FAMILY CIRCLE, SHOPRITE TO 'SAMPLE THIS' AGAIN

JOEL ELSON

ELIZABETH, N.J. -- Family Circle magazine and Wakefern Food Corp. will again team up in 1995 for a multibrand product sampling event at 180 ShopRite stores.

The event, set for Saturday, March 18, is the fourth joint promotion between the publication and ShopRite retailers. Called "Sample This: Easter Extravaganza," past events have included store demonstrators handing out food, general merchandise and health and beauty care samples and coupons.

"ShopRite stores are eager to participate in another promotion like this again, which benefits the magazine and the retailers," said an official here at Wakefern, the retailers' wholesale buying arm, who requested anonymity.

Past "Sample This" sampling events have incorporated trial-size Aqua Fresh toothpaste, displays and promotional literature for home videos from Buena Vista Home Video, Dixie plates, Dove Beauty Bar, Hemdale Home Video, analgesics and paper products, noted Rene Lewin, vice president of marketing services at Family Circle.

Family Circle will promote the event in full-page, four-color ads, while ShopRite retailers will tout it in store circulars, in-store signs and over in-store radio. The retailers will also be working work closely with Wakefern buyers to ensure adequate supplies of advertisers' products are on hand in stores the day of the sampling.