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“When you think about Manhattan real estate, we need to think of every square inch to create impressions and impact and drive peoples’ purchasing behavior. I see a lot of that space being used ineffectively, especially in spaces that have limited refrigeration.” — Jonathan Raduns, Merchandise Food
help promote sales, says Schotsman. “However, it goes hand-in-hand with proper operations,” he says. “The best display is worthless if the operations team isn’t merchandising properly and rotating the stock.”
BEAUTY IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
According to Troy White, vice president of retail store equipment supplier H.A. Hammer, Inc., Chesterfield, MO, “We are hearing more and more out of retailers that they want touch points and sidelines. [Retailers] are always trying to come up with new ideas. They all sell the exact same product. That tomato may be the same shape and color, but every retailer has a different idea on how to make that tomato sell better. You come up with a great idea for one retailer. When you take it to another, it’s not the way they want to sell tomatoes.”
Retailers can benefit from new features available in display items that weren’t around a decade ago.
“There used to be a mentality in the industry thatonesizefitsall,”saysChamberlain.“Asthe
years have progressed and as more retailers want to differentiate themselves from their competitors, there has been a lot of innova- tion in fixturing and displays. There are a lot of retailers utilizing multi-deck cases that present the products in a better way, along with custom- ized displays that are unique and allows them to stand out from their competitors.”
The changes in equipment availability help better display produce. “There are more displays that are used to feature certain items, says Chamberlain. “They are customized to the specific retailer to deliver their brand message and what they want to deliver for each cate- gory.”
Many new features are available that weren’t around in the most recent years. Display cases are much more energy efficient than they were 10 years ago, even more than a year ago, notes Proctor. With the energy savings offered by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-compliant refrigerated display cases, food retailers are seeing energy savings with new merchandisers.
PHOTO COURTESY OF STRUCTURAL PLASTICS CORP.
Some of the improvements made to new display cases include upgraded LED lighting, improved fan motor efficiency and increasing coil efficiency. “Ten years ago, we refriger- ated the entire cavity of a display case,” says Proctor. “Today, we have ‘air management,’ which allows for air to be focused over refrig- erated products. By today’s standards we also have better insulating materials to make cases more efficient. This provides the advantage for removing anti-sweat heaters in open merchan- disers. All of these modifications help to make the refrigerated display cases of today far more superior with energy efficiency.”
GOING MOBILE
The produce department is going more mobile. “We are seeing more of the spot
nBREAKOUT FEATURES HELP Jonathan Raduns, retail strategy and food
merchandising advisor with Merchandise Food LCC in Cherry Hill, NJ, says innovative fixtures definitely can make a difference.
In many ways, while retailers take different approaches, much of the equip- ment is standardized or common at this point. When I see a customized fixture, I find it compelling. It communicates some- thing different or some uniqueness about the retailer. It’s certainly an opportunity to differentiate yourself, because so many of the standardized equipment manufacturers have similar types of catalog items.”
To attract shopper interest and keep sales moving, designs must be inventive. “Innovative designs are very important for produce merchandisers,” says Harry Newton, director of sales and marketing for Structural Plastics Corp., Holly, MI. “Today’s shopper has more choices and options than ever before to buy produce.
50 / MAY 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
To pull shoppers into stores, it is imper- ative that produce merchandisers create fun, inspiring and engaging produce departments that connect, educate and pull shoppers in. Produce is a key point of difference for most grocery retailers. It is usually the main department or category that shoppers use to determine the fresh- ness and quality of the store and brand.”
It’s critical that retailers change up their displays by producing attention-grab- bing displays. “This is key to catching consumers’ attention and giving them something new to see versus the same displays or fixtures that they have seen for an extended time,” says Gaines Cham- berlain, business development manager for Blanc Display Group, based in Dover, NJ. “Adding something new, whether it be a different way to sign a department or updated fixturing, will give the department a fresh look and the store an ability to
feature categories that are most relevant to their consumers.”
While angled Euro tables, which are accessible from predominantly one direc- tion, were once more popular in produce departments, retailers are moving more to 360-degree shoppable pods, bins or risers on top of bins, which allows shoppers to move around the display more effectively, says Raduns. “It’s a more common practice from my observation in this decade, or in recent years,” he says. “I can see people reverting to an angled approach and some of these other fixtures just to be different because things seem to cycle.”
New designs can help move existing shoppers to higher margin items. “Product placement and the correct point-of-sale materials are very effective,” says Cham- berlain. “Innovative designs are very important and are what will drive future sales at retail.”