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RETAILERS TO EXCHANGE IN-STORE BAKERY IDEAS AT IDDBA EVENT

MADISON, Wis. -- Retailers will share in-store bakery strategies that have proved successful during a "mini bakery symposium" scheduled for the first morning of the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association's annual convention, according to the association, based here.Three supermarket chains -- Jewel Osco, Publix Super Markets and Dillon Stores -- are represented in the lineup of speakers who will

MADISON, Wis. -- Retailers will share in-store bakery strategies that have proved successful during a "mini bakery symposium" scheduled for the first morning of the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association's annual convention, according to the association, based here.

Three supermarket chains -- Jewel Osco, Publix Super Markets and Dillon Stores -- are represented in the lineup of speakers who will describe the "Seven Habits of Highly Successful Supermarket Bakeries." The meeting takes places in two weeks in Philadelphia.

Merchandising, integrating in-store bakery products in a meals program, and the use of a cake-decorating program to increase sales and create customer loyalty are some of the topics that will be discussed, said association officials.

The symposium format was chosen by the IDDBA's bakery steering committee as a way to get as much solid information into a short time frame as possible, Carol Christison, the IDDBA's executive director, told SN.

"To accomplish our objective, we planned a mini symposium that would offer a very rapid, fast-paced exchange of information. By staying focused, we can deliver a lot of information in a short time. We're really excited about the concept as a programming element," Christison said.

The symposium is one of the first sessions scheduled at the three-day event, which runs from June 14 through June 16 at Philadelphia's Pennsylvania Convention Center. The session will be kicked off at 8:45 a.m.

Nancy Chagares, vice president of fresh foods for Jewel Osco, Melrose Park, Ill., will address the importance of paying attention to details such as signage and pricing in an effective merchandising program. She'll also discuss the necessity for sampling and cross merchandising to give a boost to bakery sales.

One way to ring up more bakery sales is to make sure the department is tying into the meals-to-take-out trend, said Steve Kuntz, director of bakery/deli for Dillon Food Stores, Hutchinson, Kan. In the symposium, Kuntz will demonstrate ways to teach bakery associates "to think like food-service professionals."

And the grand champion of the IDDBA's national cake-decorating contest last year, Sandy Horvath, from Publix, Lakeland, Fla., will talk about how to get customers involved in a cake-decorating contest that's guaranteed to send sales up.

Other speakers will include Diane Austin, vice president of Rich Products Corp., Buffalo, N.Y.; Sarah Quigley, principal in SQ Presentations, Parma, Mich.; and Marc Greenberger, partner in Milton Merl & Associates, New York.

Austin will show how category reviews, standardized codes, category structures, scanning and a business-development index can be combined with consumer data and regional growth trends to identify the key drivers in each bakery category.

Quigley will outline how to create destination items out of simple products such as brownies, doughnuts and cookies, and Greenberger will focus on how to make in-store bakery items more profitable.

The Deli-Dairy-Bakery '98 program gets under way at 8 a.m. on Sunday, June 14, with a look at the future presented by Andersen Consulting.

Other speakers scheduled for the first morning of the show include Tom Brewer, vice president of deli and food service for Golub Corp./Price Chopper Supermarkets, Schenectady, N.Y.; and Mike Eardley, vice president of fresh foods at D&W Food Centers, Grand Rapids, Mich. In a separate session on "The Supermarket's Role in HMR," they will focus on successful marketing and selling of meals and will include a discussion of things that did not work for them.

All seminars are scheduled during the mornings and the show floor will be open in the afternoons.