Shop (and eat) local!

I adore the holiday season. The smells, the food, the holiday spirit. And I cringe at the holiday marketing and terminology. It's difficult for me to read and report on Black Friday Sales and Cyber Mondays, it is afterall the media who creates the hooplah behind these events measuring the success of the entire retail world against minute-by-minute reports of sales. Alas, the marketing and messages are here to stay.

And yet, there were few campaigns that garnered my attention. Target sure did with its scary woman ad campaign. I am not sure the image of her getting primed for Black Friday sales really did much for the brand. Well, I do remember the advertising although the message did not make me want to shop. I did however appreciate Target's followup campaign with crazy lady's tired, not-in-the-mood-to-shop-sister the following day. That made me smile. But I still didn't run out shopping. For me the day after Thanksgiving is a day to relax.

And sleep off the turkey.

I will admit I surfed the Web to check out the deals online during the weekend. But I did not buy. Probably won't spend much online this year. My goal is to stick with the 3/50 Project, which was brought to my attention by my retail friends in Sonoma during a recent segment of TGRTalk.com. I love this project, check it out here  - www.the350project.net

It's smart, simple and what specialty retailing is all about. I plan on bringing this plan into action in my local business community next year and I am kicking it off this holiday by practicing what I preach. But for the moment, I am simply trying to figure out what is on the holiday lists for the year - aside from restaurant equipment [don't ask], sleep, and two lengthy children's lists to fulfill. So while you are all bustling with customers at your doorstep, breaking last year's sales numbers and proving the independent retailer is the heart of this country, we'll be resting up here at TGR and getting our resources ready to help you be even more successful in 2010.

An odd aside, one book I might have to buy is this year's Eat This, Not That! Restaurant Survival Guide, which highlights the good, bad and ugly of restaurant dining. It's amazing to see the calories in some entrees you otherwise might consider healthy, makes me realize how simple it is packing on the pound over the holidays or say...at a trade show samplling products. It'll be a good book to have on hand as I head out on the road again in a few weeks to start the 2010 trade show circuit, discovering great new products and visiting with retailers across the country. To check out the book - or at least the full list of 20 foods by category that you should not eat with nutritional information for each item, visit: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/20-worst-restaurant-foods-america

Cheers!

Michelle

Kitchen Window Relocates

Kitchen Window in Minneapolis, MN is on the move this week. Doug and Lia Huemoeller moved their store to a new address. Well, it's the same address actually a new location in the mall the store's called home for 25 years.

The kitchenware store and culinary school will still remain at Calhoun Square, 3001 Hennepin Avenue, but as of yesterday - the greatly expanded store occupies the space at the main entrance of the mall and features two cooking schools - the upper level cooking school upstairs overlooks the main pedestrian area.

The old location provided 5,500 square feet of retail, while the new location is comprised of 7,800 square feet of retail in an overall space of 17,000 square feet.

“I am extremely excited and feel really good about the new location. The way it turned out is amazing,” Doug Huemoeller said. “We’ve been working on this for five years.”

Some of the changes include a cutlery assortment that’s doubled, Huemoeller explained there is now a knife sharpening station in the front window complemented with three water wheels and traditional water stones.

The expanded outdoor cooking area gives the store the ability to feature their annual events in a fabulous setting with plenty of room for items such as 200-person paella pans and 150 pots for lobster boils. Kitchen Window is heading outside as well with its own private sidewalk area in the mall’s pedestrian way allowing for truly outdoor demonstrations.

“It’s just a great event space for us,” Huemoeller said.

Cheers to Kitchen Window – for a much anticipated move and expansion. The TGR team looks forward to the grand opening celebration in January!

Doug, Lia, Gavin and Cole Huemoeller in the new store before the move. Come back tomorrow to see the new store - fully loaded!

You can see more of their move on their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Minneapolis-MN/Kitchen-Window/85315323221?ref=ts

We'll be posting the completed store soon on The Gourmet Retailer's Facebook page so become a fan!

