WEGMANS UNIT, PEPSI JOIN THE FORCE FOR 'PHANTOM MENACE'

MARYELLEN LO BOSCO

SCRANTON, Pa. -- Images of Qui-gon Jinn, Jar Jar Binks and Yoda -- perched atop a huge Pepsi display -- are set pieces for a "Star Wars" promotion recently launched at a Wegmans Food Markets unit here.

During SN's visit, a U-shaped enclave, about 15 feet high and built of 24-can collectors' packs, was set up near the video department and in front of the Baby section.

Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi One and Mountain Dew are the sodas being used for the promotion. Each pack contains some but not all the collectors' cans, which have images of 24 different characters from "Star Wars Episode One, The Phantom Menace." Cardboard cutouts of the characters sit on top of the display on one side, facing the Baby aisle, while large facsimiles of collectors' cans crown the display on the side facing the back of the store. The side facing the back is actually the front of the display. The collectors packs were on sale for $4.99 with the Wegmans shoppers club card when SN's visited, the day after the movie opened, May 20.

Frito-Lay's Doritos are promoted on a cardboard floor display nearby, with a buy-one-get-one offer of $2.99 on the shoppers-club card. Farley's new Star Wars fruit rolls in three varieties -- Glitter Rolls, Fruit Snacks and Mega-Duals -- are also part of the display.

On both sides of the Pepsi enclave, a variety of Star Wars-themed toys and kids' paraphernalia is merchandised, including plastic dolls and action figures, story books, water toys, guns, blow-up chairs, flashlights, drinking cups and plates and Curad adhesive bandages.

To top it all off, the power of The Force is trumpeted with the help of a strategically placed cassette player, which continuously plays the musical soundtrack from earlier Star Wars extravaganzas at a high volume.

According to a store-level source at one Wegmans unit in upstate New York, a Star Wars display is also up near the video department in her store. Wegmans is headquartered in Rochester, N.Y.

Jim Guliano, who works at Pepsi's Scranton facility, told SN that Pepsi built displays for Wegmans as well as other retailers in the area. He said that the national promotion requires all participants to put up a large display. But the nature of in-store merchandising will vary by retailer, or by trade area, as will promotional prices. The promotion began the second week of May and runs through the end of July, Guliano said.