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Join the Club: Store-Based Wellness Programs

CONSUMERS LIVING WITH CERTAIN HEALTH CONDITIONS are going back to school. This time, however, the hallways are supermarket aisles, and the backpacks are replaced with shopping carts. As a retailer, we want to provide our customers with tools to make better decisions when it comes to health and wellness, said Amy Simeri-McClellan, market research supervisor for Martin's Supermarkets in South Bend,

CONSUMERS LIVING WITH CERTAIN HEALTH CONDITIONS are going back to school. This time, however, the hallways are supermarket aisles, and the backpacks are replaced with shopping carts.

“As a retailer, we want to provide our customers with tools to make better decisions when it comes to health and wellness,” said Amy Simeri-McClellan, market research supervisor for Martin's Supermarkets in South Bend, Ind. “We like to believe that our classes encourage healthier eating, and that the customers shop our stores in a new and different way than before.”

As more and more consumers learn of the connection between diet and health, supermarkets have become a central clearinghouse of information and action. Retailers are offering a variety of classes and clubs that addresses management solutions for people dealing with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure or celiac disease.

“We have monthly meetings where we talk about our concerns, and I introduce new items that are gluten-free to the group,” said C.A. Diltz, a dietitian for Ohio-based Dorothy Lane Market. “I try to promote healthier choices, rather than just gluten-free remakes of regular items, like white bread that is made with tapioca starch or potato starch. Instead, I will suggest the use of whole grain tortillas or things like that.”

In the past, this type of outreach was generally the domain of hospitals and targeted special interest groups. Dedicated diet clubs like Weight Watchers or classes at fitness centers were the preferred providers of weight control. What makes this new generation of venues effective is their proximity to the source of trouble. Since food choices play a central role in diet-related health conditions, the store itself becomes a classroom, where consumers can retrain themselves to shop better and make smarter choices. These new supermarket programs are putting the pieces of the wellness puzzle together by linking food choices beneficial for specific health conditions in a more comprehensive and practical way.

At Dorothy Lane Market, Diltz started a Gluten Free Food Lovers Club last fall. It is a support group for people suffering from gluten intolerance, a condition now affecting nearly 1% of the U.S. population, according to the National Institutes of Health. Diltz, who learned she had a gluten allergy four years ago, developed the sessions to help others like herself.

“I personally wanted to start this group because I felt that there were people who didn't want to go to the hospital for these types of meetings,” she said.

Held late on Saturday afternoon, the sessions have drawn anywhere from five to 40 attendees.

Martin's, which operates 20 stores in the Midwest, has been holding health and wellness meetings for a little more than a year. The classes, managed through the pharmacy department, have ranged from the role of nutrition in osteoporosis to how cholesterol and blood pressure impact heart health, said Simeri-McClellan. More recently, the retailer helped shoppers explore the ABCs of labeling.

“It [focused] on how to decipher the fine print on food and drug package labels, with special emphasis on key elements for persons on restricted and special diets,” said Simeri-McClellan. A guided store tour rounded out the instruction.

Not only are these classes good for consumers, they could be good for business too.

Jim Wisner, president of Wisner Marketing Group, a marketing and consulting firm based in Libertyville, Ill., believes supermarket-based wellness classes can enhance the supermarket's position as a leader in whole health.

“For supermarkets, it is a way to win trips back from other channels of trade. This is one thing that they can offer as a clear and distinct point of difference,” he said, noting that stores have everything under one roof to conduct an effective lesson.

“There is a measure of altruism, and this is the right thing to do,” Wisner added. “But at the end of the day, it also makes sense business-wise, because this ties into the bigger issue of making health care more accessible to consumers and patients.”

Along with the rise in retail health clinics, Wisner said, “these [programs] fit into the whole emerging concept of the self-care consumer.”

Indeed, shoppers seem interested in the diet-health connection. A Food Marketing Institute survey found that 56% of people think food is more effective than medicine in the prevention and management of health problems. Add to that 71% who say foods consumed at home are healthier than those eaten out. With this in mind, Aisle7, a Portland, Ore.-based wellness marketing firm, has expanded its focus from vitamins and supplement programs to the total store, said Bill Schneider, senior product director of the company, formerly known as HealthNotes.

“We are seeing with shopper awareness that they can improve health through the foods they choose,” said Schneider. “Health and wellness is now a mainstream topic.”

As retailers embrace their role in health management, some are even starting to specialize. Ukrop's Super Markets, a 28-store Richmond, Va., chain, offers a wide range of wellness sessions, though diabetes takes center stage.

“Having our pharmacies focus on diabetes makes perfect sense for us, particularly since Type 2 diabetes is so connected to eating and food,” said Tim Robertson, a Ukrop's pharmacist and certified diabetes educator.

As part of its education commitment, Ukrop's is active with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the American Diabetes Association.

Some retailers have made a name for themselves in health maintenance. Harris Teeter, operating 175 stores out of Matthews, N.C., is promoting “Your Wellness for Life,” a life-enhancement initiative that helps consumers achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Kowalski's Markets, a Minneapolis-St. Paul area chain, has launched “Good Foods for Good Health,” an educational program that highlights “wonderful foods in our stores and how they can help you live strong and be well,” according to the company. An October program was devoted to heart health, and in December, one is planned on immunity enhancement.

Heather Illg, a store dietitian for Hy-Vee, the 224-store chain based in West Des Moines, Iowa, conducts the company's “begin” program, a 10-week weight loss and lifestyle class at both in-store and off-site locations. Rather than telling consumers what types of foods to use, Illg says she brings real examples. Healthy frozen foods are a good option when fresh may be too costly or would take too long to prepare.

“Really, I am a firm believer in slow and steady changing of habits,” she said. “To help, I bring products — usually 10 to 20 different items. I think that is much more useful.”

Wisner believes such classes are a good way to encourage more trips to the store, while the show-and-tell aspect can inspire and motivate.

“It is not unlike cooking classes,” he said. “You have students pumped up and excited about things they've learned, and then go into the store to buy ingredients to try things at home.”

Tips on Creating Health Classes

Keep subject matter to one disease area, so that class content is strategically focused.
Make home preparation of meals easier by using real products during demonstrations.
Incorporate a store tour as part of the class, so attendees will become familiar with the layout and will be able locate products of interest.
Build programs around the convenience and positive environment provided by in-store classes.