MIDWEST RETAILER MAKES PRODUCE ITS CENTERPIECE

COELI CARR

EAGLE RIVER, Wis. -- Bonson's Pick 'n Save has made fruits and vegetables the centerpiece of its totally renovated store, with the help of an eye-catching, seven-foot-high produce island.

The renovation proves the merits of following one's instincts, which is what Bonson's co-owner Chuck Bonson did after a tour of several upscale supermarkets in California prompted him to highlight produce in a strongly innovative way.

"What we saw on the West Coast really shaped our ideas about marketing produce," Bonson told SN. "Those stores gave you a feeling of being immersed in the midst of fresh produce."

In California, Bonson and the accompanying engineers from Pewaukee, Wis.-based Roundy's, Bonson's wholesaler, got a feel for creating shopping environments, where produce evoked a mood. At one of the stores, Bonson also spotted a component of a wall merchandiser he felt would "look better as part of a larger display unit" in his own store.

That idea evolved into Bonson's own attention-getting produce island which, because of its height, contrasts sharply with the rest of the department's low-profile displays.

The refrigerated island -- which is 24 feet long, 12 feet wide and 7 feet high -- houses different varieties of lettuce, as well as escarole, cilantro, parsley, chart, kale and fresh spinach, among others, on the one side of the island facing the rest of the vegetable display tables. These greens, packed out and arranged to convey a cascade of green, are stacked on wire insert racks that allow misting water to drain through.

Seemingly one single fixture, the island is actually constructed from several individual units. Although the structure is high, there's a 10-inch cap at the top, which makes higher-placed products no more difficult to access than those in a typical dairy case.

The leafy display conjures up, in Bonson's words, "a waterfall of fresh, green produce." Bonson said he knew that the customers who headed toward the produce island were looking for more than just head lettuce.

"We've vastly expanded the variety of greens," Bonson said. "There's no item we'd not consider carrying."

On the island's other side, which faces the deli department, are prepacked, value-added salads and more vegetables, such as freshly bunched carrots and broccoli and cauliflower florets.

The endcap facing the department entrance displays a wide variety of fresh-cut fruit, both single and mixed selections, that have been prepared either in-house or by outside vendors. The other side, facing the meat department, contains salad dressing and related items.

The rest of the 4,000-square-foot department is comprised of six freestanding display tables and a 72-foot, refrigerated wall display. Part of this case set contains ethnic vegetables, which are often highlighted with special flourishes, described by Bonson as "small, decor elements like flowers, wicker baskets and bamboo matting."

Bonson decided to renovate his conventional layout supermarket two years ago.

"We were due for a facelift, in any case, but after our visit to California, we wanted to emphasize produce and relocate the perishables to the front of the store," he said. "Today's consumers are looking for a large variety of fresh produce, and also convenience."

The retailer decided to add 20,000 more square feet to the store's original 45,000 square feet, and engaged the services of Marco Design Group, a Northville, Mich.-based firm with whom he had previously worked. "They significantly contributed to the design, look and feel of the new store," said Bonson, who had three goals in mind.

"I wanted to create a very warm, comfortable feeling and tone in the store that went beyond attractive; I wanted to create theater for the display of perishables; and, yet, I wanted customers to be more aware of the product than of the decor and fixtures."

The construction, started in late August 2000 (Bonson kept the store operating during the renovation), ended in the spring with the grand reopening. His customers, many of whom are summer tourists or state residents with summer homes in this lake-filled, northern area, had not been privy to the ongoing refurbishing, he recalled.

"People walked through the door, past our floral displays on either side, and stopped dead in their tracks," Bonson said. "Then they said 'Wow!' One guy told our store manager he thought he was in the wrong store."

Bonson said he's gratified with the favorable customer responses, many of which ranked the new Bonson's with top supermarkets in the rest of the country.