (42.41) 2,376,334 (39.04)
Chung’s $7,031,698 2.04 2,222,360 1.72 1,712,399 1.26
Delimex $6,500,217 (17.27) 1,015,523 (17.69) 2,009,950 (16.09)
Foster Farms $4,395,840 (1.29) 779,895 (4.93) 1,314,619 (1.43)

PRETZELS SUB-CATEGORY $11,653,900 (2.32) 4,580,309 (0.07) 3,805,285 (3.95)

BREADED VEGETABLES SUB-CATEGORY $4,718,870 (2.37) 1,608,389 (1.55) 2,116,851 1.12

Congratulations Whole Foods

the Retailer of the Year
Macabee Foods Manufacturing Pizza Bagels Since 1967
Offering Mainstream Items to All Natural Consumers
For more information Contact
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SPOTLIGHT: ICE CREAM

‘HEALTHY
and subur- Roba Dolce sorbet-
ban areas,” he tos are all-natural,
fat-free and dairy-
says.
INDULGENCE’
free.
“People used

DRIVES ICE
to think it was
an Italian ice. Cake Gelato, which
was available for 12

CREAM $$$
Now they know
it’s a superpremi- weeks around the time
um but made with of Mardi Gras in New
half the butterfat and Orleans.
Brands outpace private label in both the finest ingredients in order to get This spring, the company
ice cream and novelties. Portion- that intense flavor. To retail buyers, will introduce GS Gelato minis,
control sizes gain momentum. gelato is no longer incremental busi- 3.5-ounce containers with a wooden
ness. It’s part of every planogram and spoon inside. “It’s a nice low-calorie
BY LEN LEWIS fast becoming a category of its own,” snack option and gives retailers the
opportunity to do a demo without

B
rands outperformed private
label in both ice cream and
novelties in supermarkets
during the 12 weeks ended Feb. 20,
according to SymphonyIRI Group,
the Chicago-based market research
firm. In both categories, “healthy
indulgence” continues to grab
increased attention and sales.
“We believe dollar sales will
continue to grow as the economy
rebounds,” says Craig Hall, general
manager of Mars Chocolate North
America (www.mars.com), Hack-
ettstown, N.J.
“But consumers are seeking more
value for their money. We’re address-
ing this by identifying ways to reduce
manufacturing costs without com-
promising quality.” He adds that the
company has not moved away from
ice cream to frozen dairy desserts, as
some competitors have.
CHANGING TASTES
Matt Olerio, president, Roba Dolce,
(www.robadolce.com), Warwick, R.I.
which is expanding rapidly
in the U.S. and inter-
nationally with both
branded and private
label gelato products,
also believes quality
is key as peoples’ tastes
change. “Consumers are
different than they were
just four or five years ago.
You can see that in the
thousands of gelaterias
and cafes that have sprung
up in thousands of metro
he says.
Cynthia Harrison, national gro- a demo. Who wouldn’t want to at
cery account director, GS Gelato least try something new for $1?”
(www.gsgelato. Harrison asks.
com), Fort Walton Supermarket sales Meanwhile,
Beach, Fla., agrees. of brands have been higher commodity
“Everyone is costs are going to
pushing for things outpacing private have an impact on
pricing eventually.
like gluten- and label in both the ice “We don’t have the
hormone-free or
just pushing for cream and novelties costs associated
healthy in general. categories. with high butterfat
People are looking products. But we do
closely at ingredi- import about 80%
ents and what they put in their bod- of our ingredients
ies. Gelato fits in perfectly,” she says. from around the world. So we have to
“It’s getting more shelf space be- deal with fuel and freight increases.
cause retailers understand they can We might take a little hit. But pro-
offer a premium product without all grams are paid out for the year and
the trans fats and cholesterol.” there aren’t a lot of price changes this
In fact, the company recently redid year. However, it might affect what
its packaging and put gluten-free and we have to do in 2012,” she says.
trans fat-free symbols on the front to “The current state of our economy
take advantage of consumer health paired with rising commodity prices
concerns. “Anything a manufacturer will continue to challenge our in-
can do to make it easier for consum- dustry, notes Veronica DeCristoforo,
ers is a bonus. It can really make a CEO, Lindy’s Homemade (www.
difference in what they choose to buy lindyshomemade.com), Charlotte,
for their families,” says N.C. “In order to stabilize the effect
Harrison. to our customers at the shelf level, we
have partnered with retailers to find
IN-AND-OUTS a common resolution in promoting
The company is re- and selling product.”
searching potential “Manufacturers strive to continue
new products and finding efficiencies in their opera-
may consider in-and- tions. But that only goes so far and
out items like its King prices on the shelf will continue to
rise,” she says. DeCristoforo adds
that there is a need for both ‘healthy’
GS Gelato’s King Cake
Gelato was available for 12
and ‘indulgent’ products on the shelf,
weeks around the time of since consumers tend to alternate
Mardi Gras in New Orleans. between options depending on their

42 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

 Ripe for the picking.

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©2011 Turkey Hill Dairy

SPOTLIGHT: ICE CREAM

mood at the time. stores. At the same time, the com- we are presenting them with high
Joao Sousa, associate brand pany is continuing with its “hand- quality products that only use pure
manager, Stonyfield Farm (www. crafted” fruit bars. “We use big pieces ingredients,” he says.
stonyfield.com), Londonderry, N.H., of fruit in our bars and they won’t fit Ciao Bella, Florham Park, N.J.
says that although there has been through the nozzles of extrusion ma- (www.ciaobellagelato.com), which
concern about the price of cocoa, chines, and pouring keeps the quality has gelaterias as well as a retail line,
“We’ve hedged our consistent,” she says. has moved to products sweetened
position and so far Even the indulgent only with organic cane sugar rather
our supply chain segment is catering to than refined, says spokesperson Deb-
team says it’s not a the health-conscious. As orah Holt. The company is introduc-
big issue.” Gary Barron, president, ing three-ounce blueberry/passion
As to new items, Sheer Bliss (www.sheerblis- fruit sorbet bars in three-packs with
“People are mov- sicecream.com), Sunrise, a suggested retail of $3.99 to $5.29.
ing away from the Fla., notes: “We’re finding On the more indulgent side, the com-
typical 16-ounce pint that consumers for the most pany is introducing S’mores-flavor
towards novelties part are calorie-conscious. gelato made with Belgian chocolate.
and non-dairy items,” But they also want that quick
according to Sousa. fix of sweetness.” According- 90-140 CALORIES
In order to meet this ly, the company is expand- David Edelstein, director of sales,
trend, the company Rajbhog Foods is a small ing its Bliss Bites line, a bon Mister Cookie Face, Inc., (www.cook-
is launching two new batch manufacturer that bon that uses premium ice ieface.com), Lakewood, N.J., believes
novelties at Whole is gaining momentum cream dipped in gourmet the health-conscious trend of the
Foods — vanilla and with unique flavors and chocolate. New flavors past few years has helped the busi-
formulations.
chocolate fat-free yo- include dark chocolate and ness. “For many years, the industry
gurt bars. The items coffee and vanilla, dipped in has been aware of things like nu-
carry a suggested retail of $5.99 for milk chocolate. tritional content and
a six-pack, he said, noting that quart “Portion control calorie count. What’s
sizes will also be available for the is the key,” says
‘People are changed now is the
same price. Barron. ”People looking closely at focus on portion con-
want something trol and products that
NEW SWEETENERS to grab on the way
ingredients and may be only 90 to 140
Happy and Healthy (www.happy- out. They don’t what they put in calories, but enough to
andhealthy.com), Boca Raton, Fla., always have the satisfy people.”
with products that are gluten-free time or desire for
their bodies.’ Craig Hall of Mars
and have no artificial preservatives, a full-size novelty agrees. “We think the
is also using organic evaporated cane bar or a scoop from a pint. We’re not area of smaller portion sizes for real
juice as a sweetener, notes Rita Ham- in the health business. Our respon- with full flavor will continue grow-
mett, director of communications. sibility is to use the highest quality ing. We’ve had a lot of success
On the new product front, the ingredients available. But people with our 90-calorie Snickers, Twix,
company is looking at more Hispanic know more about what goes into Milky Way and 3 Musketeers
flavors like horchata, which is doing their bodies these days and I think miniature bars.”
well in both mainstream and ethnic that makes our job a lot easier since But the company is also adding to

ASSORTMENT IS KEY
TO NOVELTIES: MARS
Proper assortment can boost sales
of frozen novelties by as much as
60% in convenience stores, accord-
ing to a recent study by Mars
Chocolate North America (www.
mars.com), Hackettstown, N.J.
The consumer research, which
included interviews with 900
consumers and the review of six
months of POS data from seven
retailers, provides hints at strate-
gies and tactics that could work in
supermarkets as well.
Fully 28% of consumers will leave
the category and 11% will leave the
store if a retailer doesn’t have what
they perceive as the right assort-
ment, according to Mars.
Researchers showed 18 different
product sets to 500 consumers. The
varied assortments incorporated
the 58 best-selling items in the
country and included single manu-
facturer sets, random sets and sets
that represented a strategic mix of
best sellers.
As they reviewed each assort-
ment, consumers were asked if
they’d buy something from that set.
The result was that consumers were
27% more likely to buy from a cat-
egory management set than from a
manufacturer’s exclusive set.
The study also notes that nov-
elty shoppers are valuable C-store
consumers, as they shop these
small outlets an average of three or
more times per week. Interestingly
they are more likely to be females
with a higher household income
than the average C-store consumer.
Some 80% buy from these outlets
at least monthly.

