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PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN VENA INC. PHOTO COURTESY OF S. KATZMAN
John Vena Inc. (left) at the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market mantains a cash-and-carry store open six days a week for independent retailers and others, while S. Katzman at the Hunts Point Terminal Market in Bronx, NY, (right) prides itself on being ‘a service provider above all else.’
FOCUSED KNOWLEDGE
Retailers look to wholesale partners to provide expertise and information. Corey relates that more and more wholesalers provide assistance in produce personnel training and seasonal resets, as well as merchandising ideas. “Special events, such as farmers’ market sales and attractions, are growing,” he says.
Corey Brothers o ers e Produce Corner website for retailers to use for customer and
produce sta education. e wholesaler also coordinates a West Virginia Independent Supermarket ‘Great American Petting Zoo Tour’ each June. “We are in our 28th year,” says Corey. “ e participating stores build special displays and do sampling and other events around the promotion, such as Zoo of Values sales. Nearly every store repeats each year.”
John Vena’s retail customers rely on the company’s merchandising expertise to build specialty programs. “We work with buyers
to identify the most promising opportuni- ties taking advantage of recipe trends, culi- nary happenings and seasonal demand,” says Kohlhas. “We’ve got our ears to the ground on a lot of these items, so we’ll o er guidance on pricing for their market as well. Because of the volatility in availability and pricing on a lot of these items, conventional ads aren’t usually feasible.
“We’ve had more success with retailers willing to keep space open for last-minute weekly or monthly o ers put in place only a
82 / OCTOBER 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS