RETAILER PROMOTES UPSCALE COOKWARE

STEPHANIE LOUGHRAN

SEATTLE -- Queen Anne and Admiral Thriftway here, a three-store division of Food Markets Northwest also here, is jump-starting the holiday season with its exclusive cookware promotion featuring French manufacturer Mauviel.

This year, the retailer introduced a new oval-shaped, stainless-steel roasting pan with a free roasting rack for a $59 promotional price until the end of the year. The roasting pan and roasting rack are bundled with five recipe cards created by the Thriftway culinary team to show the pan's wide range of uses.

The promotion began at the start of the month.

"Our owner wanted an opportunity to have some of the best cookware available to many people," said Ilga Westberg, marketing director for the group of 25 independently owned supermarkets. "The roasting pan is an essential function, especially during holiday time."

The yearly exclusive promotion has proved to be so popular since the retailer began the special program six years ago that customers now ask which new item will be displayed before the promotional run begins, Westberg said.

"The housewares department is a growing need for folks," she noted. "Consumers are demanding better products in supermarkets today."

After the end of the year, the roasting pan and roasting rack will be sold separately for $59 and $10, respectively.

The cookware display is merchandised in the housewares area and at a kiosk at the end of the aisle, she said. Additionally, the roasting pans will be showcased in the lobby near the kitchen and cooking-demonstration area close to the front of the store to promote visibility, said Westberg.

Cooking demonstrations that use the roasting pan will be performed several times over the next three months at all three stores to further show the roasting pan's functionality.

Food Markets Northwest's relationship with Mauviel, Mauviel, France, is based on the manufacturer's good name and reputation of good quality, she said. "In supermarkets, it's about establishing relationships with vendors that push our limits of innovation," said Westberg. "They've proved themselves in terms of good quality."

The 25-store Thriftway group creates separate buying programs and promotions. The large housewares department in these three stores also carry other notable brands like Cuisinart, Stamford, Conn.; KitchenAid, a brand name under Whirlpool, Benton Harbor, Mich.; and Staub, another French manufacturer.