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VONS SEEDS SALES GROWTH BY CULTIVATING VEGETARIANS

ARCADIA, Calif. -- Capitalizing on the increasing popularity of vegetarianism, Vons here ran a "Vegetarian Focus" promotion.Using a half-page ad in the Los Angeles Times with captions reading, "Vons Health Headquarters" and "Vegetarian Focus," the chain touted several Center Store products that had price reductions for two weeks. Officials from Vons, a division of Safeway, Pleasanton, Calif., declined

ARCADIA, Calif. -- Capitalizing on the increasing popularity of vegetarianism, Vons here ran a "Vegetarian Focus" promotion.

Using a half-page ad in the Los Angeles Times with captions reading, "Vons Health Headquarters" and "Vegetarian Focus," the chain touted several Center Store products that had price reductions for two weeks. Officials from Vons, a division of Safeway, Pleasanton, Calif., declined to comment on the ad.

According to a store-level source, Vons now has separate sections for natural products in about 40 of its stores. Some of these departments have freezer cases for vegetarian and alternative choices. In other stores, natural products have been mainstreamed in-line.

Items in the ad included Mott's Applesauce Cups, which retailed at $1.79 for a six-pack of 4-ounce cups; TeJava's premium iced tea, $2.49 for a four-pack of 12-ounce cans; Chicken of the Sea Tuna, $2.79 for a 12-ounce can; Dennison's Vegetarian Chili, $1.19 for a 15-ounce can; selected varieties of Fantastic Foods Soup Cups and Cereal Cups, $1.09 each; and Lipton Herbal Teas, selected 24-count boxes at $2.69.

In addition to picturing all the items together, the ad called attention to the health benefits of the products.

For example, the tuna was billed as "packed with omega-three fatty acids," while the prune juice had a tag line saying, "Start the day with a potassium boost."

According to the copy, Vons stores carry "a vast selection" of good-tasting and convenient vegetarian choices.

The box also invited consumers to call the chain's nutrition specialist, Lauree Bradley, if they wanted additional information.