FOOD EMPORIUM SHOPPERS STRIKE GOLD

CAROL ANGRISANI

DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. -- Carbonated soft drinks, frozen pizza, mayonnaise, ketchup, ice cream and other Center Store items are among the weekly specials being used to promote The Food Emporium's new loyalty program.

About four different Center Store items are being offered for free or at a significant discount each week through Food Emporium's Gold Points Reward Network card, which has replaced the retailer's Bonus Savings Club card. One or two perimeter-department products are offered as well.

Featured Center Store items have been top-selling items in their respective categories. They have included Ellio's frozen pizza, nine slices, 79 cents with the redemption of 750 Gold Points; Pepsi and Coke, two-liter bottles, free with 500 points; and Haagen Dazs ice cream, 16-ounce container, $1.29 with 750 points. Napkins, cereal and salty snacks are slated to be in the spotlight over the next few weeks.

"We're using category leaders. These are products that consumers are looking for," said Andy Carrano, vice president, marketing and merchandising, Food Emporium, a division of A&P, Montvale, N.J. Food Emporium operates nearly 40 stores in Manhattan, Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The Gold Points Reward Network, from the Carlson Marketing Group, Minneapolis, is a national consumer loyalty program. Customers are issued points based on a particular spend level. Depending on a customer's shopping patterns, 500 points could be issued in one order at Food Emporium, according to Carrano. The chain gives bonus points for certain promotional purchases.

At Food Emporium, points can be redeemed for the weekly specials, or for larger rewards like gift certificates for the floral department.

The weekly featured items are an integral part of the program because they give consumers another choice in how to use their Gold Points, said Carrano.

"Some customers enjoy getting a lower price on individual products, but others prefer to save their points for bigger rewards," he said. "We want to give them an option."

One of the reasons Food Emporium chose Gold Points as opposed to other loyalty programs was that it is a coalition program, meaning that points can also be redeemed at a variety of other Gold Points partners, including Radisson Hotels & Resorts; Country Inns & Suites By Carlson; T.G.I. Friday's restaurants; Thrifty Car Rental; and FTD.com. Gold Points rewards its members each time they use their card at participating partners. The more the card is used, the more members earn and the faster their point balance grows.

"We looked at a couple of loyalty programs and decided we needed something to differentiate our card program in the market," Carrano told SN. "Gold Points was a good fit."

Food Emporium is supporting the Gold Points launch with a comprehensive media plan. The weekly specials, for instance, are featured prominently in the gatefold of its store circular.

Further, throughout the spring and summer, the Gold Points program will be featured in newspapers such as The New York Times. Ads and promotions on local radio stations are planned as well.

To date, more than 150,000 Gold Points cards have been issued at Food Emporium. Carrano said the retailer will benefit from the consumer data obtained from those cardholders.

"We can see what our customers are buying, and target them based on that information," he said. He added that there also might be opportunities to partner with other Gold Points retail partners.