EXPANDED HANNAFORD UNIT CULTIVATES ORGANIC, NATURAL IMAGE

AMITY K. MOORE

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Natural and organic groceries play an important role in Hannaford Bros.' new 5,000-square-foot destination stop here.

"Nature's Place," located in Hannaford's Shop 'n Save Superstore at 900 Central Ave., is a store-within-a-store department consisting of four aisles of grocery products, four upright frozen doors, three doors of dairy items and a 12-foot case of produce, according to Sam Gamello, store manager. (See related story on Page 29.) Hannaford, Scarborough, Maine, declined to say how many stockkeeping units are offered.

The frozens section offers organic and natural dinners, entrees, pizzas, juices and vegetables. Candy, salty snacks and pastas are shelved with other packaged foods in the low-profile aisles.

"The section has just about everything you can buy in the [traditional] aisles," Gamello added.

Shop 'n Save was able to accommodate the section after it was remodeled and expanded by almost 30,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet, Gamello said.

The department is located in the center of the store, behind the cash registers and underneath a Nature's Place banner. Grocery products are merchandised on green, metal shelving that stands out from the rest of the store's fixtures. Shelf tags and other signs are green with brown lettering. To further distinguish the section, there are wooden floors, oak endcaps and special lighting.

Hannaford plans to open additional Nature's Place sections in selected stores, said Sue Pierter, spokeswoman for Hannaford.

In other news, Hannaford has also introduced new Hispanic, African-American, Southern and Pakistani lines.