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GAINING THE UPPER HAND

CHICAGO -- Supermarkets have the advantage in fulfilling the demand of whole-health shoppers through the sheer depth of their products, selection and services. The challenge, however, is to leverage the broad resources available across the entire store spectrum.About 100 retailers, distributors and suppliers who attended the Whole Health Solutions Conference here last month focused in on integrating

CHICAGO -- Supermarkets have the advantage in fulfilling the demand of whole-health shoppers through the sheer depth of their products, selection and services. The challenge, however, is to leverage the broad resources available across the entire store spectrum.

About 100 retailers, distributors and suppliers who attended the Whole Health Solutions Conference here last month focused in on integrating the food-nutrition component with nonfood and pharmacy. Jointly sponsored by the Food Marketing Institute, Washington, and the General Merchandise Distributors Council, Colorado Springs, Colo., this was the second conference this year dedicated to the food-industry's whole-health movement.

In his opening remarks, Michael Sansolo, the FMI's senior vice president, emphasized that while drug, specialty and mass-merchandising chains are aggressively going after a piece of the huge $42 billion whole-health market, it's supermarkets that are uniquely positioned to cash in and win the loyalty of health-conscious shoppers.

"Consumers are increasingly looking to their supermarket for healthier ideas with one-stop shopping convenience," he told the gathering. "Retailers are responding by offering a greater variety of fresh produce, healthful foods, health-focused products, supplements, herbal remedies, in-store pharmacies and health-related services." Making health-related information available in the store was presented as a vital part of the whole-health merchandising equation and viewed as an area that grocery retailers could improve upon. "Supermarkets have to enable consumers to practice self-care," said Ed Slaughter, director of research for Prevention Magazine, Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pa.

Consumers are shopping for health and are looking for answers, he said, and although the supermarket is not the first place people go for this information, it could be so if stores begin to offer more health and nutrition information.

This was made clear in Prevention's Shopping for Health 1999 study, released here. It indicated a gap in what consumers want in the way of whole-food products and information and what is being provided to them. Nearly 75% of survey respondents cited the availability of health information as an important factor in the selection of a store. "People don't like the health care system any more. They are turning toward self-care, and figuring out a way to take care of their own health," Slaughter explained. The group most likely to seek this care, the study found, is also the group that will be growing at the fastest rate (by 51%) between now and 2010, the 45-to-64 age group. This is the age group in which household earning and spending come to a peak -- as do medical-service costs. This group also is having children later, and caring for their aging parents. It is more skeptical than ever before about conventional health care, the study revealed.

Four population clusters are described in the study: indifferent shoppers (22%); young and healthy shoppers (23%); conventional self-care shoppers (34%); and progressive self-care shoppers (21%). The progressive self-care shoppers are the ones most likely to seek health and nutrition advice, are most likely to purchase foods for specific health benefits and to use alternative remedies for good health maintenance.

John Fegan, vice president for pharmacy at Stop & Shop Cos., Quincy, Mass., documented the tremendous opportunity that exists for supermarkets that take advantage of selling whole-health categories, especially by turning the pharmacy area of the store into an information resource. "The pharmacy is one of the key health focal points within the supermarket categories," said Fegan. "Pharmacists have long been a recognized source of trusted information on health issues."

However, winning support from central management and involving the entire store can be a challenge, he said. In addition, pharmacists must understand the whole-health market and be educated on nontraditional items so that they can effectively serve as consultants.

"The biggest challenge, as I see it, is making time for pharmacists to interact with customers," Fegan said. He added that each pharmacist gets an average of 8,000 questions a year. One solution is to make use of ancillary personnel and to create a position for a floating pharmacist whose job it is to act solely as a consultant.

Involvement with vendors is another key consideration in making best use of the pharmacy as a central health information center within a store. Fegan cited a program Stop & Shop ran with Quaker Oats where a freestanding display that positioned Quaker Oats as "A Smart Start to a Healthy Heart" was merchandised by the pharmacy. More oats were sold as a result of placing the standee, during summer months, than at the regular location. This proved the pharmacy could help engender sales, said Fegan.

"We need to get grocery-minded personnel to think beyond grocery. And, we need to talk to manufacturers and buyers to get them tied into the pharmacy," he concluded.