44 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

SPOTLIGHT: ICE CREAM
its regular pint line with Mars candy
pints with Snickers Rocky Road, choc-
olate and marshmallow with chocolate
covered peanuts and chopped Snickers
bar pieces; Milky Way, chocolate malt
with caramel and chocolate chunks;
and Twix peanut butter.
Additionally, Mars is re-launching
Dove in 2011 with several new with
several new items including a pea-
nut butter Dove bar and television
advertising for the first time in several
years, says Hall.
Satisfying consumers also means
looking for new flavors catering to
ethnic tastes. This is the path taken
by Rajbhog Foods (www.rajbhog.
com), Jersey City, N.J., a full line
Indian food
manufacturer.
It is introduc-
ing flavors like
coconut, car-
rot, lychee, fig
and mango to
the American
market.
“We’re a
Mars small batch
reports great success manufacturer,
with its 90-calorie Snick-
ers minis and several so we can do
other recent launches. special formu-
lations. All our
novelties are eggless. In the U.S., you
can be a vegetarian and eat eggs. But
in India, vegetarianism means that,
other than milk, no animal product is
acceptable.” says Suzy Mody, vp, sales
and marketing.
“Reaction from buyers has been
pretty good and we’re gaining mo-
mentum. But we’re a small batch
ethnic company and may not have
what they’re looking for in stocking
fees,” she says. “And the more we as
manufacturers have to pay, the more
expensive the product has to be and
we don’t want to price ourselves out
of the market.”
Len Lewis (lenlewis@optonline.com) is
editorial director of Lewis Communi-
cations, Inc., and author of The Trader
Joe’s Adventure-Turning a Unique
Approach to business into a Retail
and Cultural Phenomenon.
46 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
FROZEN NOVELTIES
Supermarket sales for the 12 weeks ended Feb. 20, according to SymphonyIRI Group, the Chicago-
based market research firm. Percent change is versus the like period a year ago. Data is for the brand as
originally trademarked, and may not include line extensions.
CATEGORY $ SALES % CHG UNIT SALES % CHG VOLUME % CHG
TOTAL CATEGORY $440,839,800 1.4 139,608,500 1.8 179,705,600 (0.7)
NOVELTIES $397,670,100 1.9 133,238,500 2.2 166,574,400 (0.8)
Private Label $55,706,940 (2.5) 21,516,380 (3.8) 38,978,200 (4.3)
The Skinny Cow $31,937,620 5.8 8,897,202 27.8 8,791,196 (3.2)
Weight Watchers $31,435,230 0.2 7,168,163 (4.3) 8,837,205 (1.6)
Nestlé Drumstick $22,281,340 3.8 4,689,517 (6.3) 7,771,546 (1.0)
Dreyers Edys $19,826,860 0.2 4,809,211 (6.6) 5,521,417 (8.7)
Häagen-Dazs $17,173,220 11.6 10,199,000 14.0 3,058,925 5.6
Klondike $15,373,180 0.2 4,802,172 (1.2) 7,880,177 (1.5)
Popsicle $12,426,020 0.2 3,361,297 (3.7) 6,874,283 (1.3)
Blue Bell $11,454,040 20.2 3,176,605 33.2 6,702,117 28.5
Klondike Slim-A-Bear $8,064,730 (11.8) 2,467,131 (11.0) 3,135,529 (10.0)
ICE CREAM/ICE MILK DESSERTS* $38,994,560 (3.0) 4,072,126 (10.7) 8,061,137 (2.2)
Carvel $16,933,990 (8.6) 959,383 (7.5) 3,482,474 (7.9)
Private Label $4,468,891 (6.4) 251,861 (27.9) 760,835 (15.0)
Jon Donaire $3,479,754 9.5 189,189 5.1 546,431 10.2
Friendly’s $3,324,154 (0.2) 391,190 3.7 1,214,490 4.1
Weight Watchers Smart Ones $2,769,839 (22.3) 1,229,902 (20.4) 415,443 (19.9)
Celebration Foods Oreo $1,817,874 132,327 386,522
Edwards Singles $1,108,066 (15.1) 382,864 (17.3) 197,111 (15.2)
ICE POP NOVELTIES* $4,175,131 (0.5) 2,297,898 3.6 5,070,039 2.0
Del Monte Fruit Chillers $1,291,168 2.4 527,125 10.3 527,934 10.4
*Brands with sales over $1 million.
ICE CREAM/SHERBET
Supermarket sales for the 12 weeks ended Feb. 20, according to SymphonyIRI Group, the Chicago-
based market research firm. Percent change is versus the like period a year ago. Data is for the brand as
originally trademarked, and may not include line extensions.
CATEGORY $ SALES % CHG UNIT SALES % CHG VOLUME % CHG
TOTAL CATEGORY $812,438,700 (1.4) 236,841,300 (5.8) 723,467,200 (6.1)
ICE CREAM $739,886,200 (1.8) 213,800,900 (6.5) 668,311,200 (6.6)
Private Label $183,730,900 (3.9) 58,712,280 (12.0) 236,077,500 (10.6)
Breyer’s $74,952,670 (9.5) 20,769,320 (17.5) 62,144,760 (17.0)
Blue Bell $56,809,950 9.4 14,450,930 2.0 44,007,740 7.8
Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slowchurned $55,453,450 (2.4) 15,618,120 (1.0) 46,854,360 (1.0)
Häagen-Dazs $47,714,310 7.6 12,301,550 4.7 12,201,250 4.5
Ben & Jerry’s $37,485,560 2.0 10,136,980 (2.1) 10,188,800 (1.9)
Dreyer’s/Edy’s Grand $27,695,530 3.5 8,189,277 4.5 24,381,930 4.7
Dreyer’s/Edy’s Fun Flavors $27,348,700 22.3 7,860,310 22.3 23,580,930 22.3
Turkey Hill $25,754,430 4.4 9,190,620 7.2 26,305,040 5.7
Wells Blue Bunny $25,124,440 (0.8) 6,282,209 (10.5) 24,812,310 (9.9)
FZ YOGURT/TOFU* $37,992,380 4.2 10,215,620 2.5 26,873,800 4.3
Private Label $8,320,049 14.8 2,387,858 6.4 9,093,115 5.1
Dreyer’s/Edy’s Slowchurned $7,297,359 (10.3) 1,956,387 (9.1) 5,869,159 (9.1)
Ben & Jerry’s Lighten Up $3,309,536 (3.1) 888,512 (6.2) 888,512 (6.2)
Häagen-Dazs $3,260,449 (1.7) 896,732 (4.1) 784,640 (4.1)
Turkey Hill $1,851,988 1,417.9 618,020 1,468.0 1,854,061 1,380.6
Purely Decadent $1,757,461 28.1 349,744 22.8 349,744 22.8
Kemp’s $1,670,307 12.0 474,993 10.8 1,424,979 10.8
Organic So Delicious $1,568,846 (11.5) 299,027 (14.0) 526,631 (12.9)
Wells Blue Bunny $1,325,092 270.6 320,972 253.1 1,123,404 253.1
Kemp’s Live Healthy $989,466 (1.0) 272,360 0.4 817,081 0.4
SHERBET/SORBET/ICES* $34,560,110 2.4 12,824,780 0.4 28,282,200 (2.1)
Private Label $14,256,390 4.1 6,245,714 1.4 15,736,110 (2.1)
Häagen-Dazs $5,466,526 0.9 1,523,546 (2.0) 1,333,102 (2.0)
Dreyer’s/Edy’s $1,661,718 (15.2) 463,103 (10.4) 1,389,308 (10.4)
WholeFruit $1,398,925 22.9 516,995 33.4 516,995 33.4
Blue Bell $1,321,235 15.0 526,419 6.7 932,614 9.9
Kemp’s $1,188,152 3.3 425,718 4.7 1,236,355 3.6
*Includes brands with sales over $900,000.
SPOTLIGHT: ICE CREAM

STEADY
pears to be over, according to the show signs of slowing down, Mintel
company’s October 2010 report on says. “Much of this growth can be

