BLOOM 'AMBASSADORS' PROMOTE WORLD OF FOOD

Lucia Moses

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Bloom, a Food Lion market here, has become the latest retailer to hire food enthusiasts to promote its world of products.

Bloom, Food Lion's "lifestyle" format, hired one "taste ambassador" for each of its five stores a month ago, and plans to build on the program by adding one or two part-timers per store, said Robin Johnson, director of concept renewal for Bloom.

The ambassadors' job is to walk the store and educate shoppers about products being added in response to customer feedback and to sample those products, which include 1,000 specialty food items.

"We brought in 2,500 new items in the past month, including unique fresh items," Johnson said. "We know in retail the best way to sell food is to sample it. They also give cooking tips and direct people to kiosks."

The concept isn't new at parent Delhaize USA.

Bloom's sister banner Sweetbay, which launched this past November, also employs taste ambassadors, who oversee sampling and make sure employees taste all new products.

H.E. Butt Grocery, San Antonio, takes a similar approach at its Central Market format, where "foodies" answer customers' questions and spread enthusiasm about food.