Specialty Food Magazine

JAN-FEB 2013

Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.

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(continued from p. 54) CANDY COUNTER way," she says. Usually avoiding manufacturer-made displays, she instead opts for custom wrapping, vintage labels and boxes, and thematic displays, such as old poison labels on boxes of Halloween candy. "For Thanksgiving I bought some beautiful fish boxes from Cody Foster and filled some with gummy worms and some with mint chocolate 'caviar.'" The onus to be creative and original needn't be on one staffer. "Retail confectioners may be surprised at the potential innovations that arise from giving employees creative freedom," Alvarez says. "It not only develops a culture of creativity and innovation, it also creates fresh and original ideas." At Hubbell & Hudson, Godinez involves his team, who delight in finding ways to promote their favorite sweets. Successful events have included wine and chocolate pairings, devised by the grocery and wine managers, and fundraising tastings for a local animal shelter, crafted by the marketing staff, Godinez says. Wheeler, too, emphasizes the need for personal attention to succeed: "This doesn't mean you have to do everything yourself, only that you have a clear vision and can communicate expectations." To get these creative juices flowing, inspiration can come from many places. "To boost creativity it's important to get outside of your normal routine," says Alvarez, who recommends picking up design magazines or reading websites and blogs outside of the confectionery realm. Wheeler regularly browses chocolate, candy and packaging blogs online; she even follows other manufacturers and retailers on Facebook to see what they're doing. "If I love something, be it a vintage candy box or a color scheme, I think about how I can incorporate it in some way," she explains. Looking to the competition is standard practice, Godinez proffers. "All retailers and specialty food markets feed off each other. It's very common practice," he says. As a market located in a rural community, Hubbell & Hudson has a locked-in customer base. "For some [customers] that don't want to make the trip to the city, we can offer big-box promotions, products and innovative confectionery creations." Making Every Day a Holiday For a food category that's inherently festive, having a reason to celebrate is enough to encourage shoppers to purchase confections. "There should always be an instore promotion going on," NCA's Ellek advises. A shaky economic climate makes this advice especially prudent. "You have to give them permission to spend. A promotion does that." Obscure food holidays can create an occasion and even inspire creative promotions. RCI offers its members a calendar with real, recognized national holidays, from National Gumdrop Day (February 15) to National Toasted Marshmallow Day (August 30). (See Unusual Holidays, p. 48, for more official food holidays.) Other resources reveal bizarre celebrations like Something on a Stick Day (March 28). Seasonal foods and activities can inspire even more ideas, such as caramel apples for the month of October, as Alvarez suggests. The ultimate goal in devising yearround events is variety. "Having a variety of promotion time periods throughout the year tends to have the greatest return," Alvarez says. "The key is to plan and make it a strategic effort." This year, RCI created a "Tip of the Week" blog at retail confectionersinternational.blogspot.com, 124 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com which offers advice on promotion strategies as well as tips on packaging, team management and more. Taking a slightly different tack, Wheeler focuses more on keeping her store looking fresh. "I just change things for fun or when they sell down," she says. "I always rotate the candy so there is something new every time anyone comes in, including regulars." Whichever route you take, have a plan in place to take you through the year. "I don't think candy sells itself, though I believe many people think that," Wheeler says. Creative promotions, a personal touch and, most important, customer service will mean the difference between decent and superlative sales numbers. The candy-shop owner sums up nicely what makes a promotion deliver: "A successful promotion is one that gets a message across, whether that is 'Candy makes a great hostess gift' or 'This is the place for beautifully packaged candy' or 'You can find something special here.'" As a specialty retailer, that message is already inherent throughout your store. Confections are simply a reminder to have fun with it. |SFM| Eva Meszaros is associate editor of Specialty Food Magazine. SEND US PHOTOS OF YOUR BEST CANDY PROMOTIONS at specialtyfood.com/onlinehighlights

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