GROWTH “Spoonable Desserts.” attributed to consumers’ interest

in eating better. Compared to ice

AHEAD FOR NOT ENOUGH DIFFERENCE

Mintel warns that branded compa-
cream, frozen yogurt allows them
to do this while still enjoying an ice

ICE CREAM nies must be wary of private label

Yes, growth will be steady, but it
will also be slow. Frozen yogurt,
sorbets and sherbet will show
faster growth, Mintel says.
trial, since “Oftentimes, shoppers
do not see a big enough difference
between the two and will stick with
private label even after the economy
improves. Contributing to this is
the fact that private label has more
cream-like taste experience. Also,
younger consumers grew up with
refrigerated yogurt, which makes
them more comfortable with the
idea of frozen yogurt than older
shoppers,” Mintel explains.
While sorbets, sherbets and ices

I ce cream sales are expected to do
better this year than last, but don’t
expect meteoric growth from the
category over the next five years.
That’s the word from Mintel
International Group, the Chicago-
based market research firm. It
forecasts that that by the year
2015, sales will be slightly higher
than 2008. Private label has lost
momentum (and share) lately, and
the surge for decadent brands ap-
premium versions of ice creams
available, which offer the combina-
tion of an attractive price point and
an indulgent treat.”
The research firm adds that the
speed with which decadent ice
cream brands faded in popularity
“underscores the importance of
continuous innovation to identify
the next big trend.”
Frozen yogurt has grown by
nearly 25% since 2005, and doesn’t
are healthier than ice cream, they
lack a distinctive identity, accord-
ing to the research. “There seems to
be less marketing support for this
segment, as it is hard to define and
position in the eyes of consumers.
This lack of a strong brand presence
helped private label generate $75
million in 2010 FDMx sales, which
gives it a little more than 40% of the
segment’s sales in these outlets,”
according to Mintel.

BY ORDER OF #7-210 OF THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

-WAREHOUSEMAN’S LIEN-
THE FOLLOWING GOODS WILL BE SOLD AT

PUBLIC AUCTIONTUESDAY MAY 3, 2011, 10 AM SHARP

107 drums (23,764 pounds) of wild blueberries (field run)
135 drums (62,006 pounds) of blueberry syrup
129 drums (50,504 pounds) of blueberry puree
119 drums (29,393 pounds) of cranberry pomace puree
2,034 drums (742,355 pounds) of cherry puree
(CERTIFICATES OF ANALYSIS WILL BE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST)

AUCTION WILL BE HELD AT:

HOLLEY COLD STORAGE FRUIT & PRODUCE CO., INC.
16677 ROUTE 31, HOLLEY, NY 14470
AUCTION WILL BE ADMINISTERED BY, AND INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT:
SCOTT PERRY & COMPANY, 2019 RIVER RD, NIAGARA FALLS, NY 14304 -PHONE 716-283-7653

48 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

ICE CREAM SALES & FORECAST
Total U.S. sales of ice cream, 2006-15, in food/drug/mass
channels, excluding Walmart.*
Year Sales % Chg Index

2006 5,714 1.8 101
2007 5,693 -0.4 101
2008 5,812 2.1 103
2009 5,839 0.5 104
2010 (est.) 5,632 -3.5 100
2011 (fore.) 5,668 0.6 101
2012 (fore.) 5,718 0.9 102
2013 (fore.) 5,767 0.8 102
2014 (fore.) 5,813 0.8 103
2015 (fore.) 5,862 0.8 104

SOURCE: Mintel/based on SymphonyIRI Group InfoScan® Reviews;

U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Census
*Sales are at current prices, in millions of dollars. % Change is versus
the prior year. Index is based on the year 2010, where 2010 is 100.

YOGURT SALES AND FORECAST

Total U.S. sales of frozen yogurt, 2006-15, in food/drug/
mass channels, excluding Walmart.*
Year Sales % Chg Index

2006 241 1.9 82
2007 259 7.3 88
2008 284 9.8 97
2009 291 2.2 99
2010 (est.) 294 1.2 100
2011 (fore.) 308 4.7 105
2012 (fore.) 322 4.5 109
2013 (fore.) 336 4.4 114
2014 (fore.) 350 4.2 119
2015 (fore.) 364 4.1 124

SOURCE: Mintel/based on SymphonyIRI Group InfoScan® Reviews;

U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Census
*Sales are at current prices, in millions of dollars. % Change is versus
the prior year. Index is based on the year 2010, where 2010 is 100.

SORBET, SHERBET & ICES SALES

AND FORECAST
Total U.S. sales of sorbet, sherbet and ices, 2006-15, in food/
drug/mass channels, excluding Walmart.*
Year Sales % Chg Index

2006 257 2.1 99
2007 259 0.7 99
2008 267 3.2 102
2009 268 0.4 103
2010 (est.) 261 -2.7 100
2011 (fore.) 265 1.4 101
2012 (fore.) 270 2.0 103
2013 (fore.) 275 1.9 105
2014 (fore.) 280 1.8 107
2015 (fore.) 285 1.8 109

SOURCE: Mintel/based on SymphonyIRI Group InfoScan® Reviews;

U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Census
*Sales are at current prices, in millions of dollars. % Change is versus
the prior year. Index is based on the year 2010, where 2010 is 100.
SPOTLIGHT: BREAKFASTS

FROZEN
2.6%, again due mostly to
Jimmy Dean, whose Break-
fast Bowls and Skillets, the

BREAKFASTS
subcategory’s second- and
fifth-best sellers, respectively,

GAIN 10.4%
Double-digit gains in waffles and
handhelds heat up category.
BY DENISE LEATHERS
posted double-digit gains (sub-
category leader Aunt Jemima
saw its sales decline 14.9%).
Some retailers sell thawed-out Finagle a
WAFFLES UP 27% Bagels via in-store bakeries. Signage can
But the category’s biggest advance direct shoppers to the frozen department
was registered by the surging waffles for a longer shelf-life alternative.
segment, up a whopping 27.0% from

A lthough frozen breakfasts
lost a bit to scratch cook-
ing during the recession, the
category is rebounding nicely in
2010, thanks in part to the increas-
ing availability of premium and
better-for-you options. According
to a November
2010 report from ‘Shoppers are
a year ago on the strength of Kel-
logg’s resumption of full-scale Eggo
production. Interestingly, though,
while all three Eggo brands in the
top 10 posted double- or triple-digit
gains, five of the seven remain-
ing brands registered advances as
well, thanks in part
to almost across-
fast items, which offer the hand-held
convenience so important to today’s
on-the-go consumers? “Shoppers are
increasingly seeking out products
that are high in protein, providing
a better start to their day,” answers
Reggie Moore, director of brand mar-
keting for Jimmy Dean convenience
foods (www.jimmydean.com), part of

10.625 " Live

Chicago-based the-board increases Downer’s Grove, Ill.-based Sara Lee.
Mintel International, increasingly seek- in merchandising But consumers want more than just
dollar sales of frozen ing out products support, as manufac- protein, he continues, citing growing
and refrigerated that are high in turers fight to hang demand for a wide array of better-

10.875 " Trim

breakfast entreés on to share points for-you attributes, from reduced fat
and sandwiches protein, providing wrestled from Kel- and calories to added fiber and other
jumped 8.1% across a better start to logg’s over the past essential nutrients.
channels last year, their day.’ year. One to watch: To meet that need, the com-

11.125 " Bleed

to more than $800 Orrville, Ohio-based pany introduced the better-for-you
million. However, J.M. Smuckers’ new D-Lights sub-brand in 2007, and
the research company expects some Snack’n Waffles (www.smuckers. it continues to expand at double-
deceleration between 2011 and 2015, com), a pre-sweetened product — digit rates. The newest addition, the
as competition from foodservice no syrup required — whose sales D-Lights Ham Bowl, contains just
operators, particularly fast feeders, jumped 1,688.1% off a small base 220 calories and 7 grams of fat plus
heats up. Thus far, however, there’s over the past 12 weeks. a whopping 21 grams of protein
little evidence of a slowdown. While the top half of the break- per serving.
According to Chicago-based fast category outperformed the rest This past summer, continues
market research firm SymphonyIRI of the department over the past 12 Moore, Jimmy Dean rolled out yet
Group, frozen breakfast dollars in weeks, the mostly meatless bottom another sub-brand, kid-friendly Jim-
U.S. supermar- half didn’t fare nearly as well. Frozen my D’s, that combines wholesome
kets shot up Other Breakfast Food, turkey sausage with French toast
10.4% during the dominated by Pillsbury and pancakes. Ready to eat in less
12 weeks ending Toaster Strudel and than two minutes, all four varieties
Feb. 20. Led by Toaster Scrambles, contain 230 or fewer calories and 7
the subcategory’s saw its sales fall 5.5% or more grams of protein.
No. 1 and No. 2 while the Frozen Bagel
brands, Jimmy segment posted a BETTER-FOR-YOU
Dean and Jimmy 27.5% decline. Only the The better-for-you trend is also be-
Dean D-Lights, Vitamuffin-controlled ing felt in the frozen waffle category,
the handheld Frozen Muffin sub- where consumers are focusing on
segment posted a category generated any “broad health and wellness con-
14.6% gain, while good news, registering a cerns,” not just weight loss, reports
the Breakfast Items from Jimmy Dean have 22.4% jump. Michael Hunter, vp of frozen food
Entree sector saw helped drive serious gains in the Why the shift away sales strategy at the Kellogg Co.,
sales advance frozen breakfast category. from bread-based break- Battle Creek, Mich. (www.leggomy-

50 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

 e w !

