FIVE SAFEWAY DIVISIONS ARE SERVING UP HMR FORMAT

JACK ROBERTIELLO

PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Safeway here has introduced a long-awaited home-meal replacement program at more than 700 stores in five of the supermarket chain's divisions.

Accompanied by in-store demos, advertising inserts and discount coupon books, the massive rollout is under way in Safeway's northern California; Phoenix; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; and Washington divisions.

The rollout will continue to the company's Denver and Canadian divisions in early 1998. Vons, the southern California division of the company, will add the program in late 1998. Supply logistics determined the order of the HMR program's introduction, said a company official.

The program, "Great Meals Combo," offers complete meals at two price levels, as well as separately sold side dishes.

One price category, "Home Style Meals," offers fully-cooked and chilled rotisserie chicken, pot pie or meat loaf with a choice of two side dishes and French bread or dinner rolls. The meals are priced at $9.99.

"Chef's Cuisine Meals" offers the same side dish and bread deal with entrees of roast turkey breast, roast pork loin or London broil; this meals category is priced at $14.99.

The "Home Style Side Dishes" line includes such chilled side dishes as macaroni and cheese, barbecued beans, creamy spinach, bacon or garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cinnamon apples and butternut squash. Three desserts are also available.

Meals at both price levels are advertised to feed four people. Safeway is promoting the program as ready to heat and serve in 10 minutes.

"We see our Great Meals concept as something that fits the busy lifestyles of today," said company spokesperson Debra Lambert. "The idea for Safeway was to provide high quality items that are easy to prepare and precooked, and can be quickly warmed up."

Safeway officials decided to undertake the chilled-meal program because they believed it provided consumers with a better mix of homestyle meals that are more nutritious and taste better, said Lambert.

Easy customer access -- the meal components are packed in heat-sealed containers with clear plastic windows and sold from Safeway delis -- was also a factor in designing the program, Lambert said.

"We feel we have a good selection of products, and we've had good consumer feedback so far," said Lambert. "We're excited about it; we spent some time developing the program to insure that it met our quality standards."

The private-label entrees and sides are outsourced from at least two vendors, according to a source, and then delivered to stores as needed from Safeway's regional distribution centers.