Produce Business March 2010
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inside... THE PUNDIT LOOKS AT WAL-MART •WHOLESALE CUSTOMER SERVICE •TRANSPORTATION LOGISTICS AVOCADOS •SPORT SNACKS •FLORAL CARE AND HANDLING •SOCIAL MEDIA •BERRIES MARCH 2010 • VOL. 26 • NO. 3 • $9.90 MARCH 2010 • MASTERS OF MERCHANDISING ISSUE TTHEHE 2222NDND AANNUALNNUAL MysteryMystery ShopperShopper ReportReport TheThe AdventuresAdventures OfOf TheThe SherlockSherlock HolmesHolmes WannabeesWannabees OurOur castcast ofof contributingcontributing writerswriters goesgoes incognitoincognito atat supermarketssupermarkets aroundaround thethe country.country. 9th Annual MASTERS OF MERCHANDISING SUPPLEMENT Starts on page 43 Reader Service # 68 MAR. 2010 • VOL. 26 • NO. 3 34 COVER STORY FEATURES MYSTERY SHOPPER REPORT ....18 WHOLESALERS LOOK TO ADD VALUE FOR STRAPPED CUSTOMERS .....34 The Adventures of the As the economy causes competition between wholesalers to heat up, Sherlock Holmes Wannabees many are offering more and better services for their customers. Our cast of contributing writers goes incognito at supermarkets THE NEXT BRANDING FRONTIER: SOCIAL TECHNOLOGY ..................119 around the country. Whether you Tweet, Facebook or are LinkedIn may make a big difference to future consumers and their response to your brand. COMMENTARY SPIRIT OF COOPERATION NEEDED THE FRUITS OF THOUGHT WHEN TRANSPORTING PRODUCE ................................................124 What Makes A Winning Vendor?..........8 Transportation providers and receivers must work together, say experts. RETAIL PERSPECTIVE Reality Check ........................154 EUROPEAN MARKET DEPARTMENTS 2010 Fruit Logistica MERCHANDISING REVIEWS: Innovation Award Winners............156 Ten Ways To Sell More Berries ............................................................130 Berries continue to be a top contender in the produce department, IN EVERY ISSUE thanks to a near year-round supply and creative cross-merchandising. THE QUIZ ............................4 Ten Ways To Sell More Avocados..........................................................142 The growing popularity of avocados makes them a ripe WASHINGTON GRAPEVINE ........6 category for smart, creative merchandising techniques. PRODUCE WATCH .................10 DRIED FRUIT AND NUTS: Promoting Dried Fruits And Nuts As Sports Snacks ........................................149 RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES ........14 Sporting events offer retailers a unique opportunity to promote produce as snacks via dried fruits and nuts. COMMENTS AND ANALYSIS ......15 FLORAL & FOLIAGE MARKETING: FLORAL WATCH ..................151 Floral Care And Handling Q & A With George Staby ......................................152 After 12 years as a university professor and another 28 years as a researcher INFORMATION SHOWCASE .....157 and consultant, Dr. George Staby offers his unwavering views on top post- harvest factors affecting floral crop quality and profits. BLAST FROM THE PAST .........158 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT 9th Annual MASTERS OF MERCHANDISING 130 142 SUPPLEMENT SPECIAL FEATURES Starts on page 43 FROM THE PAGES OF THE PERISHABLE PUNDIT The End Of The Sam Walton Era At Wal-Mart: Navigating A New Business Model. ...........16 Change Service requested: POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PRODUCE BUSINESS, P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425. PRODUCE BUSINESS (ISSN 0886-5663) is published monthly for $58.40 per year by Phoenix Media Network, Inc., P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425. MARCH 2010 • PRODUCE BUSINESS 3 PRODUCE QUIZ MAR. 2010 • VOL. 26 • NO.3 THIS MONTH’S WINNER: Bull Gervasi loves working with produce. President & Editor-in-Chief •JAMES E. PREVOR [email protected] “It’s the perfect intersection of beliefs that I hold high: Providing my neighborhood with Publisher/Editorial Director •KEN WHITACRE Bull Gervasi healthful fresh food, reestablishing relation- [email protected] Store manager/ ships with farmers, environmental steward- Special Projects Editor •MIRA SLOTT Produce buyer ship and respect for workers’ rights.” With [email protected] Mariposa Food Co-op this in mind, it’s no surprise to learn that Bull Philadelphia, PA Assistant Editor •AMY SHANNON has been at Mariposa for 11 years, the last [email protected] eight of which, he has been in charge of buying produce for the store. Assistant Editor •JENNIFER LESLIE KRAMER [email protected] Mariposa is a working member co-op, How To Win meaning that everyone who shops there is a Circulation Manager •KELLY ROSKIN To win the PRODUCE BUSINESS Quiz, the first member who works shifts in the store. “This [email protected] thing you have to do is enter. The rules are helps to keep our overhead as