®, TM, © 2011 Kellogg NA Co.

®

Now a deliciously
different way to waffle.

Celebrating
75 years!

SERVING
SUGGESTION
Serving Size
One Waffle

Ask your Eggo® product representative about our in-store programs.

 SPOTLIGHT: BREAKFASTS

eggo.com). To complement its Eggo (www.finagleabagel.com). Ac-

Nutrigrain lineup, whose sales shot cording to owner and president
up 118.0% over the past 12 weeks, Laura Trust, “Our product is
says Hunter, Kellogg recently debuted a true hand-boiled and baked
two flavors of Eggo FiberPlus Waffles, bagel that will appeal not only
which offer 35% the daily recom- to the (frozen bagel) customer
Kellogg recently debuted Eggo FiberPlus Waffles in
mended value of fiber plus either cal- but also to consumers who buy Buttermilk and Chocolate Chip varieties.
cium (Buttermilk) or key antioxidants fresh bagels at their local bagel
(Chocolate Chip). To help promote shop or in the bakery.” But, she products by type or need (better-for-
the new items and celebrate Eggo’s admits, it won’t be an easy sell. you, kid-friendly, etc.) and then brand
75th birthday, he adds, the company “Nothing new has happened in blocking within those segments.
is planning its first new television ads the frozen bagel category for a very But first you’ve got to get consum-
in three years. long time,” she explains, adding that ers to visit the frozen food aisle in
Another key trend driving product many buyers have called the segment the first place. To make the frozen
development efforts is the continu- “stale.” But she’s confident that an department a “destination,” says
ation of a recession-era shift toward all-natural, premium-quality product Moore, retailers can utilize second-
eating at home, says Hunter. “While like Finagle a Bagel can do for the ary displays, cross-promotion and
they’re not going to restaurants,” he category what high-end brands like in-store demos (a great way to dispel
continues, “consumers still want full- DiGiorno and Freschetta did for the the notion that microwaveable frozen
flavor, restaurant-quality meal op- flagging frozen pizza segment years foods don’t taste as good as fresh) to
tions.” As a result, Kellogg’s recently ago. “It’s not about price,” she adds. drive shoppers to frozen breakfasts.
introduced Eggo Thick and Fluffy “It’s about quality.” One particularly effective strategy
Waffles, which more closely approxi- is tying frozen breakfast to comple-
mate the type of waffles shoppers ONLY 41 SECONDS! mentary products in more heavily
enjoy at their favorite eateries. On average, says Jimmy Dean’s trafficked areas of the store that are
Another frozen breakfast manu- Moore, consumers spend only about aimed at the same target consumer
facturer hoping to grab sales from the 41 seconds in front of the chilly (higher-income, suburban families
foodservice side, which Mintel says frozen breakfast door vs. 58 seconds with kids headed by working moms).
“will become a more serious competi- in other, more temperate areas of the For example, he reports, “We includ-
tive threat to (frozen food) manufac- supermarket. Since the window of ed a small advertising piece on gal-
turers...as the economy improves,” is opportunity is small, he continues, lons of milk highlighting our Jimmy
SJB Bagel Makers of Boston, manu- it’s important to make the section as Dean breakfast products.”
facturer of the Finagle a Bagel brand easy as possible to shop by organizing Similarly, says Trust, several of
Finagle a Bagel’s customers are
FROZEN BREAKFASTS selling mixed-variety four-packs of
Supermarket sales for the 12 weeks ending Feb. 20, according to SymphonyIRI Group, the its thawed-out bagels via in-store
Chicago-based market research firm. Percent change is versus the like period a year ago. List bakeries where shoppers are much
includes only brands with at least $500,000 in sales during the most recent 12 weeks. Data is more likely to see them. Simple
for brand as originally trademarked, and may not include line extensions.
signage directing consumers who
CATEGORY $ SALES % CHG UNIT SALES % CHG VOLUME % CHG liked the fresh version to the frozen
BREAKFAST FOOD $375,930,200 10.4 134,944,200 7.3 110,598,100 9.5 department for a longer shelf-life al-
ternative is all that’s needed to build
WAFFLES $130,798,900 27.0 53,547,360 22.9 45,334,740 26.3
awareness.
Kellogg’s Eggo $68,159,790 43.1 26,067,820 49.7 23,916,150 57.0
Private Label $25,951,240 (7.6) 12,784,850 (13.9) 10,955,610 (13.1) When they finally get to the frozen
Kellogg’s Nutri Grain Eggo $14,626,030 118.0 5,021,123 127.1 3,860,239 127.1 breakfast section, continues Kellogg’s
Aunt Jemima $7,608,324 (27.7) 4,369,284 (24.0) 3,365,271 (24.0) Hunter, consumers expect to find
Van’s $4,253,344 10.5 1,376,310 16.2 733,652 16.1 their favorite products in stock. As
Kellogg’s Eggo Minis $2,497,951 843.9 1,070,849 1,114.3 729,573 876.3
a result, retailers need to make sure
Van’s Organic $1,125,786 13.8 375,714 19.7 194,477 19.6
Krusteaz $901,854 14.7 303,836 1.5 281,809 13.9 they’re giving adequate space to the
Smuckers Snack’n Waffles $892,133 1,688.1 325,719 1,850.8 162,860 1,850.8 right products, a decision that should
Nature’s Path Flax Plus $622,796 62.3 204,058 71.8 95,662 71.8 be based as much on growth trends
BREAKFAST HANDHELD $95,542,500 14.6 23,533,060 13.2 21,810,040 15.6 as past sales. He concludes, “While
BREAKFAST ENTREES $90,752,220 2.7 33,520,210 (1.1) 25,643,510 (1.9) it’s important to have a wide variety…
OTHER BREAKFAST FOOD $40,552,480 (5.5) 17,090,950 (5.6) 12,190,230 (4.0) the freezer can become crowded
BAGELS $10,473,330 (27.5) 5,429,793 (26.9) 4,517,950 (25.7) if too many brands that don’t offer
MUFFINS $7,210,549 (7.8) 1,634,612 (9.6) 859,622 (16.7)
something unique in terms of taste,
EGG SUBSTITUTES $600,267 (3.8) 188,166 0.0 242,026 1.7
quality and quantity are offered.” n

52 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

 • A ll N •

ARTI SAN BAGELS

L
S

A E
RT G
IS A N B A

CONTACT US AT: WWW.FINAGLEABAGEL.COM • 617-213-8428

SPOTLIGHT: PIZZA

DELIVERY
evil,” delivery giants like Domino’s ing prices on many of its top-selling
“have taken an active and aggressive store brand products, including
stance against frozen pizza manufac- Wegman’s Bake & Rise Pizza, guar-

CHILLS turers,” reports Mary Brown, senior

director of the Freschetta business
anteed to sell for just $3.99 through
the remainder of 2011. And Malvern,

FROZEN
team at Bloomington, Minn.-based Pa.-based Acme, a Supervalu chain,
Schwan’s Consumer Brands North recently advertised its premium

PIZZA
Using cross-promotions, meal deals
and a slew of unique new items,
manufacturers hope to win back
consumers drawn in by rock-bottom delivery customers with make-at-
prices for delivery.
BY DENISE LEATHERS
America (www.freschetta.com). private label Culinary Circle frozen
The smear campaign, coupled with pizza at two for $9.
rock-bottom prices, represent a seri-
ous threat to frozen pizza’s growth, CREATING MEALS
Brown says. Retailers can also build sales simply
But frozen pizza manufacturers by merchandising frozen pizza with
are fighting back. Some are courting complementary products that to-
gether create an entire meal. For ex-
home options that include popular ample, says Peter Cokinos, senior vp
delivery add-ons like bread sticks of sales and marketing at Elk Grove
and pasta. The latest example comes Village, Ill.-based Little Lady Foods
from category (www.littleladyfoods.

