Produce leads the way at Bozzuto's conference and trade show
Produce leads the way at Bozzuto's conference and trade show
LEDYARD, CT -- As in a supermarket where the produce department is front and center, leading shoppers to the rest of the store, fresh produce exhibitors at Bozzuto's Inc.'s Independent Retailer Conference, held here Aug. 14-15, were the first exhibits that attendees enjoyed, leading them into the rest of the show.
The two-day event began Tuesday morning, Aug. 14, with welcoming remarks by Steve Heggelke, senior vice president of merchandising, procurement and advertising for Bozzuto's.
He spoke a bit about the wholesale grocer's new Merchandising Innovation & Training Center, a live training facility which it calls MIT. It is an actual store that implements the company's weekly ad plan and utilizes industry best practices.
Terry Roberts of Merchandising by Design/Bozzuto's Inc. spoke about new trends, best practices and retail solutions, followed by Lou Jardin, chief executive officer of IGA Distribution in Australia, who spoke about his company and what he termed "local heroes."
Tony Christiansen, who lost both of his legs in an accident when he was 9 years old, was the keynote speaker. The avid sportsman with a second- degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do, a qualified lifeguard with honors from the World Lifesaving Federation, and who until recently operated his own successful signwriting business, told his life's story, moving many in the audience to tears.
(Photos from the trade show appear in the Aug. 20 issue of The Produce News.)
The two-day event began Tuesday morning, Aug. 14, with welcoming remarks by Steve Heggelke, senior vice president of merchandising, procurement and advertising for Bozzuto's.
He spoke a bit about the wholesale grocer's new Merchandising Innovation & Training Center, a live training facility which it calls MIT. It is an actual store that implements the company's weekly ad plan and utilizes industry best practices.
Terry Roberts of Merchandising by Design/Bozzuto's Inc. spoke about new trends, best practices and retail solutions, followed by Lou Jardin, chief executive officer of IGA Distribution in Australia, who spoke about his company and what he termed "local heroes."
Tony Christiansen, who lost both of his legs in an accident when he was 9 years old, was the keynote speaker. The avid sportsman with a second- degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do, a qualified lifeguard with honors from the World Lifesaving Federation, and who until recently operated his own successful signwriting business, told his life's story, moving many in the audience to tears.
(Photos from the trade show appear in the Aug. 20 issue of The Produce News.)
