Progressive Grocer - June/July 2009 - (Page 76)

Fresh Food Fired Up! Grocers are rustling up a bundle of blazing strategies to help consumers make grilling more thrilling. By Meg Major “W In the realm of convenience, taste and quick cleanup attributes, it’s easy to see why grilling’s got it going on, and further, why it gives aggressive retailers a sizzling platform to stoke strong sales with creative merchandising and sharp pro76 • Progressive Grocer • June/July 2009 ith the economy the way it is, and less people eating out, it’s going to be a great summer for grilling,” declares Pat Raybould, president of Lincoln, Neb.-based B&R Stores, Inc., which operates 18 stores under four store concepts — Russ’s Market, Super Saver, ALPS and Grand Central Apple Market — in seven cities across Nebraska and Iowa. Indeed, while no taste trend has been hotter for summer than outdoor grilling throughout the past decade, Raybould is rightly fired up about the prospects of smoking meat department sales at the outset of peak grilling season. motions with each passing year. Driving that point home are results from the 20th Annual Weber GrillWatch Survey, which finds nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of Americans planning to get their grills on at home more often and eat out less this summer. And though the economic downturn was cited as the primary reason among 74 percent of study participants, it doesn’t seem to be putting much of a damper on survey respondents’ planned grill-worthy expenditures, as evidenced by a quarter primed to spend even more on grilling in 2009, alongside another 42 percent who say the economy This year’s grilling season promises to be huge as the economy spurs consumers to eat and entertain at home more frequently. won’t affect their grilling spending habits in the least. Even better, almost 10 percent of the grillers are planning to buy even more grill-friendly bling — think smokers, rotisserie spits and side burners — to update their current grills, which, on average, are used “at least a few times per week” by more than half of U.S. grill owners (52 percent) during peak grilling season, vs. 47 percent in 2008 and 43 percent in 2007. Interestingly, while more Americans own gas grills overall, Weber’s GrillWatch Survey showed charcoal grills making a significant comeback during the last three years, a sentiment which Raybould fully supports. “Even though propane is more readily available, I feel charcoal imparts a better, truer, richer flavor,” he affirms, noting a friendly propane vs. charcoal “grate debate” that took www.progressivegrocer.com A H E A D O F W H AT ’ S N E X T http://www.progressivegrocer.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Progressive Grocer - June/July 2009

Progressive Grocer - June/July 2009
Table of Contents
Nielsen’s Shelf Stoppers/ Spotlight: Cheese/Shredded Cheese
Market Snapshot: Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Calif.
Independents Report: The Advantages of Older Associates
Lempert Report: Food Experts Tackle the Economy
Industry Achievement: The Top 100 Women in Grocery
Multicultural Marketing: 2050 is Today
Retailer of the Year: Celebrating Kroger
2009 Deli/Bakery Operations Review: Shrink-Wrapped
Fresh Developments: Consumer Shifts Create New Complexities for Fresh Food Trading Partners
Produce: Brimming With Possibilities
Meat: Fired Up!
Store of the Month: Giant Eagle’s Express-Ohhh!
Cheese: Cooked Cheese and Other Spiritual Revelations
Beverage Alcohol: A Cup of Cheer
Frozen Foods: Frozen Vegetable Sales are Steaming
Real Estate: Bigger is not Always Better
Technology: At Your Service
Equipment Innovations
What’s Next: Editors’ Picks for Innovative Products

Progressive Grocer - June/July 2009