F ueled by the recession and an ‘Frozen pizza is

leader DiGiorno com), “Soda displays
influx of higher-quality, pre- (www.digiorno. built near freezer cases
mium options that more closely com), which always on deal. and bundled with pizza
approximate restaurant fare, frozen recently debuted You don’t build would create the same
pizza expanded a whopping 26%
across channels from 2004 to 2009,
Pizza & Boneless
Wyngz and Pizza
a lot of loyalty pairing currently offered
by many pizzerias.”
according to a January 2010 study by & Cookies. that way.’ Even if products can’t
Chicago-based Mintel International. A new advertis- be merchandised to-
Over the past year, however, ing and social me- gether, adds Brad Sterl,
growth slowed as the economic re- dia campaign in support of Schwan’s founder and president of Pittsfield,
covery began to take hold and quick Red Baron brand (www.redbaron. N.H.-based Rustic Crust (www.
serve restaurants (QSRs) worked com) will highlight the hidden costs rusticcrust.com), they can still be
overtime to woo back consumers — hefty up-charges for additional cross-promoted. For example, his
lost to frozen. This year, it appears toppings, delivery fees, tips, etc. — company is looking to partner with a
their efforts are starting to pay off. In associated with delivery, “which bagged salad manufacturer for cross-
fact, reports Chicago-based market can turn a $5 or $6 pizza into a $14 promotion deals, and Spartanburg,
research firm SymphonyIRI Group, or $15 pizza pretty fast,” Brown S.C.-based Spartan Foods of America
frozen pizza dollar sales in super- reports. Scheduled to begin later this (www.mysticpizza.com), purveyor of
markets fell 4.9% month, the cam- the Mystic Pizza brand, is seeking a
to $742.8 million paign will also partner in the wine industry, accord-
during the 12 underscore differ- ing to Tom Baliker, founder and CEO.
weeks ended Feb. ences in product But pizza isn’t just for mealtimes.
20. Units dropped quality, including During the first week of March Mad-
by 7.2% and volume many chains’ use ness, many Safeway banners featured
sold with mer- of “pizza cheese” DiGiorno’s Pizza & Wyngz at $5.99,
chandising support while frozen plus two other new frozen snack
slipped 0.4 points brands like Red foods from Nestlé in a section of its
to 59.3%. Baron contain weekly flier titled “Game Day Party
only 100% real 3-Pointer: 3 new ways to score big
‘ROOT OF cheese. points at your next party.” And Read-
ALL EVIL?’ For their part, ing, Pa.-based Redner’s Markets had
Spouting slogans retailers are using a coupon for a free Red Baron pizza
like “Inspired pizza their store brands with the purchase of three 12-packs
comes from an to battle delivery of Pepsi and two bags of Doritos
oven, not a freezer,” products. Roches- or Tostitos. Many other retailers,
and “Frozen pizza Freschetta By-the-Slice comes with a ter, N.Y.-based including A&P-owned Superfresh,
is the root of all patented susceptor tray. Wegman’s is freez- Montvale, N.J., which included three

54 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

 Still the hottest part of
the freezer case.

2010 Frozen Pizza * + 13. 2 %

GROWTH

VALUE MAINSTREAM
SEGMENT SEGMENT +0. 4 %

PREMIUM
SEGMENT

- 4.8%
-5.3%

There’s one brand of frozen pizza that continues to be a hot seller in the freezer section.
Palermo’s. With our restaurant-quality toppings, authentic Italian crusts and true pizzeria
flavor, it’s no wonder
we’re helping retailers
capture more pizza
occasions and increase
frozen pizza sales.
To find out how to share in this remarkable growth and fire up your category
sales, call Don Ostergren, our VP of Sales, at 800-800-7912.

Visit us online at stockpalermos.com

© Palermo Villa Inc. 2011

*Source: Nielsen Total U.S. Food for the 52-weeks ending 12/25/10
SPOTLIGHT: PIZZA

ing to Brown, “Many people category average ($3.04 per unit).

are leaving frozen pizza (i.e. And the three top 10 brands with
becoming light or lapsed users) the lowest average price per unit,
because they no longer want including private label, all registered
only cheese, pepperoni and dollar sales losses.
meats. Instead, they’re spend-
ing their money in restaurants CUT ‘ME-TOO’S’
where they can get toppings To find room for new flavors, Brown
like chicken, shitake mush- suggests cutting duplicate items.
rooms and feta cheese.” During one recent store visit, “We
To help meet this demand, found ten pepperoni and cheese piz-
Schwan’s recently rolled out zas all from one brand,” she reports,
a Freschetta line under the noting that rationalizing SKUs in
Simply...Inspired sub-brand cases like this would help bring back
with flavors like Hawaiian “flavor seekers” who left the frozen
Style, Farmers Market Veggie, category in search of better selection.
Harvest Supreme, Southern Sterl believes it makes sense to mer-
BBQ Chicken and Rustic Pep- chandise premium items together
Palermo’s Hand Tossed Style pizza comes in six peroni Pomodoro. Freschetta so they can be found more easily by
flavors and features a ‘unique pizzeria-type crust.’ isn’t alone. Mystic Pizza plans shoppers seeking them. It would also
to add two distinctive new cut down on sticker shock if pizzas
different brands in a “Pizza Party flavors to its lineup, which costing, say, $12, weren’t merchan-
Headquarters” section of its weekly already includes both Mediterra- dised next to belly fillers.
flier, offered multiples pricing during nean and Buffalo Chicken varieties, A special area could also be
the same week. later this year. set aside for products ready in 15
To compete with pizzerias, Red Other manufacturers are carving minutes or less, adds Cokinos, citing
Baron introduced frozen slices more out a niche in the better-for-you seg- another of frozen pizza’s advantages
than a year ago. The concept caught ment, an area where many local pizza over delivery.
on among those who prefer slices to parlors fall short. Rustic Crust, for In terms of promotion, Sterl
“personal size” mini pizzas, lead- example, recently introduced its first prefers programs that promote trial
ing to the recent introduction of a vegan pizza. — sampling, high-value coupons,
similar product under Schwan’s Fre- SymphonyIRI figures suggest that BOGO offers, etc. — over simple
schetta label. Freschetta By-the-Slice increasingly confident consumers TPRs. Particularly with premium
comes with a patented susceptor tray are willing to shell out more money items that cost a little more, he
designed to deliver oven-baked taste for higher-end frozen pizzas. In fact, explains, it’s important to prove
from the microwave. both category leader DiGiorno and to consumers that the product is,
number-three brand Red Baron, indeed, worth the price. He adds,
PIZZERIA-TYPE CRUST two of only three top 10 brands to “The frozen pizza category is always
Another manufacturer going after post dollar sales gains over the past on deal. But you don’t build a lot of
the pizzeria customer is Milwau- 12 weeks, sell for more than the loyalty that way.” n
kee, Wis.-based Palermo’s (www.
palermospizza.com). It recently
introduced hand-tossed style frozen
FROZEN PIZZA
pizzas that boast a “unique, pizze- Supermarket sales for the 12 weeks ending Feb. 20, 2011, according to SymphonyIRI Group,
the Chicago-based market research firm. Percent change is versus the like period a year ago.
ria-type” crust, reports CEO and Data is for the brand as originally trademarked, and may not include line extensions.
president Giacomo Falluca. Available
in six flavors, the new addition to the CATEGORY $ SALES % CHG UNIT SALES % CHG VOLUME % CHG
“middle-thickness” segment, which FROZEN PIZZA $742,812,700 (4.9) 244,154,900 (7.2) 240,520,500 (4.2)
has been largely ignored by manu- Di Giorno $160,236,000 2.0 30,252,660 2.3 47,364,580 6.7
facturers focusing on the rapidly Private Label $68,803,460 (9.4) 28,323,430 (11.3) 27,455,570 (10.1)
expanding thin and ultra-thin sector, Red Baron $73,802,700 14.0 20,047,580 17.9 24,365,230 19.9
Tombstone $62,507,850 (10.2) 18,309,330 (7.2) 25,044,410 (7.2)
is more like what you can find at your Freschetta $39,946,810 (1.9) 7,558,889 (2.7) 10,609,060 (5.0)
local pizza parlor, he explains. Totino’s Party Pizza $37,714,590 (6.0) 28,913,190 (6.2) 18,864,420 (6.3)
New products featuring high-end Jack’s Original $32,145,010 3.4 12,182,630 3.9 12,996,860 3.8
toppings and sauces in unique com- Tony’s $28,224,930 (31.2) 14,373,600 (38.0) 12,043,140 (35.9)
binations are helping draw consum- California Pizza Kitchen $27,105,090 (23.9) 5,104,209 (24.8) 3,753,025 (29.8)
Stouffer’s $19,333,940 (1.4) 7,157,561 2.0 5,372,528 1.4
ers back to the freezer case. Accord-

