FRESH AND IN L.A.

MINA WILLIAMS

LOS ANGELES (FNS) -- The bar has been raised over the years when it comes to produce merchandising in the Los Angeles marketplace. Smart operators are singling out produce as an image builder, enlarging the size of the department, positioning it at the front of the store, using melon and juice bars to point up the freshness and convenience image. Large value-added sections are employing refrigerated multideck cases, making it more reminiscent of the dairy department. The presence of nonperishable items is being reduced.

Whether chain or independent, supermarket operators are employing the produce department to differentiate themselves from the competition. During the last week in June SN toured the Los Angeles marketplace. What was found was that abundance, variety and selection are the watchwords of retailing in this environment.

Here is a brief description of operators' produce departments in the Los Angeles marketplace:

RALPHS GROCERY CO.

An abundance of precut, prewashed, ready-to-eat and ready-to- cook produce items is the first impression customers get when they enter the Ralphs Long Beach location. More than 20 feet of refrigerated space with five decks and a well showcase the who's who in the grower/shipper/packer industry. And it's not only vegetables: there are precut fruits offered in grab-and-go bowls, plates and platters; jars containing traditional orchard fruits and exotic tropicals; and three brands of dips and dressings.

A four-bin acrylic self-service merchandiser, positioned on the dry rack, offers baby carrots, broccoli florets and cauliflower florets in both mixed and individual commodity guises.

Farther down the case is a similar merchandiser with three bins containing bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and baby corn. This decidedly Asian-flavored assortment is located amid 6 feet with three decks of specialties from around the world. Tamarillos, Yukon Gold Potatoes, chilies, guava and lady apples are just a few other selections in this area.

The produce department is carpeted and is anchored by five islands that feature two shelves a few inches above the floor where dry goods -- dried fruit, peanuts and croutons -- are cross merchandised.

Organics are displayed in two 4-foot racks. Carrots, onions, apples, oranges and tomatoes were displayed the day of SN's visit. Additionally, green netting was used to bundle two cucumbers, two avocados and three lemons.

LUCKY STORES

The bakery and deli are the first departments in the shopping pattern at the Lucky unit SN visited. Approaching the produce department, a farmer's cart mounded with cantaloupes greeted customers with a special price of 49 cents for Lucky frequent- shopper cardholders.

Precut, prepackaged items at the Long Beach unit SN examined are divided into fruits and vegetables. Fruit is featured along an 8-foot merchandiser with two decks and a well. In the well, watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple and honeydew melon pieces are offered on ice, ready to eat. The decks merchandise juices, jars of fruit, glazes and bowls of fruit.

Precut vegetables and salads are situated in a 10-foot refrigerated merchandiser with four decks and a well. Here the variety image is reinforced with a selection of ready-to-eat salads along with prewashed, bagged and branded selections and snack items. Ready-to-microwave meal solutions including teriyaki stir fry and broccoli Alfredo are offered in this section.

This unit also offered baby carrots, broccoli and cauliflower florets along with a mixture of them, in a four-bin merchandiser. Another bin featured spring salad mix.

PAVILION

Exceptional service is the hallmark of the West Hollywood flagship Pavilion unit of Vons. Throughout the store service is evident. However, in produce the statement is underscored with a precut fruit-service island that serves as the centerpiece of the department. This island showcases a myriad of options on all sides of the ice table, with four staffers working in the center squeezing juice and preparing items for the display at the time of SN's visit.

On one 6-foot section, deli-style trays are chock-full of a combination of honeydew melon, cantaloupe, pineapple, strawberries and blueberries. Deli trays are also used for the store's fruit "cakes," sold by weight, with one "cake," serving eight to 12 people, costing $20 to $35. Another variety of "cake," using only chocolate-covered strawberries, is available with a one-day advance order for $54.

Meat trays are used to present chocolate-dipped strawberries, and cantaloupe or papaya halves stuffed with cut strawberries, blood oranges, grapes and blueberries. A ready-to-go watermelon boat was stuffed with kumquats, grapes, mini bananas and blood oranges. Individual blueberry and strawberry shortcakes were also on ice the day of SN's visit. An additional 12-foot section showcases a variety of cut fruits such as orange and grapefruit slices. The parallel section features halved and seeded melons.

Parts of the department are dedicated to fully stocking favorites, such as mushrooms. An inspection of the 10-foot space finds that variety runs deep, offering everything from oysters and crown crimini to shiitake, enoki and woodear. In addition to this bulk selection, a prepackaged group features whole and sliced morel, porcini and blends. A selection of 16 different prebundled herbs is merchandised, displayed in floral department-style waterbins.

The three additional associates working the carpeted area of the produce department further demonstrated the chain's commitment to service. During SN's time in the department, several associates asked if help were needed or if there were any questions.

