NAM crowns contest winners
NAM crowns contest winners
DILLSBURG, PA -- The National Apple Month program has announced the winners of its fall 2007 retail and military display contests, bringing the apple industry's fall generic apple promotion to a close. The annual contest, which jump-starts the domestic apple industry's marketing season, provided retailers and the apple industry with increased sales and gave consumers easy access to great-tasting, healthy apples and the partner products "Kraft" caramels, U.S. peanuts and "Smucker's" peanut butter.
"The 2007 apple crop provided some of the highest-quality apples available nationwide, and when combined with the creativity of produce managers in building the displays, made this year's contest a success for everyone," NAM Director Kay Swartz Rentzel said in a Feb. 5 statement. "New to the promotion in 2007, 'Kraft' caramels provided produce managers with an opportunity to cross-merchandise with another section of the store and create greater impulse sales from their customers. Returning partner the National Peanut Board added another level of excitement to the contest when they featured 'Smucker's' peanut butter along with USA peanuts, which assisted in providing increased sales for everyone during the promotional period."
Vying for more than $10,000 in prizes in the display contest were retailers and military commissaries from across the country.
From September through November, entrants built displays in their stores that prompted consumers to buy more apples, apple products, "Kraft" caramels, peanuts and peanut products. These displays helped boost sales and increase bottom-line profits.
The displays treated consumers to nutritious and delicious American apples, processed apple products and tie-in products during the launch of the industry's 2007 marketing season. Many entries featured themes to educate and entice consumers to purchase apples, apple products, "Kraft" caramels and U.S. peanut products. Retailers had innovative display themes that included back-to-school, apple harvest days, National Apple Month, fall crunch time, locally grown freshness and hit a home run to health.
Contest entries were judged based on store size. Additionally, two prizes were awarded for the best health-oriented display.
For the second consecutive year, Shady Maple in East Earl, PA, captured the top honor. The entry coordinator was Wayne Sauder, a new display coordinator at the store. The display featured nutrition messages throughout the apple display that continually reminded consumers why apples are a great addition to a healthy diet. Messages included facts for consumers, such as that apples are high in pectin, which is good for digestion; high in antioxidants, which are good for the immune system; rich in vitamins and nutrients; and good for health. The display featured 17 different varieties of fresh apples, 250 cases of processed apple products, more than 15 cases of "Kraft" caramels, over 500 pounds of peanuts and peanut products, and more than 10 cases of "Smucker's" peanut butter.
In addition to providing consumers with valuable nutritional information, the store experienced sales lifts of 11 percent in apple sales, more than 22 percent in "Kraft" caramel sales, 9 percent in peanut sales and 27 percent in "Smucker's" peanut butter sales.
Capturing second place in the health-oriented display theme was Bashas' No. 161 in Chandler, AZ with its Hit A Home Run for Health theme.
In addition to the health-oriented awards, overall prizes were given for the displays. The first-place winners in the 2007 contest were:
* Small Stores: Boonville Big M in Boonville, NY; entry coordinator Nancy Latvis.
* Large Stores: Shady Maple Market in East Earl, PA; entry coordinator Wayne Sauder.
* Military Commissaries: Lackland Air Force Base Commissary in San Antonio, TX; entry coordinator Sun Hui Giacobbe.
Entries were evaluated on the volume and variety of fresh apples displayed; the volume and variety of processed apple products and grocery tie-in products displayed; the use and volume of "Kraft" caramels; the use and volume of peanuts and peanut products, including "Smucker's" peanut butter; display creativity; and cross merchandising with other store departments.
"Year after year, the National Apple Month contest is successful on all fronts; everyone wins with National Apple Month," said Ms. Rentzel. "Apple marketers use the promotion to kick off the harvest season and boost early-season shipments. Retailers use it to increase consumer sales and awareness, yield additional profits for the produce department and creatively merchandise throughout the store. Our other team members - Kraft and the National Peanut Board - proved to be excellent partners by providing additional opportunities for promoting and merchandising apples and apple products with their products."
The merchandising promotion continues to attract first-time participants, and this year was no exception with nine first-time participants winning prizes in the NAM display contest.
"Once again, the fall display and merchandising contest shows why NAM is a terrific tool for launching fall apple sales in a big way by increasing both shelf space and varieties used in displays," Fred Hess, sales manager for Hess Bros. in Leola, PA, and chairman of the NAM committee, said in the statement.
One of the 2007 winners, Nancy Latvis, entry coordinator at the Boonville Big M store in Boonville, NY, featured 15 different varieties of apples, accounting for more than 160 cases of apples being sold in the 14-day store display. Outstanding sales for a store with only seven registers, Ms. Latvis created a display to draw upon the excitement of the season with a tribute to the fall apple harvest, including locally grown apples.
At HyVee in Marshalltown, IA, John Sherman found success in "apples, apples, apples." In this 12-register store, the display was huge, occupying the entire entrance of the produce department and the store. The display featured Honeycrisp apples along with 21 other varieties of three-pound bagged apples, tote bags and loose apples.
For several years, the display contest has featured a military commissary component, and this year's entries made the contest very competitive. A total of three points determined the first-through-fifth-place award recipients. More impressive were the sales that yielded bushels of success for their patrons. At Lackland Air Force Base Commissary, entry coordinator Sun Hui Giacobbe recorded sales of more than 495 cases of apples, 15 cases of apple products, 45 cases of "Kraft" caramels and more than 375 pounds of peanuts and peanut products in the store.