56 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

 New AMT ™
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Merchandiser Increased Sales
Built-in manual Disheveled displays don't sell.
feed forwards Tame your unruly product areas with
and faces AMT ™ Merchandiser technology
product and improve sales
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Patents and
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all Patents Pending

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• Designed for yogurts, ice cream, instant
soup cups, tubs, bottles, and many other
difficult to organize products. Small size
adjusts from 211⁄16" to 35⁄16" wide for
4-6 ounce yogurt cups or similar products.
Large size adjusts from 4" to 45⁄8" for
pint, 11⁄2 pint and similar containers.
• Built-in manual feed allows trouble-free
forwarding and facing of products for
increased sales and profit.
• Trays lift out as a single unit with easy-grip
handles to allow quick re-stocking of dated
product or cleaning of shelves.
• Optional plain-paper label/sign holder
provides a protected home for product
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EXCEPTION REPORT:

FROZEN
and convenience make Delizza has been turn-
them ideal as entertain- ing in double-digit
gains in a category that

SWEET
ment items, he says. The
has been down almost
company’s products the same amount.
have been in distribu-

GOODS tion for over 10 years, so

From time to time, we take a
look at brands doing particularly
well when the category as a
whole is down.
consumers are familiar
with their quality, pricing and promo-
tion, Liggero adds. Recently, the com-
pany came out with a new packaging
design, marketing programs and items
Mother’s Day, June
graduations, Fourth of
July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and
New Year’s. “Of course the last quarter
is show-time for our items so we tend
to go with some marketing events such

F
rozen sweet goods (not including
cheesecakes) were down 9.8%
in dollars and 12.4% in units
last year, according to supermarket
data from SymphonyIRI Group, the
Chicago-based market research firm.
Among the top 10 items in dollar
sales, eight posted declines. There
were two exceptions, however. Both
scored double-digit gains and both
were from Delizza Patisserie (www.
delizza.us), Sarasota, Fla.
NO COINCIDENCE?
Perhaps it’s no coincidence, but the
items (see chart) were the only ones
in the top 10 to have average retails
about $5, when the average for the cat-
egory was $4.05. So what gives?
Fred Liggero, vp of sales at the
company, says Delizza’s high-end
products are differentiated in that
they are made with a European-style
recipe with real dairy cream, Belgian-
style chocolate and Bavarian fillings.
They’re thaw-and-serve, so no
baking oven is needed. The quality
to help grow sales further.
The relatively high dollar ring and
margin have earned the brand extra
facings, which have also helped the
gains over the past year. Sympho-
nyIRI Group supermarket data for
the 12 weeks ended Feb. 20, 2011,
show Delizza in fourth place for sales
within its category — up 28.6% dur-
ing the period while the category as a
whole fell 9.6%.
To max out sales and profits for
the category, Liggero urges retailers
to give it more space during holiday
periods. “We are supporting our prod-
ucts now with couponing during this
timeframe, which draws the consumer
to your sections. So why not put us
on display during key time periods,
mixed in with your pies and cheese-
cake displays? We have had some
retailers do this with almost five times
the normal movement when featured
on displays.”
Because Delizza’s dessert items are
for entertainment events, the company
offers promotional programs dur-
ing the key holiday seasons: Easter,
as web coupons, FSIs in select markets,
and retailer events to tie into their
holiday programs,” Liggero says.
He adds that “We support private
label but it should not be the only item
on the shelf. Offer the consumer a
choice and let them shop the dessert
category. Most private label is priced
within a dollar of our brand.”
A recent study by Mintel Interna-
tional, Chicago, says 68% of frozen
dessert purchasers buy the products
to have something on hand if they
need it. Half the shoppers it surveyed
said frozen desserts are a good choice
for a reward or treat, and almost half
say frozen desserts taste as good as
freshly made alternatives. The mes-
sage here: demo, then demo some
more to build trial and win new users.
Other reasons shoppers buy frozen
desserts: 47% say the products don’t
spoil as quickly as refrigerated or
RTE desserts; 47% also say frozen
desserts are a good value. And 42%
believe frozen desserts are a good
choice for a special occasion, accord-
ing to Mintel research. n

FROZEN SWEET GOODS (NO CHEESECAKES)

Category sales in supermarkets for the 52 weeks ended Dec. market research firm. Percent change is versus the like period
26, 2010, according to SymphonyIRI Group, the Chicago-based a year ago.

PRODUCT $ SALES % CHG UNIT SALES % CHG UNIT PRICE

TOTAL SEGMENT $194,875,100 (9.8) 48,099,460 (12.4) $4.05
Sara Lee Butter Cake Regular 16 oz $13,089,760 (7.2) 2,874,465 (6.8) $4.55
Pepperidge Farm Three Layer Cake
Coconut Cake Regular 19.6 oz $11,503,250 (6.1) 3,479,555 (7.8) $3.31
Sara Lee Butter Cake Regular 10.75 oz $10,642,470 (11.5) 3,008,804 (12.6) $3.48
Pepperidge Farm Three Layer Cake Frozen
Chocolate Fudge Cake Reg 19.6 oz $9,671,961 (8.0) 2,889,591 (10.2) $3.68
Delizza Belgian Chocolate Pastry Regular 14.8 oz $9,551,500 17.0 1,881,591 20.7 $5.08
Pepperidge Farm Regular Pastry 12.5 oz $8,803,686 (5.8) 2,684,011 (9.1) $3.27
Delizza Belgian Pastry Regular 13.2 oz $7,357,829 12.0 1,455,200 15.9 $5.05
Pepperidge Farm Lemon Cake 19.6 oz $4,024,620 (17.8) 1,269,578 (19.3) $3.17
Mrs. Smith’s Peach Cobbler Regular 32 oz $3,859,777 (14.0) 823,723 (20.1) $4.69
Pepperidge Farm Three Layer Cake
Golden Cake Regular 19.6 oz $3,776,806 (9.2) 1,191,067 (6.6) $3.17

