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PAY LESS IS FINDING FROZENS LINES A GOOD HOOK FOR GRAB-AND-GO MEALS

ANDERSON, Ind. -- At its two new 84,000-square-foot superstores, Pay Less Supermarkets here positions frozens as a key option in its grab-and-go meal menu.As reported in the Feb. 5 edition of SN, a marquee draw at both stores, located in Anderson and Lafayette, Ind., is a food court and deli area with its own entrance that churns out prepared, homestyle meals for takeout or eat-in. However, to build

ANDERSON, Ind. -- At its two new 84,000-square-foot superstores, Pay Less Supermarkets here positions frozens as a key option in its grab-and-go meal menu.

As reported in the Feb. 5 edition of SN, a marquee draw at both stores, located in Anderson and Lafayette, Ind., is a food court and deli area with its own entrance that churns out prepared, homestyle meals for takeout or eat-in. However, to build on that, the upscale chain also erected large frozen sections centered around a wide selection of convenient meals and snacks.

"We put expanded frozen-food departments in those two stores and devoted additional space to dinners and entrees and also frozen snacks and pocket sandwiches, which are all growing categories," said Rod Boni, grocery merchandiser.

Compared with the next-largest Pay Less store, the new units have about 15% more space for frozen dinners, entrees and snacks/appetizers, Boni estimated. "We didn't expand frozens because we put in the food court. We expanded frozens because the same [meal] categories in the food court and deli are growing in frozens also," he explained. "The two together are a team, more or less, and enhance the overall image of what meals are available at Pay Less."

Frozen pizza space was enlarged as well. "We probably increased the pizza by about 8%. We were a little tight on pizza in our other stores," Boni said. In tandem with pizza sold in the food court, the broad array of frozen pizza helps Pay Less compete with to-go operations like Pizza Hut and Domino's, he noted. "Whether you're looking for fresh pizza or frozen pizza, we wanted to be a destination for that."

Each store's frozens section has two running rows of 37 doors split by two separate 40-foot open cases. Such a layout makes it easy to shop the department, according to Boni. "The tank cases in the middle give it a nice, open feel," he said. "In one trip down each side of the aisle, you can go by every frozen category."

That format also provides considerable promotional display space. Pay Less puts a bunker at each end of the open cases plus an upright multideck at both ends of one row of doors.

"We like to display frozen food, and six endcaps give us a lot of area to display our specials and a good chance to cross-merchandise," Boni said. Pitched as meal solutions, frozens tie-ins have included garlic bread and Italian entrees, juice and waffles, potatoes and entrees, pies with whipped topping and fruit, and dinners or entrees with appetizers.

"We do a lot of cross-merchandising like that," he said. "In our ad each week, we probably have 10 to 12 frozen items on sale and another six to eight in-store promotions.

"We have a couple of endcaps that are ice cream temperature, so we've even cross-merchandised some ice cream items as desserts," he added, noting that the two superstores are "heavily SKU'd" toward premium and superpremium ice cream.

Armed with plenty of end space in frozens, the Anderson and Lafayette stores do a lot of product sampling, especially for new and seasonal items, Boni said.

"We probably do one or two demos a week in frozens. We have regular demo stations we use on endcaps. They're on wheels, so you just push them in there and do the demo on the weekend and then push them back out."

Another big plus for frozens at those stores is its strategic location, he said. Situated at one end of Center Store, it lies just beyond the food court entrance and one of the main store entrances.