LOWES ON THE HUNT

JEFF WELLS

With childhood obesity on the rise, there's a clear opportunity to target pint-size shoppers with health and wellness marketing.

That's exactly what North Carolina-based Lowes Foods has done. Last month, the 104-store retailer linked up with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and its “Eat and Move” campaign, designed to educate parents and children about healthful lifestyles. The promotion, which lasts for eight weeks, centers on special kiosks located near the entrance of all North Carolina Lowes stores.

At these stations, young shoppers can pick up a game card that sends them into the aisles in search of various healthful foods. The “Hunt for Better Health” and the items they find help them solve a word puzzle on each game card, which can then be used to solve puzzles on Blue Cross Blue Shield's Eat and Move website, www.eatandmove.com. The site also includes cartoons, interactive games and a guide for teachers.

According to Lowes President Curtis Oldenkamp, the partnership fell right in line with the retailer's current health and wellness focus. For the past 11 years, he said, Lowes has run a program called “Be a Smart Shopper,” in which schoolchildren take a field trip to a Lowes store to tour and learn about good eating and shopping habits.

“It was a natural fit for us,” said Oldenkamp, in a statement.

Bob Greczyn, head of Blue Cross in the state, said Lowes was “an ideal partner in promoting the grocery store component of the campaign.”