DENVER (October 14, 2010)—The Retail Outreach program is a key tool the United States Potato Board (USPB) uses to communicate with food retailers and influence their support of the fresh potato category. For the fiscal year spanning July 2010-June 2011, the USPB has significantly elevated its commitment to this vital effort, increasing the number of retail chains called upon to 15 (up from 10 in prior years) and expanding the scope to also embrace the club, mass and specialty channels.
During the first three months of this fiscal year, USPB Retail Outreach has met with nine leading food retailers who operate more than 2,200 locations between them: BJ’s Wholesale, BI-LO, Tops, Lund’s/Byerly’s, Giant Eagle, Save Mart/Lucky, Sam’s Club, Costco and Raley’s/Nob Hill/Bel Air. When you consider the USPB is currently working with four other retailers as partners in either Best In Class or Best Practice programs, a positive impact on potato sales has already been made at over 4,300 stores this year alone.
At each of the Retail Outreach meetings, the USPB shares information and trends on the fresh potato category along with insights on how their shoppers plan, purchase and use potatoes. The meetings also include a business review of their sales versus the competitive market, and points out the opportunities they have to increase their profits from the potato category by adopting the USPB best practices for assortment, merchandising, pricing and promotion.
Finally, USPB Retail Outreach reviews the support USPB provides, from print and online advertising activity to its extensive consumer public relations campaign to the array of business-building tools for retailers housed on the USPB Resource Center http://www.perishablesgroup.com/dnn/Default.aspx?alias=www.perishablesgroup.com/dnn/uspotatoboard.
USPB Retail Outreach meetings are often the first step towards a larger relationship, where it is agreed to work closely with the retailer as Best In Class or Best Practice Partners, or as participants in a “test & learn” pilot program. In the months ahead, the USPB has meetings scheduled with Wegmans, and it is finalizing dates for Ahold, Food Lion, Harris-Teeter and Hy-Vee.
Let the USPB know if you have a retail customer you would like to see included in its Retail Outreach program, or if you are a supplier to an upcoming outreach target and would like to get more involved. Contact USPB Retail Marketing Consultant Don Ladhoff at don.ladhoff@uspotatoes.com with any questions or for more information. He will be glad to tell you more about the success the Retail Outreach program is achieving with this cornerstone of the USPB’s retail marketing strategy.
Source: United States Potato Board