58 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

LO G I STICS
TECHNOLOGY
SPEEDS GAINS
IN LOGISTICS
Rapidly advancing technology is
helping logistics providers become
ever-more efficient. Here’s a look at
how leading-edge companies are put-
ting it to good use.
BY DAN RAFTERY & WARREN
THAYER
N
ew technology is driv-
ing significant new
efficiencies at public
refrigerated warehouses,
enabling them to meet
rapidly growing demands of food
manufacturers and retailers.
We discussed advances in ware-
house management systems, unload-
ing/outbound efficiencies, pallets, fleet
utilization and other topics in a virtual
roundtable which included:
—Jerome Scherer, vp national
sales and marketing, government
affairs, U.S. Cold Storage,
Voorhees, N.J.
—Steve Tippmann, exec vp,
Tippmann Group/Interstate
Warehousing,
Fort Wayne, Ind.
—Pete Westermann, vp
general manager CPG
Industry Group, Ryder Sup-
ply Chain Solutions,
Holland, Mich.
— Mike Henningsen, Jr.,
chairman and president,
Henningsen Cold Storage Company,
Hillsboro, Ore.
—Harry Halpert, president, MTC
Logistics, Baltimore, Md.
—Michael McClendon, president,
Richmond Cold Storage,
Richmond, Va.
—Bill Hendricksen, CEO, Castle &
Cooke Cold Storage, Colton, Calif.
What advances have you seen in
Warehouse Management Systems?
Scherer: Wide implementation of
RF bar code scanning, zoning in
the warehouse, computer directed
put-away, integration with transpor-
tation management systems and the
movement toward paperless systems.
All-important recall systems have
become very advanced with on-hold
capability to the SKU level through
customer online access 24/7. The
timeliness is essential.
Tippmann: One that comes to mind
is the ability to effectively and effi-
ciently meet customer requirements.
As new customers are set up, each
may have shelf life, labeling, pallet
build, and other requirements. With
advances in WMS technology, 3PLs
can meet these requirements while
performing them at the most oppor-
tune time. Since the requirement is
performed in the system, reports can
be generated at any time.
Henningsen: We’ve seen great ad-
vances in managing shelf life require-
ments, which is very important in
perishable goods storage like dairy.
We’ve also seen advances in task
interleaving, access to information and
system alerts which makes the WMS
a true management tool, not just an
‘Load-building and
optimization soft-
ware has enabled
great strides
in maximizing
truck movement.’
—Scherer
order processing and inventory man-
agement tool.
Hendricksen: The Warehouse Man-
agement Systems today seem to be
very intuitive, which helps reduce the
learning curve with new associates. In-
ventory control advances that include
count-back features, system generated
cycle counts based on customer rules,
substitution rules, inventory adjust-
ments and line changes for missing
or damaged product at the picking
level. The Integration with the many
 the days-of-life remain-
ing by scheduling reports
‘We have started to be automatically run
using “fluid load- and sent to their e-mail.
ing” to improve The systems are now set
our efficiencies on so that when a product
outbound loading.’ is reaching a set number
—Tippmann of days, the system can
automatically place the
product on several types,
or stages of hold and send
modules on the market place today, a notice out to the ware-
modules such as Voice Pick, Yard house and the customer.
Management, Engineered Standards, Henningsen: Modern WMS’s today
Accounting Software, and modules offer greater flexibility to match cus-develop and implement new labor
that build a perfect pallet while re- tomer requirements when it comes
ducing the travel time in a warehouse to guaranteed shelf life agreements.
while selecting an order. Advances Today we can configure the system
that allow carriers or vendors to to assure that a ship to customer
schedule delivery or pickup appoint- has a specified number of days until
ments through s web portal. expiration left on product based on
McClendon: Richmond Cold Stor- the customer, product or product
age has recently transitioned to a family and transit time to delivery.
new WMS that allows us to take The system will only allocate product ductivity and quality results), con-
ownership of the system regard- that matches the requirements. We
ing customer driven modifications can also program the WMS to send
and customization. This is a change alerts if product is getting close to
from our previous WMS that re- expiration. An additional feature is
quired us to go back to the provider the ability to assure that a customer
for these services. This function never receives product that is older
gives us tremendous flexibility as than product previously received.
well as the ability to control the Halpert: It’s important not to mix
cost associated with customization. date codes on pallets – doing so adds Tippmann: With the advances of
In addition, the labor management cost to pick and increases chances of Warehouse Management Systems’
tools available assist our managers misrotation. Speak to the manufac-
in increasing the efficiency of our turer to understand how they pal-
workforce. Also, customers today letize product from their production
are much more interested in partici- line. Batch codes and midnight shifts
pating in EDI. The newer systems may create exceptions.
and technology allow us to build From a warehousing perspective,
the EDI processes at a lower cost especially in multi-deep environ-
compared to five years ago. ments, a warehouse operation is able
Halpert: We’re seeing more auto- to maximize storage density by hav-
mation. Also, contractors, material ing windows (i.e., 30 days) around a
handling and IT companies are
collaborating much more than
in the past.
‘Dispatchers only
Can you describe a few best need an internet
practices in expiration-date connection and
(days-of-life remaining, shelf
a laptop to gain
life) management?
Hendricksen: With the advent access to all orders
of the web based systems, the and routed freight.’
customer is now able to track —Henricksen
production date to ship.
Scherer: Tracking has become very
sophisticated with multiple meth-
ods being employed on each SKU.
Production dates coordinated with
sell-by dates; the old method of first-
in first-out has evolved to accom-
modate remaining shelf life limits
without regard to arrival date. Days
of remaining life can be customized
to meet the requirements of each
consignee.
What are managers doing to
standards?
Henningsen: As the customer
profiles change, it is important to
continually review the procedures
in place and adjust as required. The
tasks needed to develop and imple-
ment new labor standards include:
Review current function (define pro-
duct brainstorming meetings with
your teams, identify/test improved
methods and procedures, document
and train on new methods developed,
perform then review new procedures,
monitor production results and vali-
date, meet again with your team and
agree to new methods and standard.
ability to manage/enforce customer
requirements, the industry can
accurately report exactly what is
being performed on the floor in the
warehouse. This allows managers to
keep labor standards up to date while
taking into account customer re-
quirements in many different areas.
Additionally, we now have accurate
costing of any and all work per-
formed for our customers, thanks
to this technology.
Hendricksen: Managers are
continually identifying barriers
that disrupt production or in-
crease indirect time. They do this
through observation, feedback
from the associates, and review-
ing productivity data, and make
necessary adjustments to stream-
line the overall production proc-
APRIL 2011 www.fdbuyer.com 61
LO G I STICS
‘Newer systems and
technology allow
us to build the EDI
processes at a lower
cost compared
to five years ago.’
—McClendon
ess. Managers also realign customers,
items, and pick lines based off of
velocity reports or product move-
ment data extracted from the WMS,
in order to reduce travel time in the
warehouse. Once the barriers have
been removed, and the productivity
processed streamlined, crew averages uct. This is also applied as it goes
can be measured and compared to
previous productivity numbers, thus
creating new reasonable expectancy
labor standards.
Scherer: Event-driven computer-
ized tasking assignment is creating
great efficiencies in labor manage-
ment. Scan-by-scan capture of the
activities of the individual worker
allows for performance evaluation
for all job categories. Order picking
by case or full pallet — put-away in
the warehouse, shipping and receiv-
ing on the dock as well truck loading
and unloading are all measured. This Scherer: From a practical
information can be used for more
accurate cost assessment and pricing, dock doors provide for the
as well as creation of fair work load
expectation standards.
Halpert: Our managers are paying
close attention to each step of an op-
eration, utilizing the WMS to times-
tamp activity, and actively reviewing
the data with staff.
What new technologies are
available to improve unloading
efficiencies?
Tippmann: ASN (advance ship
notice) has had the most impact
recently on our receiving efficien-
cies. When you get an ASN from
the shipping point, you receive all
the necessary information to be
able to just scan the barcode on the
pallet and everything is already in
62 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
your system for that pal-
let (product code, batch,
quantity, etc.). We can use
a double pallet jack to pick
up two pallets, scan them,
and run them directly into
storage without stopping
on the dock.
Westermann: VMU –
Vehicle Management Unit
has improved efficiencies
the most in recent years
by leveraging the latest software and
applying it at the point of delivery.
We’ve had success enabling the WMS
to be applied at the point it is brought
into the warehouse and determining
the best place to store the prod-
back out of the warehouse. We are
also using new battery technology,
both opportunity charge, as well as
fast-charge systems, which helps us
reduce material handling equipment
down time and increase productiv-
ity and efficiency. Other ways we
leverage technology to improve dock
efficiencies include using “photo
eyes,” installed at the dock to prevent
equipment from damaging doors and
controlling dock levelers,
which reduces down time
and helps control cost.
point of view, new-design
ability to open doors after
the truck is backed into the
dock and the axle is locked
for safety. Thermal abuse of
product is avoided and the
dock area does not become
infiltrated with warm humid air.
From the IT side, pending inbound
warehouse management systems
enable advance documentation proc-
esses and space allocation planning
for more efficient put-away. This
process works especially well when
combining outbound orders with
cross-dock movements. Coordina-
tion of inbound and outbound loads
can be synchronized with product
availability and shipping and receiv-
ing appointments. Order assembly
and staging is timed to minimize
how long product sits on the dock.
Hendricksen: From a WMS
standpoint, inline quality checks,
automatic status adjustments speed
up the overall receiving process.
Automatic door assignments based
on item codes and quantities being
delivered as it relates to the assigned
storage locations in the warehouse,
which reduce travel time and po-
tential safety hazards. The Verti-
cal style hydraulic dock plate help
maintain the cold chain compliance
by allowing a better seal between
the truck trailer and the dock door.
Electric/Hydraulic truck restrains in
lieu dock chocks allow the receiver
to secure the truck without going
outside while maintaining a safe
work environment.
What about outbound efficiencies?
Henningsen: I have not seen much
in this area as of late, the only items
that come to mind are double jacks
and forklifts with multiple pallet
transport capabilities
Tippmann: We have started us-
ing “fluid loading” to improve our
efficiencies on outbound loading.
‘Removing unladen
miles from routes
has always
been a prior-
ity for an asset-
based company.’
—Henningsen
Instead of runners bringing pallets
out to the dock and then the loader
handling them again, the loader
uses a double pallet jack to take two
pallets at a time from the freezer
directly to the truck.
Hendricksen: From a WMS stand-
point, door assignments relating
to the proximity of the staging or
picking locations of the outbound
load. This reduces the travel time,
and reduces the time to complete the
loading process. Advance Shipping
Notice (ASN) tags being applied to
 What was your logistics company doing in 1923?
Our business was founded on these four principles, and
they have been the mainstay of our company ever since.

