EASTER PROMOTIONS ARE OFFERING MORE THAN BUNNIES AND EGGS

JOEL ELSON

Some supermarkets are using Easter to promote their photo processing, bakeware and greeting cards.

In a new Easter promotion, Wegmans, Rochester, N.Y., offered personalized children's letters from the Easter Bunny. The letters were available to customers who purchased three American Greetings cards. The chain declined to comment on the promotion.

Sara Eames, a spokeswoman for American Greetings, Cleveland, which ran the card promotion at Wegmans and other chains, said customers obtained the letters by filling out postcards available at the service desk. Customers included the child's name and address, along with a personalized message. The postcard had to be mailed by March 25 for American Greetings to create and deliver the letter by Easter. In another holiday promotion, Tops Markets, Buffalo, N.Y., is offering plush rabbits at $3.99, instead of the regular $10.99, to customers who purchase three Forget Me Not cards in the American Greetings card section. Each of Tops' 60 stores is also holding a drawing on April 14 for a 34-inch-high bunny worth $100, a source familiar with the chain said.

Both campaigns by Tops are being publicized in store circulars, according to the source. Tops officials had no comment.

Eames said both the Wegmans and Tops campaigns are designed to promote the greeting card department and boost store traffic.

"They're meant to increase excitement in the store, reminding customers of the season, and taking retailers into the consumers' home," she said. Supermarkets are also using Easter as a promotional period for bakeware. For the past few weeks, Clemens Markets, Kulps-ville, Pa., has given high visibility to baking supplies, with 50% off all aluminum foil bakeware and other baking accessories.

Easter is one of the busiest times of the year for baking, second only to the fourth quarter, said Larry Schimpf, general merchandise and health and beauty care buyer. "It's a time when people use a lot of aluminum foil, bakeware and Bakers Secret products," he said. Schimpf said Easter is a good time of year to capitalize on baking with sales on a full line of bakeware at a substantial discount. "This kind of promotion seems to do well at this time every year," he said. At Clemens, Bakers Secret normally retails at $2 to $12, while foil bakeware items sell for 99 cents to $3. The chain is also promoting the category in advertisements. In addition, it is using auxiliary shippers in the housewares aisle with backup stock in support of the regular in-line offering. Clemens is also featuring shippers of Easter greeting cards with candy displays at endcaps.

Film processing is another popular Easter tie-in.

Winn-Dixie's Louisville, Ky., division is also using the holiday to plug its photo processing services. For the past few weeks, it has been emphasizing its one-hour photo developing service offered at eight Louisville stores. This is the first time the 52-store division promoted one-hour film developing at Easter. "It's a way to get people back in with their holiday pictures," said Nelson Rodenmayer, director of marketing.

Rodenmayer said the ads "played up our policy that we will not be undersold in one hour photo processing. We meet or beat anybody on one hour, and all a shopper has to do is bring in the competitor's ad." Seaway Foodtown, Maumee, Ohio, is offering a $1 discount on any incoming photo processing order placed the day after Easter.

"We do this kind of promotion in photo finishing after any major holiday. By then people have taken their pictures and are looking for someplace to have them processed," said Bill West, director, nonfood. McKay's Market, Coos Bay, Ore., will offer a second set of prints free with Easter photo processing orders placed during the two weeks after the holiday.

"We've done this promotion in the past. It works out tremendously well for film developing," explained Don Hill, supervisor, GM/HBC. Plush items are also being plug-ged for Easter. McKay's is offering plush animals priced up to $9.99 and Seaway is also featuring plush animals at $2 to $9 price points purchased in truckload quantities for the holiday. Seaway Foodtown's plush items are seeing 25% to 30%

margins.

Novelty jewelry is also expected to do well. Redner's Markets, Reading, Pa., is featuring pins and buttons with Easter bunnies at sold at $1.99 and merchandised on wing displays. The pins and buttons, supplied by Gibson Greeting Cards, Cincinnati, have been set up at various locations in the store to spur impulse sales, said Clint Larkins, director, nonfood.