Whatz Up?

Of course I get the headline from our daughter Sophie Magdalena, although I am sure I am behind the times even with that phrase and my fruitful acknowldgement of her existence...15-year old missions can be mute in minutes. Which brings me to my point. You cannot afford to be behind the times – especially with this holiday season.

According to information from The Nielsen Company consumer guru Todd Hale, SVP, Consumer & Shopper Insights, who was one of our keynotes for the 2008 Retail 2020 event (check it out at www.retail2020.net the next incredible session is slated for Aug. 4-6 in San Francisco)….anyway…as our teenager would say…well, really I don’t know what she would say so let’s continue:

All households—including gourmet cooks—feel the squeeze from inflation, and make lifestyle changes to cope. According to Nielsen, 78% of consumers are combining shopping trips and errands, 63% are reducing spending, 52% are eating out less and 51% are staying home more often. Dedicated to the search for better—and better-tasting meals—gourmet cook households refuse to sacrifice on quality, choosing to economize by buying larger size packages (27% more likely than other U.S. households) and clipping coupons (13% more likely).

The value proposition is gaining traction with upscale grocers. Smart retailers are following the lead of operations like HEB’s Central Market which offers free organic milk with weekend purchase as an inducement for foodies to visit, and as an added incentive, a coupon for $10 off a $50 order. The offer is an adjunct to a Flavor Saver program that highlights products selected in every store department and lists these in its newsletter, stating: “We’ve marked items that give you the best taste at the best value.”

So, speaking of all the trends Redbook’s “value-added” tips this month include great gifts for the holidays under $40, check these out for our industry: The Doggy Day Pack from www.castorpolluxpet.com; I Am Not a Paper Cup from www.containerstore.com; Sweet Heat Spice Set from www.tspspices.com; The Modern Gimlet and Old-Fashioned Drink Mixes from Williams-Sonoma; Double Hickory Smoked Slab Bacon from www.lobels.com; Rosle BBQ Cleaning Brush from assorted dealers on Amazon.com; 9-inch Pie Dish from Emile Henry in Figue, www.emilehenry.com; The Kitchen Bible cookbook; The Winter Evergreen from. www;jkadams.com; Raw HoneyComb Comb Box from www.Savannahbee.com; and a Cast Iron Bird Bottle Opener from www.comptoir-der-famille.com.

Now the great thing about all this is that you see all of the direct vendor sites listed above. If you see a company you stock, be sure you are listed as a resource on their site. And if they don’t list retailers on their site? Well, be sure to contact national consumer magazine editors and let them know you are not only a great source for product (meaning you can deliver nationally) but you are also a great source for knowledgeable quotations.

Now enjoy the brilliance your Turkey Dinner will bring…and ponder the wonders of my much anticipated (if only by me) stories on Greece, CIA Greystone: World of Flavors, and my retail adventures in Connecticut and Sonoma, California! I am tired already thinking about it!

Check out the all the research our Nielsen colleague Todd Hale provides on the Gourmet Consumer at http://www.nielsen.com/consumer_insight/ci_story3.html

Man, I cannot wait to post so much more from Spanish fun in Miami to Crazy fin in Greece...I promise, it's coming before you can say "Cyber Monday."

Yes, You Can Shop

Have you seen the Nov. 3 issue of New York magazine? Their winter travel piece: Yes, You Can Go on Vacation: The frugal traveler's escape-the-crisis planner, offers suggestions for winter getaways at great values. The article also includes a detailed itinerary for staying in NYC and pretending you’re in South America. What a cool idea!

After reading this, I wondered what clever promotions, merchandising and displays TGR readers have implemented that speak to the consumer’s desire to live large for less in a challenging economy?

As we reported in a recent TGR Dispatch, Nielsen's Consumer Insight Magazine has found that “with rising inflation and gas prices taking a bite out of household budgets, now is a good time to cater to high-earning, big-spending, home-grown gourmet cooks who account for one in five U.S. households.” Nielsen also noted that one-third of U.S. households consume a gourmet meal frequently or occasionally, with 37 percent of those meals eaten at home and 22 percent at the homes of friends or relatives.

What are you doing to capture the attention of these consumers and let them know that “Yes, you can go shopping for specialty food, kitchenware and housewares?

Later this month, we’ll be publishing an online story on Economic Growth Strategies. Your feedback on merchandising and promotional strategies in a challenging economy would be invaluable to our report. Please post to this blog or email me directly at jstrailey@gourmetretailer.com.

On a Mission

Hello again. After an eight year hiatus from TGR, I have returned to do what I love most — write about anything and everything related to food. Kitchenware: love it. Specialty food: love it. Wine and beer: love ‘em both. Not to mention tabletop, coffee and tea, and the list goes on. And it’s not just the preparation, presentation, and enjoyment of food and beverages with which I am completely enamored. I’m equally fascinated by the business of sourcing, merchandising, marketing, and selling it all.

You could say that writing about these passions is my mission—which brings me to you. Does your business have a clearly defined mission or vision statement? Could you recite it from memory? Could your employees?

How important is a mission statement to the long-term success of your business anyway? Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat is oft quoted in response to this very question. To paraphrase the famed feline: “If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

I’ve been talking to Tony’s Market, a specialty food store in the suburbs of Denver, which we’ll be featuring in our January issue. Instead of a mission statement, they follow something they call: “guiding principles.” These principles form the foundation of their customer service philosophy, and the mom-and-pop shop’s 30-year (and counting) success story. Stay tuned for more on Tony’s.

So, let’s hear it. What’s your mission statement and how has it influenced your business?

"Those aren't very good you know..."

Making A Value Statement With Quality.

