LOS ANGELES -- Nine supermarket chains in southern California and Nevada are participating in a coupon promotion that will raise about a million dollars for medical research and patient care here.
Called "Coupons of Hope," the two-part program promotes mostly dry grocery products. The campaign aims to raise money for the City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute here.
Albertson's, Certified Grocers of California, Food 4 Less Supermarkets, Gelson's Markets, Hughes Family Markets, Lucky Stores, Ralphs Grocery Co., Stater Bros. Markets and Vons are the participating retailers.
"The 'Coupons of Hope' program is the perfect way for consumers to raise precious funds for a world-renowned medical center right in our own backyard," said Gary Rocheleau, vice president and marketing operations manager for Vons, a Safeway company, and chairman of the coupon program.
Coupons, which appear in a 16-page freestanding insert, offer $25 off on 40 name brand products, which could mean consumer savings of $50 in southern California's current double-coupon environment, according to Susan Bremer, president of Target Marketing Services, Santa Monica, Calif.
Some of the products being promoted include Arizona Beverages, 7-Up, Scotch Brite sponges, Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds, Pepsi, Tostitos tortilla chips, Drypers diapers, Gerber baby food, Kretschmer's wheat germ and Wisk laundry detergent. Most coupons expire in September or October, but some don't expire until the end of the year. The first part of the promotion, which started July 15, will deliver 2.5 million coupons through 13 newspapers in California and Las Vegas. Part two will launch Oct. 21.
"This has never been done before in this format, using an FSI as a vehicle to transport the coupons," said Bremer, who is coordinating the City of Hope campaign.
The program is easier for the retailers to implement than the labor-intensive scan-down program that preceded it, Bremer added.
The program covers every southern California marketing area, from San Luis Obispo to San Diego south, and a pocket of stores in the Las Vegas area, explained Bremer. Manufacturers pay for space in the FSI. With that money, City of Hope pays for printing and distribution of the circular. The rest of the money is donated to the hospital and research center.