As always, the true winners of the military display contest are patrons of the commissaries. According to military commissary officials, the winners' prizes will be awarded in patron shopping credits at the winning commissaries.
"The 2007 apple crop provided some of the highest-quality apples available nationwide, and when combined with the creativity of produce managers in building the displays, made this year's contest a success for everyone," NAM Director Kay Swartz Rentzel said in a Feb. 5 statement. "New to the promotion in 2007, 'Kraft' caramels provided produce managers with an opportunity to cross-merchandise with another section of the store and create greater impulse sales from their customers. Returning partner the National Peanut Board added another level of excitement to the contest when they featured 'Smucker's' peanut butter along with USA peanuts, which assisted in providing increased sales for everyone during the promotional period."
Vying for more than $10,000 in prizes in the display contest were retailers and military commissaries from across the country.
From September through November, entrants built displays in their stores that prompted consumers to buy more apples, apple products, "Kraft" caramels, peanuts and peanut products. These displays helped boost sales and increase bottom-line profits.
The displays treated consumers to nutritious and delicious American apples, processed apple products and tie-in products during the launch of the industry's 2007 marketing season. Many entries featured themes to educate and entice consumers to purchase apples, apple products, "Kraft" caramels and U.S. peanut products. Retailers had innovative display themes that included back-to-school, apple harvest days, National Apple Month, fall crunch time, locally grown freshness and hit a home run to health.
Contest entries were judged based on store size. Additionally, two prizes were awarded for the best health-oriented display.
For the second consecutive year, Shady Maple in East Earl, PA, captured the top honor. The entry coordinator was Wayne Sauder, a new display coordinator at the store. The display featured nutrition messages throughout the apple display that continually reminded consumers why apples are a great addition to a healthy diet. Messages included facts for consumers, such as that apples are high in pectin, which is good for digestion; high in antioxidants, which are good for the immune system; rich in vitamins and nutrients; and good for health. The display featured 17 different varieties of fresh apples, 250 cases of processed apple products, more than 15 cases of "Kraft" caramels, over 500 pounds of peanuts and peanut products, and more than 10 cases of "Smucker's" peanut butter.
In addition to providing consumers with valuable nutritional information, the store experienced sales lifts of 11 percent in apple sales, more than 22 percent in "Kraft" caramel sales, 9 percent in peanut sales and 27 percent in "Smucker's" peanut butter sales.
Capturing second place in the health-oriented display theme was Bashas' No. 161 in Chandler, AZ with its Hit A Home Run for Health theme.
In addition to the health-oriented awards, overall prizes were given for the displays. The first-place winners in the 2007 contest were:
* Small Stores: Boonville Big M in Boonville, NY; entry coordinator Nancy Latvis.
* Large Stores: Shady Maple Market in East Earl, PA; entry coordinator Wayne Sauder.
* Military Commissaries: Lackland Air Force Base Commissary in San Antonio, TX; entry coordinator Sun Hui Giacobbe.
Entries were evaluated on the volume and variety of fresh apples displayed; the volume and variety of processed apple products and grocery tie-in products displayed; the use and volume of "Kraft" caramels; the use and volume of peanuts and peanut products, including "Smucker's" peanut butter; display creativity; and cross merchandising with other store departments.
"Year after year, the National Apple Month contest is successful on all fronts; everyone wins with National Apple Month," said Ms. Rentzel. "Apple marketers use the promotion to kick off the harvest season and boost early-season shipments. Retailers use it to increase consumer sales and awareness, yield additional profits for the produce department and creatively merchandise throughout the store. Our other team members - Kraft and the National Peanut Board - proved to be excellent partners by providing additional opportunities for promoting and merchandising apples and apple products with their products."
The merchandising promotion continues to attract first-time participants, and this year was no exception with nine first-time participants winning prizes in the NAM display contest.
"Once again, the fall display and merchandising contest shows why NAM is a terrific tool for launching fall apple sales in a big way by increasing both shelf space and varieties used in displays," Fred Hess, sales manager for Hess Bros. in Leola, PA, and chairman of the NAM committee, said in the statement.
One of the 2007 winners, Nancy Latvis, entry coordinator at the Boonville Big M store in Boonville, NY, featured 15 different varieties of apples, accounting for more than 160 cases of apples being sold in the 14-day store display. Outstanding sales for a store with only seven registers, Ms. Latvis created a display to draw upon the excitement of the season with a tribute to the fall apple harvest, including locally grown apples.
At HyVee in Marshalltown, IA, John Sherman found success in "apples, apples, apples." In this 12-register store, the display was huge, occupying the entire entrance of the produce department and the store. The display featured Honeycrisp apples along with 21 other varieties of three-pound bagged apples, tote bags and loose apples.
For several years, the display contest has featured a military commissary component, and this year's entries made the contest very competitive. A total of three points determined the first-through-fifth-place award recipients. More impressive were the sales that yielded bushels of success for their patrons. At Lackland Air Force Base Commissary, entry coordinator Sun Hui Giacobbe recorded sales of more than 495 cases of apples, 15 cases of apple products, 45 cases of "Kraft" caramels and more than 375 pounds of peanuts and peanut products in the store.
As always, the true winners of the military display contest are patrons of the commissaries. According to military commissary officials, the winners' prizes will be awarded in patron shopping credits at the winning commissaries.