1-800-791-2653
www.henningsen.com
Oregon • Washington • Idaho
North Dakota • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania
LO G I STICS
outbound pallets, and being scanned cess to all of our available orders and
to the door while loading. This routed freight. The improved visibil-
insures that the load will be shipped ity allows collaboration between our
complete. The ability to live load a offices and warehouses. We are able
trailer with multiple stops, with the to reduce deadhead miles by creating
system using logic to pick and load in continuous moves from our shipping
the proper order based on drops. and delivery points. The software
also tracks a driver’s progress and e-
What advances have you seen in mails alerts to appropriate staff. The
routing software and other ways to alerts allow us to manage potential
improve fleet utilization? services issues and avoid excessive
Westermann: We have seen ad- idle and dwell times at loading and
vancements in both hardware and unloading locations. The TMS al-
software on routing technologies. lows us to hold drivers accountable
Aside from advanced 2nd generation for arriving on time, loading and
unloading, and reducing
fuel consumption all while
adhering to hours of service
‘We are looking at and safety regulations. The
hydrogen technol- TMS Optimizer are becom-
ogy for our material ing better and quicker. We
handling equipment, are using the optimizer as a
tool, along with our staff’s
but the ROI to date industry knowledge, to
has been too low.’ improve our ability to create
—Westermann efficient loads by combin-
ing service expectation with
most cost effective routing.
algorithms and the math engines Halpert: Software is opening up for
they use, the applications are being system-wide views which provide a
rewritten from scratch to deliver broader planning horizon.
enhanced efficiencies. Net archi-
tecture and XML interfacing and What arrangements are being
to expand on the tools and features made to share unladen miles
built into the flagship products over among various fleets (e.g., retailers,
the years. These improvements allow vendors, yours)?
for additional routing parameters to Henningsen: Removing unladen
be included yielding better and more miles from routes has always been a
realistic routes. priority for an asset-based company.
Scherer: Load-building and optimi- Shippers that have incentives to find
zation software has enabled great empty miles between divisions are
strides in maximizing truck move- helping the environment as well as
ment. GPS tracking is an important the bottom line. Programs between
tool for keeping equipment moving. shippers to share lane information,
Henningsen: Optimization algo- in an effort to help the carrier base
rithms are more available in the in- control costs, have had only vary-
dustry to efficiently route multi-stop ing rates of success. 3PLs are in a
shipments, even with latest data. position to manage multiple clients’
Henricksen: The use of technology distribution networks and gain effi-
and the internet are a vital part of the ciencies by filling unladen miles, and
transportation services we offer. Our reducing overall delivered costs.
Transportation Management Soft- Westermann: Most of our accounts
ware (TMS) is a web-based model. have gainshare provisions in which
The dispatchers only need an internet we are incented to fill empty miles
connection and a laptop to gain ac- where they exist. We have seen
64 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011
significant increases in gainshare
dollars and visibility to available
loads. This is becoming even more
critical with the recent increases in
fuel prices.
Hendricksen: We are fortunate to
have multiple customer and car-
rier relationships we work with on
transportation initiatives. For exam-
ple, our drivers perform tempera-
ture controlled deliveries for one
of our retail customers. We send
trucks to their stores in California,
Arizona, Nevada and Colorado.
After the trucks are unloaded at
the stores those trucks are offered
to our customer base to use and ar-
range delivery back into our ware-
houses or their production facilities.
In addition, we have customers
with their own dedicated fleets. We
negotiated ride share agreements
with our customers’ fleets so we can
consolidate freight into pool loads
while they are loading and deliver-
ing into similar locations. These
agreements are mutually beneficial
and they generate additional value
to each organization.
Our transportation division
has a passion for the business. The
staff understands the effects of fuel
increases, tightening capacity and
additional government regulations on
the industry. We are constantly look-
ing for better and cost effective op-
portunities to move freight. We have
developed partnerships and designed
unique relationships to better serve
our customers and carriers.
Halpert: We created a transportation
joint venture with one of our World
Group members and we utilize each
other’s facilities to cross-dock in
order to maximize truck capacity.
Scherer: Collaboration is important
here. Continuous movement is a
good way to reduce dead head miles.
What is the coolest new equipment
that you have seen for warehouses
or trucks?
Scherer: Automation in warehous-
ing is fun. I think automated guided
vehicles (AGV) lift trucks are pretty
neat. They can be laser guided and
work completely on their own, like
a robot. The latest models of cross
country trucks are amazing, big and
shiny. They haul huge loads, maintain
minus 20 degree F temperatures and
are equipped with high tech com-
munications and gadgets includ-
ing music and plasma TVs in mini
bedrooms for the long haul. They are
truly home away from home.
Tippmann: Crown just came out
with the new RM which is a Mono-
Lift Mast Reach Truck. The lift
capacity on this truck is about 1,000
pounds more to its highest level
than forklifts of the past. For the
forklift driver, it offers much bet-
ter visibility and greatly improved
ergonomics. All of these things
combined make the forklift safer
and easier to maneuver pallets.
Hendricksen: The coolest thing I
have seen recently is the automated
trailer cool down software for dedi-
21700 Barton Road, Colton, CA 92324 Phone: 909.433.3100 Fax: 909.433.3177
WWW.CASTLECOOKECOLD.COM
cated fleets. Trailers can
be started from a com-
puter based on ambient
temperatures, cool down
requirements and load-
ing times. It saves many
hours of yard manage-
ment and is the data is
captured and recorded for
later reference.
Henningsen: The completely au-
tomated warehouse the military is
experimenting with, utilizing robotic
forklifts that are not only able to pick
and put pallets in the warehouse, but
can also load and unload trucks with-
out human oversight or control.
Also, fuel-saving technologies
such as wings for underneath the
trailers, and battery-powered APUs
(Auxiliary Power Unit).
Westermann: We are looking at
hydrogen technology for our material
handling equipment, but the ROI to
date has been too low. As time goes
‘Contractors, mate-
rial handling and
IT companies are
collaborating much
more than in the
past.’ —Halpert
on I can see this technology fit into
several of our applications, but the
entry cost into this market is still
cost prohibitive — we expect it to
come into play in the next several
years. The Unmanned MHE technol-
ogy is also coming into its own and
will offer up new ways to control
productivity, damages and work place
injuries, and the unit can work round
the clock, 24/7. n
Next month: Our roundtable partici-
pants discuss ways to reduce use of
electricity in the cold chain.
GETTING PERSONAL

L.L. BEAN
after the show, and asked her about and shortly after that I married and
her famed grandfather, and what’s had three sons. So in the early years,

SELLS
behind her dream. I was raising children. I ran a state-
wide weekly news journal for about
What are some of two and a half years, and I ran for
your memories of your Congress in 1988 and 1992. It was a
grandfather? big privilege just to run.

LOBSTERS! He loved to leave his office window

open and just talk to people out on
the street. And I remember he was a
How’d you get involved in
the lobster business?
Okay, so we mean Linda Lorraine very active Red Sox fan, and listened I’ve always had a strong interest
Bean, but that “other” L.L. Bean to all their games. By the time I was in agriculture, and now that I’m
happened to be her grandfather. knowledgeable about the business, living on the coast in a fishing vil-
Here’s a look at some of Linda’s he was fairly elderly — he died in lage, I’ve developed a big interest
memories, and her hopes for 1967 at the age of 94. in Maine lobster and the guys fish-
the future. ing in small boats. They don’t ask
Did you get to spend a the government for help, and they
BY WARREN THAYER lot of time with him? are the last bastion of rugged in-
Well, he loved family picnics, but dividualism as I see it in our state.
iked her famed grandfather, But the cost of just owning a boat
Linda Bean is an entrepreneur he was very busy all the time. It has gotten so high that many are
on a mission. wasn’t really common to do things
with him. He leaving the business. Maine has
Leon Leonwood a good and sustainable supply of
Bean founded his was always in
motion, and lobsters, but not enough demand.
iconic L.L. Bean I thought it would be wonderful to
company with the he had a big
booming voice. help them pass on their business
idea that people to their kids and grandchildren,
would appreciate I remember
he had a bevy but I knew we needed to develop
quality hunting the market for lobster.
boots that didn’t of assistants
leak. Linda in his office,
Lorraine Bean always typ- What steps are you taking?
believes people ing labels for
I’m trying to get more processing
will appreciate orders from
of lobster here in Maine rather
quality Maine lob- the mail order
than in Canada. The industry
ster meat if she business. He’d
needs to be vertically integrated
makes it easy to Linda Bean has plans to make had a tough
here, from the boat to the ta-
find, easy to eat Maine lobsters easy to find, easy life — he was
ble. We own and operate three
and affordable.
to eat and affordable. orphaned as a
wharves now, and have a process-
So in 2007 boy when both
ing plant in Rockland, Maine. We
she founded Linda Bean’s Perfect parents died within four days of
were the first to come out with a
Maine (www.lindabeansperfect- each other, so he and his brothers
Source Identification Tag Program,
maine.com) up in Port Clyde, and sisters were farmed out to dif-
which identifies the exact waters
Maine and went to work. Now ferent relatives.
where the lobsters were caught by
with restaurants and a retail line Maine fishermen using sustainable
of seafood that drew big crowds What were your early practices. People want to know
at the recent International Boston years like? where their seafood comes from
Seafood Show, her dream is work- I grew up in Freeport and Yar- and that it’s handled in ways they
ing its way into a reality — Wal- mouth, Maine, then went off to can trust. We’re working to bring
mart is already on her company’s Antioch College in Ohio and Maine lobster to people through
list of blue chip customers. majored in business administration. the grocery store, sandwich shops
We had a chat with Linda shortly I worked a job throughout college, and the Internet. n

66 www.fdbuyer.com APRIL 2011

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