Wegmans Wins Magazine Award

DAN ALAIMO

TAMPA, Fla. — Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester, N.Y., was in the winner's circle again here this month at the Retail Conference of the Magazine Publishers of America and the International Periodicals Distributors Association, both in New York.

Wegmans has won multiple awards at past conferences, and has been inducted into the magazine groups' Hall of Fame.

Donna Kittrell, category merchant at the retailer, accepted the honor for “Enhancing the Shopping Experience” from Stephen Leach, vice president, retail marketing, Comag Marketing Group, Princeton, N.J. The award recognizes excellence in in-store execution, as well as promotion and commitment to the magazine and book category.

“We are delighted to once again be recognized by MPA,” Kittrell told SN. “Everyone at Wegmans who touches these categories — those in merchandising and in our stores — is continuously looking at ways to improve. It's gratifying to know that those efforts don't go unnoticed.”

In making the presentation, Leach commented: “What Wegmans really does well, and what they really get, is the transactional value of magazines in their stores. They know that as they sell more magazines, they also sell more other products. They are experts in cross-merchandising.”

For example, fashion magazines are positioned near cosmetics, seasonal magazines near candy, cookbooks with appliances, and children's books in the baby aisle, he said.

Wegmans has been honored repeatedly because “they set the bar so high and their commitment to the category is unprecedented,” Leach said.