D&W USHERS IN NEW SERVICE WITH TICKETMASTER VENTURE

JOEL ELSON

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- D&W Food Centers here will launch a Ticketmaster ticket counter chainwide in June, an addition company officials hope will draw heavy use as well as new customers.

"We saw this as a great opportunity to add a new dimension of customer service by offering concert, entertainment and sporting-event tickets," said Jeff Gietzen, president and chief executive officer of the 24-store retailer.

Tickets will be sold on a cash-only basis, said Holly Utting, D&W's customer relations coordinator. Shoppers wishing to make credit-card purchases will have to telephone orders directly to Ticketmaster.

Ticketing will be handled by D&W employees at customer-service areas from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, with tickets printed on site.

About 10 employees at each store will be trained on the ticketing system by Los Angeles-based Ticketmaster, Utting said, with stores linked by computer to the vendor.

She said D&W's take will be 20% of the $2.50-to-$3 service fee Ticketmaster charges on each sale. "Our average revenue per ticket will be around 60 cents, with 75 cents the maximum we'd receive."

The Ticketmaster program allows D&W to sell tickets to the many hockey, basketball and minor-league football events held at the Van Andel Arena here.

Meijer is the only other supermarket retailer in the area with a ticket operation. It uses the local Tickets Plus program.