Progressive Grocer - November/December 2009 - (Page 90)

Fresh Food Bowled Over As the clock ticks down on Super Bowl Sunday, grocers seeking to score big gains need to be ready to “wing it” it for maximum impact. pound. What’s more, retailers can expect to see wing prices climb even higher between now and the big game day, after which time prices should stabilize. lthough it’s still too soon to tell In a price and feature analysis of what teams will meet up in Miami circulars from nearly 18,000 stores in six regions of the continental United for the 44th Super Bowl game on States last year, the USDA’s Poultry Feb. 7, 2010, the countdown is Market News & Analysis Branch — which has been tracking promotional officially on for grocers to finalize activity for chicken in their game plans for one of the most anticiU.S. supermarkets during peak Super Bowl pated selling events of the calendar year. As the demand period since perfect way to dispel the post-New Year dol2006 — found nearly 96 percent of sampled drums, Super Bowl parties have evolved from stores featuring some simple snack-and-beverage spreads into far form of chicken, nearly more sophisticated feasts, and are often more 81 percent of which directly associated memorable than the game itself. chicken with their Super Indeed, based on recent-year Chicken Council Bowl promotions. game-day sales trends, retailers have tracked more than 450 Prepared wings been making big gains in the fresh million finger-lickin’ were the most actively food departments with prepared deli wings, or 90 million featured chicken item party trays, bakery items like cakes pounds, making the in the country, with and cookies, and, of course, plenty rounds on Super Bowl nearly one-fourth of of prepared foods, appetizers, dips weekend, which marks activity concentrated in and salty snacks, the last of which peak demand period for Tyson Foods is once again gearing up to help grocers get the most out the Northeast. The capture the highest amount of sales the once-lowly wing and of Super Bowl chicken wing sales. central United States, throughout the entire year, followed which, at presstime, was however, prefers fried by the day before the big game, already commanding a premium over prices for chicken wings have eclipsed chicken and once more led the nation according to Nielsen research. the perennially top-ranked skinless prices for chicken breasts, flip-flop- in supermarket feature activity. To balance the rush of salty snacks, boneless breasts. ping the pecking order in a market Taking full advantage of the Super most retailers have fine-tuned their where the latter have heretofore Bowl’s clout with party-planning Super Bowl promotional playbooks Bad to the Bone reigned supreme. In September, the shoppers, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based A textbook example of the law of average wholesale price for whole Spartan Stores last year employed the with an increasing emphasis on fresh produce items, high-margin center-of- supply and demand, the much- chicken wings in the Northeast was weekend before the big game to add the-plate proteins and a popular game- admired chicken wing (and compan- $1.48 a pound, according to the a new dimension to its corporateday favorite, chicken wings. Last year, ion drumstick) has become standard USDA, while skinless boneless breasts brand playbook with an all-natural, the Washington-based National football season fare. And nowhere is were pegged at roughly $1.20 a hormone- and artificial-ingredientBy Meg Major A H E A D O F W H AT ’ S N E X T www.progressivegrocer.com this assertion more evident than at Philadelphia’s annual Wing Bowl, a gut-busting amateur wing-off that draws some 20,000 spectators to the Wachovia Center in the early-morning hours on the Friday before the Super Bowl. Since the item has by now emerged as an event-worthy food, it comes as little surprise that for seven of the last 11 months, wholesale • Progressive Grocer • November/December 2009 http://www.progressivegrocer.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Progressive Grocer - November/December 2009

Progressive Grocer - November/December 2009
Contents
Nielsen’s Shelf Stoppers/Spotlight: All Departments/Ramen Noodles
Progressive Grocer’s Category Captains Awards: Recession Planning
Consumer Insights: Innovate to Differentiate
Independents Report: Determining Relative Worth
Lempert Report:The Trends That’ll be Tops in 2010
Store of the Month: A New Brand of Winn-Dixie
Beverage Alcohol: Glass Half Full
Sports/Energy Drinks: Energetic Sales?
Category Management: Categorical Shifts
Holiday/Super Bowl Meat Promotions: Bowled Over
PG’s Annual Deli/Bakery/ Prepared Foods Roundtable: Bringing Value to the Table: Part 2
Packaging Trends: Sheer Innovation
Price and Promotion Optimization Software: Optimization Plus
Signage: Above and Beyond
What’s Next: Editors’ Picks for Innovative Products

Progressive Grocer - November/December 2009