Cook's Ribbon Cutting

The new Cook's Warehouse store in Atlanta's Ansley Mall is officially open. We've posted a bevy of photos on The Gourmet Retailer's Facebook page.

 

http://www.facebook.com/gourmetretailer?ref=ts

 

We also have a shot here of the official ribbon cutting - contratulations again!

 

 

 

(L-R) Matthew Hott, store manager; Bill Bolling, Atlanta Community Food Bank founder and executive director; Mary S. Moore, founder and CEO, and Yusef Sullivan, assistant store manager, officially open the new midtown Atlanta store of The Cook's Warehouse in Ansley Mall.

TGR TalkRetail

This week on TGRTalk.com we open the lines to retailers from California to New Hampshire discuss their outlook for the holiday season. From top selling products to new promotional ideas, these retailers give their take on what lies ahead as well as how suppliers are reacting to the recession. So tune in and chat with Laura and Stephen Havlek, Sign of the Bear, Sonoma, Calif.; Dean Eaton, Your Kitchen Store, Keene, NH; Janet Ostrow, Premier Gourmet, Kenmore, NY; and Chris Beykirch, Love to Cook/Kitchen Kneads, Logan, Utah. This 20-minute discussion will keep you focused and give you insights into the months ahead. Let us know what your thoughts are for the season and year ahead.

TGRTalk.com is The Gourmet Retailer's interactive audio blog. We'll be introducing even more products in 2010 in this format. Your feedback is essential to the success of this project, so please give me some feedback. You can e-mail me at mmoran@gourmetretailer.com or even better - post your response on TGRTalk.com or here on TGRBlogBites.com

Have a fabulous fourth-quarter and I'll see you on the trade show floor in 2010!

Cheers!

Michelle Moran

Lots of New Ideas and Products

Lately there isn't a week that goes by that I don't meet or get a call from an entrepreneur who has an idea or a new product for specialty retailing.  I know that in these times we need products that sell and good terms from suppliers to help cash flow but we need to consider things that will create excitement for our customers while still meeting their needs.

People want value and products that will save them money by preserving foods, making kitchen chores easier, improving the cooking and preparation experience or making ordinary foods special. Products that do these things will attract attention in these times of frugality.

I was at a farmers market recently and a lady was giving tastes of frozen wine.  Her concoction was a blend of tea, sweetner and flavors that you add to a bottle of wine and freeze (in a plastic bowl) then serve like a slush... she had people lined up for samples and then sold boxes of the frozen wine mix for $10.  I asked people why they bought it and most said they loved the taste and unique idea of being able to serve frozen wine.  In reality, it brought back happy memories of childhood where cold treats were comfort food!

This return to comfort and practicality is driving sales for new products that actually solve a problem.  For example, Dry Spice is a product that keeps spices fresh and impoves shelf life.  This product connects with consumers who have reached for a favorite spice when they are cooking only to find it has caked up or is stale.  People buy this product because they don't want to waste good spices.

In deciding what products to consider think about what your customers are thinking.  If it saves them time, money or effort you'll have a better chance at making a sale.

Ron Jakubisin

jakubisin.com

Save the Date

The Gourmet Retailer Magazine is holding its third annual Retail2020 Conference in San Francisco July 28-30, 2010 [Wednesday through Friday]. The three-day event will be at the Bently Reserve in downtown San Francisco. The event is being held just prior to the San Francisco International Gift Fair and The Gourmet Housewares Show. Retailers or vendors interested in serving on the conference Steering Committee for either marketing or education - should contact me at Michelle.Moran@nielsen.com.

The International Housewares Association is again partnering with Retail2020 on its educational programming. In an effort to facilitate better communication with retailers and vendors, the IHA will host the opening day one-to-one sessions with vendors on July 28, followed by the conference opening reception. The in-depth educational sessions and keynotes will begin on the 29th and continue through the close of day on the 30th. Educational programming will be announced in February, registration will begin in January with early bird discounts so be ready! For more information on the conference, visit www.Retail2020.net. For more information on the trade show events which follow, you can visit www.thegourmetshow.com and www.sfigf.com