I was at popular home improvement store recently looking for a pair of hand held pruning shears. There was no sales person around so I did my own product evaluation by looking at price and features listed on packages. I was about to buy a pair that felt comfortable at a cheap price when someone behind me said, “those aren’t very good, you know.”

The voice was that of a seasoned professional gardener who had observed my attempt to select tools. “These are much better,” he said pointing to pair that was twice the price. “You can cut up to one inch branches, they are easy to use and give you better leverage when you cut so you won’t get sore hands! And, the blades detach so you can get them sharpened--- the ones you have there can’t be sharpened and will get dull and be hard to use after a year.”

I bought the more expensive pruner because it offered more value. I was willing to pay more for quality, but only after I knew what it offered in benefits. The same scenario is likely happening every day in stores across the country. People see only price and forget value. You can always sell quality (and higher prices) if you engage the customer.

Now the gardener’s technique was politely intrusive--- he really didn’t know my needs, he just extolled the value of the better product. Sometimes salespeople ask too many questions or not the right ones before recommending a product. I would have asked questions during the testimonial had they popped into my head, but the gardener sold me on his opinions before any objections formed.

Anyone have similar experiences? We know intuitively as retailers that informed sales personnel with good information can help customers buy value and not price.

Here’s a parting thought--- bring in an “expert” to your store to talk about products on Saturdays--- a local chef, a sales rep from a houseware vendor, a farmer and let them mingle with customers for a few hours. You and your staff will pick up some ideas and tidbits that you can use and your customers will enjoy the experience too.

Ron Jakubisin

Ronald Jakubisin & Associates
ronjak@netrox.net

Tea for One

They say that tea is second only to water as the most consumed beverage on earth, but considering how many places it is unsafe to drink the water in the world, I'm not so sure tea isn't numero uno. In any case, I recently performed what has become a ritual for me when I am in Paris, that is my tea lunch at the Mariage Freres shop on the rue des Grands-Augustins in the 6th arrondissement. The shop itself is worth the visit with hundreds of teas from which to choose, an impressive collection of exotic teapots, books and other tea accoutrement. In the basement is a small but very interesting tea museum that reflects the company's long history in the tea trade. Although the shop is smaller than their main store in the Marais, it is just as charming, and still gives one the feeling that they have stepped out of Paris and onto the tea route of the nineteenth century. But the real jewel for me is upstairs in the elegant dining room where they serve an excellent lunch that one can enjoy with tea, the selection of which is advised by both the menu and the knowledgable staff.

Everything about the experience of having lunch at Mariage Freres is intoxicating, and I use the word metaphorically because there is no wine served at this restaurant, only tea. I found that I had to order the whimsically named Snob Salad (in English on the menu) that was comprised of foie gras, simply steamed langoustins, a medley of vegetables including buttery haricot vert, saffron-infused barley, succulent baby salad greens and a green tea vinaigrette. The light and delicious salad was accompanied by matcha tea toasts, a kind of pain de mie that was actually infused with powdery green matcha tea. They were so good and so unlike anything I'd ever had before, and they may be the perfect vehicle for foie gras (I ate enough foie gras on this trip to gain a place in the PETA hall of infamy).

The tea, as one would hope, is perfectly brewed, meaning it was steeped at the proper temperature and they don't serve it to you until the tea is sufficiently steeped in their signature teapots, white, round pots encased in an insulated chrome jacket like a little suit of armor. Mine, Puits du Dragon Imperial (Imperial Dragon's Well) suited the Snob Salad perfectly and I lingered over it as long as I could.

After a morning spent walking the rainy streets of Paris and looking at shops of all kinds, it was most comforting indeed to step into the serenity of the MF tea salon where even the music - which ranged from Madama Butterfly to a jazzy rendition of "Rum & Coca-Cola" - is designed to be soothing and comfortable. While Butterfly lamented her inconstant lover, I enjoyed a perfect pastry called cou de soleil, best described as a cross between a fruit tart and a custard pie, that was the perfect ending to wonderful lunch. The salon, in the years I have been going there now, never seems busy so I am always relieved that it is still there. I was reticent about sharing this experience with others, fearing that one day I'll go there and it will be reservations only with long lines to get in. But, of course, I also want them to stay in business so I'll just have to risk the crowds. 

Product Rave

Earth Friendly Products Kitchen Essential Oil Cleaning Caddy
I have never loved an all-natural cleaning line so much that I would actually get excited enough to tell all my friends and family about it. Earth Friendly Products' Kitchen Essential Oil Cleaning Caddy contains the must-have items to start 'greening' your kitchen -- Lavender Dishmate Hand Dishwashing Soap, Lavender Handsoap, Fruit & Veggie Wash, and my new obsession, the Parsley Plus All-purpose Cleaner --  all in an easy to carry recyclable paper caddy. The products are not only earth friendly, meaning they contains no phosphates or other toxic ingredients, but they are people friendly as well. The ingredients are simple: coconut based cleaners, salt and 100% lavender oil are the only ingredients in the Lavender Dishwashing Soap, for example (which I should mention not only cuts grease like a champ and leaves my dishes sparkling clean, but also acts as a great cleaner for hand washable clothes too). I’m also particularly fond of the Fruit & Veggie Wash. Made with pure, natural ingredients, this effective cleaner helps remove pesticides, chemicals, soil, dirt, wax, and bacteria from the surface of fruits and vegetables. The spray-on formula is tasteless and rinses clean — keeping healthy foods safe. My favorite product in the handy caddy, the Parsley Plus All-purpose Cleaner, infuses your home with the clean, fresh smell of parsley. Every time I clean with it, it makes me think of an opened window near an herb garden. Besides making cleaning a treat and not a chore, this super-effective cleaner works great on countertops, hard surfaces and even windows. MSRP: $16.99. For more information, visit www.ecos.com.