Milk Flavor Profile Influenced by Retail Lighting and Packaging
If you’ve ever tasted fresh milk with its creamy, slightly sweet flavor, you know how delicious good milk can be. You probably also noted the brand and the grocery store from which it came. Likewise, you may have experienced milk that tasted off or gone bad — perhaps with hints of burnt, plastic or cardboard flavors. These off-flavor notes are caused by oxidation in the milk which is caused by light exposure. As part of its ongoing commitment to fresh marketing, Hillphoenix sponsored two studies, conducted by researchers at the Virginia Tech Food Science Department, Chemours Packaging, and the Dairy [...]
Lighting Affects Consumer Perception of Vacuum-Packaged Meats
In late 2016, Hillphoenix and Sealed Air co-sponsored a study that compared consumer assessments of its new proprietary Clearvoyant® LED lighting technology to existing “cool” and “warm” levels of fluorescent lighting. This research supports efforts to encourage the adoption of vacuum packaging for fresh proteins. As a percentage of packages in the refrigerated meat case, vacuum packaging grew from 10% in 2002 to 24% in 2015 as PVC packing decreased from 51% to 33%. For retailers, the benefits include extended shelf life, less handling within the store, less shrink, and more time for employees to help shoppers and keep cases [...]
Paying for Building-Level Energy Projects: PACE Makes It Possible
The AMS Group Solar power, wind power, fuel cells. These and other alternative approaches to producing and using energy still have an air of newness for most people who are not in the energy business. While the technologies themselves are not new, the traction they are gaining in a more mainstream application and adoption is. This, in large part, is because they are becoming easier to pay for. In two previous posts, we covered how food retailers can maintain positive cash flow while paying for energy projects through on-bill financing and even traditional financing. These are great options for energy-efficiency [...]
Infographic: Island 2 Innovate (i2i) Makes Destination Centers Easy
Hillphoenix’s new Island 2 Innovate (i2i) modular island system makes it easy for retailers to offer creatively merchandised, healthy food selections within any size footprint. The i2i island system is a multifunctional, modular display case that can be configured to include heated, refrigerated, wet and dry products in virtually any combination. With i2i, any retailer can create fresh Destination Centers — regardless of store layout or size.
Casting the Right Talent for Destination Centers
By Margie Proctor Hillphoenix Marketing & Design Specialist No one would expect a cashier to assume the role of produce manager or butcher. The same goes for staffing Destination Centers. These roles require a genuine interest in food and robust people skills. Staff should be able to share product knowledge and engage customers – and enjoy doing it. Culinary talent Chefs and other culinary professionals bring authenticity and expertise to menu development, food preparation, and food presentation. To fully benefit from their strengths, don’t hide them away in an enclosed work area. Bring them out where shoppers can see them [...]
Destination Centers: Layout and Flow Can Make or Break the Customer Experience
By Margie Proctor Hillphoenix Marketing & Design Specialist Consumers are looking to grocers to please their sophisticated palettes and to help solve the problem of how to give their families and themselves high-quality meals despite their busy schedules. Grocers are responding with Destination Centers: from full-scale grocerants and fresh prepared dishes for takeout to wine and beer bars and cheese or chocolate shops. Destination Centers can vary widely in type and number, but whatever route is taken, one thing holds true: The layout and flow has tremendous impact on the customer experience, staff performance, and sales. The design experts at [...]
Each Destination Center Is a Theater for Engaging the Whole Shopper
By Margie Proctor Hillphoenix Marketing & Design Specialist Grocery stores are in a unique position to satisfy today’s consumer’s appetite for fresh, high-quality foods and engaging food experiences. Along with being a one-stop shop for household goods and pantry staples – something restaurants and farmers markets can’t offer – in-store Destination Centers cater to customers seeking a boutique wine or cheese experience or fresh, prepared dishes to eat in or take out. They’re also a store’s opportunity to captivate shoppers who came in for a few basic items, like milk and paper towels, and have them leaving with a bottle [...]
Why You Shouldn’t Dismiss Traditional Financing for Energy Improvements
The AMS Group The initial cost of energy-efficiency retrofits is the single biggest hurdle to initiating projects. That’s because the cost of a project is more salient than the amount of money to be saved by energy efficiency. But what if you compare the cost of a project with the cost of energy wasted instead? The two propositions are the same, but the second one shifts focus to costs on both sides of the equation. A retrofit project costs money but so does not doing a project, especially for grocery stores, where energy consumption is among the highest of all [...]
Destination Center Success Begins with Food Selection, Presentation
By Margie Proctor Hillphoenix Marketing & Design Specialist What do empty nesters, busy, working parents, and Millennials have in common? They’re all engaging with food in new ways. They care about what they eat, where they get it, and how it’s prepared. More than “something to eat,” food has become an experience, one that has to satisfy increasingly sophisticated consumer sensibilities. And consumers have so many options for seeking those experiences. From traditional and fast-casual restaurants to farmers markets, online shopping, specialty shops, and grocery stores, there are more players than ever competing for shoppers’ food dollars. The good news [...]
Financing options bolster the business case for energy-efficient food stores
The AMS Group No matter where you stand on climate change or environmental stewardship, one thing is clear: It pays to be green. That message was driven home when Goldman Sachs upped its investment in energy-efficiency and clean-energy projects over the next 10 years from $40 billion to $150 billion. In fact, investing in energy efficiency is one of the best bets around, with a low risk comparable to U.S. T-bills (~ 5% risk index) but an average annual return upward of 20 percent – more than four times that of T-bills. The business case for energy efficiency is especially [...]