Talking Shop with... Pete Bakala

Pete Bakala, director of branches for Gold Medal Products Co., says flavored popcorn is driving consumer demand. What is Gold Medal Products offering this year in terms of new products and promotions? Pete Bakala: At FMI Connect, Gold Medal Products will showcase how and why grocery store operators around the U.S. are capitalizing on gourmet popcorn. With Gold Medal’s 84 years of experience, we can implement plans that are designed to increase sales, with gross profits between 70%-80%. Our plans are also designed to: Enhance the in-store shopping experience, as 40% of all shoppers like to snack when shopping; Capitalize on customer desires for indulgent treats and snacks; Capitalize on increasing customer trends for snacks and treats that make health claims such as GMO-free, whole grains, low fat, etc.; Show how popcorn can be prepared with many different flavors, allowing operators to pivot with the ever-changing flavor trends. Gold Medal Products will also provide tours of local Chicago area grocery stores that are currently succeeding with these products. Retailers should stop by our booth at the FMI Show for more details. How will Gold Medal display/discuss these items at the FMI Show? The Gold Medal booth (#3465) at FMI Connect will have a display of several different grocery store footprints. Operators from around the county have been successful with several of the following approaches: Sweet Shops—with fudge, caramel apples and other products; Stand-alone mobile kiosks; Medium-sized center of the aisle operations to generate impulse buys and provided demonstration cooking; Bakery operations; Commissary operations; Deli operations. What do retailers need to do to maximize sales from Gold Medal’s products/categories? Many grocers have found their popcorn programs to be so successful that they have expanded the operations to bag and label product for the snack aisles. The impact has been, and continues to be, dramatic. We have seen increased sales and profits, promotion of store owned brands and happier customers that are buying fresh and local flavors. However, what is really driving the sustained success of popcorn is consumer demand. The latest A.C. Nielsen ratings for ready-to-eat popcorn show staggering growth. For example, Nielsen shows the top popcorn flavors, which are driving nearly 80% of the growth, have all enjoyed double-digit or near dollar sales growth in the past year. What is the benefit for retailers and how do they maximize these benefits? The sustained growth is also a compelling factor that is driving grocers to the ready to eat and locally produced popcorn business models. Recently, Gold Medal Products launched a new and exciting product to help our partners take advantage of these trends; it is called Sunny Pop. Sunny Pop is made with three simple ingredients—oil, popcorn and salt. It is a great anytime snack that even meets the school nutritional standards, thus opening up an entire new market for its users. Attendees at FMI will have the opportunity to visit one-on-one with experts in the popcorn industry who have planned, designed, developed, launched and operated hundreds of in-store gourmet popcorn sweet shops. How does Gold Medal help? The Gold Medal team provides free training all over the country to ensure the success of these programs.