Practical issues of layout, design and marketing

Part 1: Deli, dairy, meat

It is important to recognise that a consumer’s vision of what constitutes a meal can vary immensely. It may be a sandwich and soup, a salad, a slice of pizza and a doughnut, yoghurt, a traditional three-course dinner or a jacket potato. The supermarket must be ready to use the resources of its fresh section to cater to all these meal opportunities.
Elsevier Food International, Vol. 11, Number 1, February 2008
Karen Willoughby

At trade events, representatives from top grocery retailers explain how they are repositioning themselves to become fresh food leaders in the marketplace. It seems as if the supermarket industry is just discovering that they sell meat, dairy, deli, and prepared foods. Well, that may be a bit unfair. In the past, most department operators for perishables were used to dealing with their products as commodity items. It has only been recently that they realised shoppers had changed their definition of fresh products from a commodity ingredient to components of a fine meal.

A delicate situation

One Jumbo supermarket in the Netherlands (design by Jos de Vries) has placed its cheese in an island in the middle of the store, just before the checkout.

The deli is the glamour section of the supermarket. Retailers often strive to make the design and décor of the deli stand out as a unique setting for the products for good reason. With competition for sales of dry grocery products and non-food items coming from mass merchandisers and c-stores, it is important that the fresh products are a significant point of differentiation for the supermarket.
While the design of many of these departments has ranged from subdued to over-the-top, many retail designers are now emphasising the product rather than those extra floor fixtures when developing supermarket fresh sections. There is an emphasis on letting the product steal the focus, according to Nadine McLearon, design director at US-based Design Fabrications Inc.

Lights!
In both the deli and meat sections of a store, lighting plays a big role. Colour is always an important factor in making food look appealing and appetising. The fluorescent bulbs normally used in supermarket display cases are designed to be strong in the green and yellow portions of the visible spectrum to give a bright light. However, under this lighting, roast beef can look dark brown, and any reddish tones are not visible. Truly balanced spectrum lamps, such as those made by Promolux, show fresh food displays to their best advantage.

Action!
Fresh foods have never been more popular, and the potential for sales of wholesome fresh products has never been greater. A visit to the supermarket deli used to be fairly straightforward. Options included sliced turkey, roast beef, salami, bologna and ham; nowadays, the choices are far more complex. For instance, basic turkey breast has evolved into oven-roasted, or smoked or

Chitlom Central Supermarket (Bangkok, Tahiland)

flavoured with honey or pepper. Turkey also may serve as an alternative to traditional meat bases, such as pork or beef, through the use of cures or flavourings that simulate the flavours of products such as ham, pastrami or bologna
Many store managers feel the deli is a focal point in planning for new as well as when remodelling stores, yet it is frequently the last department for which plans are finalised before construction commitments are made. In their defence, this is usually because they want to incorporate the latest available equipment and merchandising concepts.
As a leading department, the deli is often called upon to help create the store’s atmosphere. There is a wonderful theatrical aspect to deli counters, making the role of the ‘chef’ important in conveying freshness and quality to shoppers. This can be done with minimum expense with a focus on a few select activities such as barbequing chickens on a rotisserie, pizzas baking in an oven, or fresh sandwiches being prepared.

Beefing up
In the early 1950s, the meat department was king in the supermarket - the star of a retail industry heading toward its golden age. Four decades later, meat is still king. The meat department, in large supermarket chains or small grocery stores, is a challenging retail environment. Steve Wald, director of retail marketing for the US National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) observes: "Within the last couple years, with the advent of new products, space has become even more valuable. All of the new and different products - pork and chicken in addition to beef - in the fresh meat category are having an impact."

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Processors and prepared food manufacturers continue to push and stretch the limits with novel products and meat-merchandising campaigns, prompting their retail customers to reinvent their meat-case concepts as well. According to Patricia L. Pines from the American Meat Institute (AMI), such a crowded marketplace reflects an industry in flux and ultimately could prove baffling to consumers. "We've had a lot of trouble getting our arms around the notion on how and what today's meat case should be," she says. "Right now, we are seeing that consumers are a bit confused. It seems they're not sure what they want, and maybe we aren't, either." Generally, consumers are looking for smaller meals, perhaps eating more often during the day. The heavy dinnertime meal has lost much of its popularity.”
Stores in communities across the US, belonging to large business chains such as Jewel Food Stores and Domick's Finer Foods among others, are being remodelled to reflect shopping habits in these modern times. In some instances, meat departments are becoming larger to accommodate more products but size is not always the deciding factor for success. Retailers with the most success have merchandised a mix of fresh and heat-and-serve items.
For its part, NCBA has developed several programmes to help retailers merchandise beef, such as Beef Made Easy. This category management programme shows retailers how to arrange their meat case by cooking method to better educate their customers and maximise their own sales. "It's something meat merchandisers and stores want to do for their customers," explains Wald
Processed meats in retail meat showcases have a shorter shelf life than other meats due to their exposure to light, air, and bacteria. Any herbs and spices that are added in the grinding process absorb light from display case lighting, accelerating meat spoilage. Cured meats are very sensitive to the discolouring effects of ultraviolet radiation from regular meat display lights. While meats sit in refrigerated display coolers, they are vulnerable to discolouration and lipid oxidation induced by exposure to light.
Particularly damaging is the radiation produced by everyday lamps that emit strong ultraviolet rays. The oxidisation process that occurs affects the flavour of meat after sitting under lights only a few hours. Exposed surfaces of these products become discoloured and dried out quickly once they are sliced. Proper research for effective as well as protective lighting should be done with any design/re-design of meat department. If packaging is done within the store, packaging options such as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) should also be thoroughly explored.

[Read Part 2: Wine]