GELSON'S MARKETS

Gelson's is another chain that prides itself on service. The unit SN visited is located in a shopping mall with Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Crate & Barrel in Century City. While in the produce department SN noticed the level of service, as well as the depth of knowledge store associates displayed on exotic products and new items.

Convenience is obviously key to the shoppers at this unit and Gelson's responds by offering products for those on the run. An ice salad bar services nearby office towers at $3.99 per pound. A 12-foot refrigerated merchandiser showcases ready-to-eat and precut items in two decks. A well spotlights precut fruit on ice. Cut melons, citrus, mixes of papaya and mango, strawberries, melons, pineapple and blueberries add their color to the display in the well. Berries ranging from gooseberries and red currants to long-stem strawberries, raspberries and blueberries sit alongside specialty items such as prepacked mango salsa and kiwi pear salsa.

Ready-to-cook items are also available here. Customers at Gelson's can select peas, corn, beans, cauliflower and broccoli that are cut and wrapped in meat trays. Additionally, there are veggie sticks including celery, carrots and red pepper. Value-added convenience is also found in ready-to-steam sliced carrots, sliced zucchini, cauliflower and broccoli. Other variations of the theme include salad vegetables, shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, shredded red cabbage, sliced celery and sliced mushrooms; and, stir fry vegetables, snow peas, Napa cabbage, sliced celery, carrots and broccoli. Vegetables in all colors and textures burst forth from the wet racks accentuating the variety image of the store. Baby beets, Napa cabbage and parsley root provide interesting color breaks while offering customers a wide range of products. A wide variety of flavors is also promoted throughout the department to meet the customers' palates. Mexican and Asian flavors from lychee nuts to peppers to tomatillos and ginger are readily available. An organic section offers whole head baby greens and baby squash packaged in rigid deli-style containers. Hydroponically grown butter lettuce along with tofu items are also grouped with the organics.

BRISTOL FARMS

The high, hand-stacked produce department is orderly and soothing and conveys an impression of abundant variety. Associates in the department continuously restock and maintain the floors in pristine condition. The merchandising suggests Bristol Farms is a destination store.

Specialty items are a major attraction. On the day SN visited the Long Beach location, the offerings included red Anjou pears, yellow Asian pears and kumquats along with seedless yellow and red watermelon, casaba and canary melons and golden honeydews.

As customers enter the department they are greeted by a chalkboard "Fresh Produce" sign identifying the day's best buys. Precut fruit is merchandised on a 12-foot by 6-foot walk-around three-deck unit. Sections of grapefruit and oranges, ready-to-eat papaya, mango, honeydew and pineapples, along with any type of berry, including golden raspberries, are offered. Dried items, such as dates and figs, are displayed on top.

Precut and prepackaged vegetables occupy more than 20 feet of three-deck refrigerated space with a well. This merchandiser houses all the standard juices, dressings, vegetables, packaged salads and specialty salad mixes. Additionally, shelf extenders situated mid-span encourage sales of goat and feta cheese crumbles.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET INC.

At Whole Foods Market's upscale Brentwood location, cherries, priced at $3.49 per pound, were positioned at the unit's entrance, leading directly into the produce department. Herbs and specialty items merchandised on the wet racks are positioned on risers inside terra-cotta garden-pot drip trays. In the dry racks, the same trays were used as well. Produce items in this natural-food operation are all clearly labeled "conventionally grown" or "organically grown." A refrigerated salad bar is positioned as a food-service area in this former Mrs. Gooch's unit.

A noteworthy feature of the unit is its "salad center," comprised of a refrigerated wall with three vertical sections. This center brings herbs, sprouts, packaged salads, dressings, bulk and organics together under one umbrella, creating a one-stop shopping environment.

The first section offers dressings on the top deck with four decks of prepackaged salads. In the well, packaged organic and hydroponically grown items are offered along with a variety of sprouts. The middle section uses four bins to merchandise bulk baby spinach, baby Romaine mix, spring mix and mesculin mix salads. This self-serve section positions the bulk items with two bins on top of two other bins. The third section also contains salad dressings along the top with three decks of prepackaged salads. The fourth deck merchandises organic romaine hearts, celery hearts and sprouts.

WILD OATS COMMUNITY MARKETS

Wild Oats strives to educate and inform its customers. Extensive signage throughout the department along with an aggressive sampling program stress this throughout the produce department.

This operator has developed a set of logos to help customers easily identify the particular attribute of each produce item offered for sale. Organic, pesticide-free, conventional and local each have a uniquely designed diamond-shaped logo that is positioned on the department's changeable product identifiers, accompanied by the price. A centrally hung sign in the West Hollywood unit SN visited serves as a key to each logo's definition and a reminder for easy reference. Some of the product identifiers even pinpoint the growing region of the item.

The small unit's produce department makes good use of space by employing baskets for tubers and squash, tomatoes, lemons, oranges and apples. The wet rack is tightly stacked, offering a large individual product selection. Quantities of each item are small, and since they are located on the floor, constant turns are required.