JAMES RIVER ROLLING OUT 'TABLETOP' IN-STORE FIXTURE

LISA A. TIBBITTS

NORWALK, Conn. -- James River Corp. here is rolling out a new in-store fixture it calls the Tabletop Shop for its Dixie brand of disposable tableware products.

"The paper aisle can be bleak and white. This adds a boutique aspect, calling attention to the category," said a company official. "Dixie's point of difference is design and the fixture showcases our design and helps consumers shop the section and shop the category."

The fixture fits into a retailer's gondola in 4-foot sections. It allows each color or pattern to be arranged vertically, with plates at eye level and bowls, salad plates and cups below to encourage multiple purchases. Upper-level shelves slant downward, with sliding weights to provide a gravity feed, which moves product forward as packages in front are removed. In-store marketing company HMG Worldwide, New York, did the design work.

Big Y Foods, Springfield, Mass., and Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester, N.Y., were involved in the original 20-store test in 1993. James River's national rollout began recently in supermarkets in the Midwest. The company said it will be presented to all classes of trade by the end of 1996.

The number of retailers already planning to bring in the fixture was unavailable, the company official said. Because this is a seasonal commodity category, it generally undergoes a once-a-year review early in the first quarter. When determining their category sets for the coming year, retailers should make the decision at that time to install the fixture, she said.

"We're putting it in with retailers where they want to establish a partnership," she said.

James River provides the fixture to a retailer solely for own Dixie line of products. "If he wants the fixture for the category, then he would need to generate funds from his own company or from other manufacturers to pay for their fair share of the fixture," said the official.