low as possible Executive Assistant •FRAN GRUSKIN simple: Read through the articles and so we can sell things at affordable prices,” [email protected] advertisements in this issue to find the explains Bull. “Much of what we carry is answers. Fill in the blanks corresponding locally grown and/or organic. We have excel- European Bureau Chief •ROBERT ZWARTKRUIS to the questions below, and either cut along [email protected] the dotted line or photocopy the page, and lent relationships with local farmers through- send your answers along with a business out South Jersey and Lancaster County, PA.” Production Director • DIANA LEVINE [email protected] card or company letterhead to the address Bull has been keeping tabs on the indus- listed on the coupon. The winner will be try with the help of PRODUCE BUSINESS for the Production Leader • JACKIE TUCKER chosen by drawing from the responses past five years. “I enjoy the Produce Watch received before the publication of our section and the retail perspectives are always Production Department FREDDY PULIDO May issue of PRODUCE BUSINESS. The winner interesting,” he says. “Plus, I can follow sus- JOANNA ARMSTRONG must agree to submit a color photo to be tainability issues, which are very pertinent to published in that issue. Director of Online Communications what we do here.” JASON KAHAN WIN A CUSINART SLOW COOKER Trade Show Coordinator •JACKIE LOMONTE 1 This 6 ⁄2-qt. slow cooker features a 24-hour programmable cook time, digital [email protected] countdown time and three cooking modes. The keep-warm function engages Contributing Editors automatically when cooking is done. A brushed stainless-steel exterior lends a CAROL BAREUTHER,CHUCK GREEN, professional look while the dishwasher-safe lid and pot make cleanup a breeze. JACKIE LIEBERMAN,JODEAN ROBBINS DUARTE Advertising QUESTIONS FOR THE MARCH ISSUE ERIC NIEMAN,ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER [email protected] 1) Who wrote a letter to Red Blossom commending its strawberries? _______________________ JENNIFER JORDAN [email protected] SANDY LEE 2) What program does Chelan Fresh have scheduled for the month of May? ________________ [email protected] BILL MARTIN [email protected] ELLEN ROSENTHAL [email protected] 3) In what year did Allen Lund Co. start operating? ______________________________________ Floral Department Marketing E. SHAUNN ALDERMAN 4) What months are blueberries available from Family Tree Farms? ________________________ [email protected] Send insertion orders, payments, press releases,photos, letters to the editor, etc., to: 5) What is the street address for the California Pear Advisory Board’s headquarters? _________ PRODUCE BUSINESS P.O. Box 810425 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425 Phone: 561-994-1118 Fax: 561-994-1610 E-mail: [email protected] 6) What vitamin can be found in Monterey Mushrooms? PRODUCE BUSINESS is published by Phoenix Media Network, Inc. James E. Prevor, Chairman of the Board P.O. Box 810425 This issue was: ❏ Personally addressed to me ❏ Addressed to someone else Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425 Phone: 561-994-1118 Fax: 561-994-1610 Name __________________________________ Position ____________________________ Entire contents © Copyright 2010 Phoenix Media Network, Inc. Company ____________________________________________________________________ All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Address ______________________________________________________________________ Publication Agreement No. 40047928 City__________________________________________________________________________ State ____________________________________ Zip _________________________________ Phone __________________________________ Fax _________________________________ Photocopies of this form are acceptable. Please send answers to: MARCH QUIZ PRODUCE BUSINESS • P.O. Box 810425 • Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425 4 PRODUCE BUSINESS • MARCH 2010 Reader Service # 36 WASHINGTON GRAPEVINE A report on the inside happenings of government. SUBMITTED BY DR. LORELEI DISOGRA, VICE PRESIDENT, NUTRITION AND HEALTH • UNITED FRESH PRODUCE ASSOC. A Salad Bar in Every School nited Fresh and produce indus- the Elsie Whitlow Stokes Public Charter bar a big hit. try leaders are taking the first School in Washington, D.C. last fall, where it It’s easy to understand why salad bars are steps in a landmark initiative to continues to help school officials foster a proven method of increasing consumption improve child nutrition and of fresh produce. They offer kids an assort- increase consumption of fruits ment of colors, textures and flavors from Uand vegetables in schools across the United which to choose, feeding into children’s nat- States. Launched February 9, United’s cam- A produce company