BALLS JOINS MEAT SOLUTIONS MARKET 2004-11-08 (2)

CAROL ANGRISANI

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Center Store products are getting peripheral exposure at Balls Food Stores with a new meal solutions program that bundles groceries and perishables in the meat department.

Customers who purchased two pounds or more of Scimeca's cooked meatballs or Italian sausage during one recent promotion could get four free items at a $7 savings. The meat sold for $3.99 a pound.

Selections in the "What's for Dinner Meal Deal" included two Center Store products: Ragu spaghetti sauce, 26 ounces; and Pasta LaBelle pasta, 16 ounces. Also offered for free were Dole packaged salad, 10 ounces; and bakery Italian bread, 16 ounces. Shoppers had to use their loyalty card to get the savings.

The offer ran in Balls' 14 Hen House stores with positive results, according to a Hen House source.

"It has performed better than projections," said the source, who did not want to be identified.

Customer response has been so strong that two more meal deals have already been scheduled. The first will run this month.

Balls is considering rolling out the program to its nearly 40 Price Chopper banner stores, although no decision has been made.

The meal deal was promoted in store circulars and in-store signs. To make the featured products more accessible to customers, the pasta, sauce and other complementary items were merchandised in a bunker in the meat department.

"This program is not just about grocery, meat or produce individually," the source said. "It's the total package."

Balls has watched retailers like H.E. Butt Grocery, San Antonio, benefit from meal solutions for years and decided it was time to help its shoppers find an easy way to serve dinner to their families.

"People are looking for solutions," the source said, adding that Balls leveraged its manufacturer partnerships to negotiate deals on the featured products.

Paul Kramer, president of Wilton, Conn.-based Ryan Partnership, a marketing services firm, said programs like Balls' are a good way to generate ancillary sales for Center Store brands.

"Whenever we create a promotional program for a manufacturer, we always try to get them out of the Center Store and into the perimeter because that's where the traffic is and where there's more potential for impulse purchases," Kramer said.