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Mike Day took only a fewnotes, but the content of hisscribble could have a hugeimpact on his CambridgePiggly Wiggly store.When Day remodels the18,000-square-foot grocery inthe next three to five years,you might be able to buy milkin the cereal aisle and breakfastsausages next to the eggs.Baked beans, potato chips,and buns might be adjacent tothe raw hamburger whilethere likely will be moreroom for bags of salad insteadof full heads of lettuce.“It’d be extremely difficultto go out on that limb butthat’s what will makesomeone stand out,” Day saidWednesday during a breakat the Wisconsin GrocersAssociation Convention atMonona Terrace. “If it makesit easier for the customer toshop, that’s what we shouldbe doing.”Theme: InnovationThe theme of theconvention was innovationbut convenience would haveworked just as well for a title.Vendors at the convention’strade show were pushingproducts that includedpackages of sliced fruits andvegetables, marinated meats, Madison.stuffed chicken breasts andpork chops in oven-readycontainers.Madison is consideredone of the most competitivegrocery markets in thecountry and will soon havemore players, all of whomwill likely incorporateconvenience into their newfacilities.A Wal-Mart Supercenter,which combines generalmerchandise with a grocery store, willopen next month in Monona. A largerWhole Foods store is under constructionat Hilldale Shopping Center while Costcohas plans to build a warehouse store inMiddleton. The SuperTarget that opened inJuly in Fitchburg features scores of foodWisconsin State Journal October 4, 2007Faster foodfrom thegrocery aisleIndustry leaders emphasizeconsumer convenienceFor grocery stores to compete against restaurants, meals need to beeasy and quick. Jonathan Moore of the J & B Group, the Minnesotacompany that distributes No Name Steaks, points out kabob-in-a-bagat the Wisconsin Grocers Association convention Wednesday inJeff Stuczynski of Gold’NPlump Poultry was onhand Wednesday to touthis company’s products.By Barry Adams, reprinted with permissionitems designed for the busyfamily. “We call it heat and eat,”said Jeff Stuczynski, an areabusiness manager with Gold’NPlump Poultry, which has anumber of products that requirelittle work but offer homemadequality. “We’re trying to adapt toconsumer demand.”Restaurants competeLinda Kline, who is in chargeof consumer insights for the foodservice division at General Mills,said restaurants are grocers’ primarycompetition because the more people userestaurants, the less time and money theyspend at a grocery store.“Rearranging stores with meals in mindinstead of grouping products by categorymay be part of the answer,” Kline said.“They’re not shopping forgroceries. They’re shopping forbreakfast, lunch, supper andsnacks,” Kline told about 75grocers, including Day. “It’s worthexperimenting with store layout.”Grocers should also experimentwith their advertising flyers andstress the value that a grocery storecan provide over a restaurant. Klinesaid $20 goes a lot further in agrocery store than a restaurant.Many grocery stores have addedrotisserie chicken and side orders,freshly made pizza and salad bars.Frozen foods departments havealso grown to include better tasting,healthier and easier-to-make products.Among those helping grocers todraw people to the grocery aisle isBrad Beckman, the founder ofCustom Cuts, a 160-employeecompany in Milwaukee, that beganas a produce wholesale company in1972. Beckman sold the wholesalebusiness in 1997 to refocus thecompany in the fresh fruit andvegetable processing business.Grocery customers include Sentry,Woodman’s and Piggly Wigglystores.Products for those with little timebut who still want to cook withoutwasting food include sliced andchopped onions, celery and greenpeppers and cubed cantaloupe,pineapple, and watermelon. There’seven a taco kit that includes dicedtomatoes, onions, and shredded lettuce.All about convenience“We’re not taking away the art ofcooking,” Beckman said. “We’ve made itmore convenient.”A new company to the marketplace isFrench Market Foods in Lodi. Thecompany distributes a line of frozen, easyto-cookcajun food that includes stuffedchickens, creole beef patties, stuffed porkchops, and single-serving entrees of shrimpetouffee, jambalaya, and gumbo.“Convenience to me is I don’t have to doanything but put it in a pan,” said AngelaRahm, who owns the company with herhusband and has three children at home.“We don’t want to feed our kids mac andcheese every night.”2007 Fall Issue WISCONSIN GROCER 17