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Are you a Beef Backer? Call for Entries
Retail Beef Backer Entry Form
Customer Feedback Form
Entries for the beef checkoff-funded Fourth Annual Retail Beef Backer Awards are now being accepted until October 29, 2010. Supermarket retailers of all sizes and formats are encouraged to enter the contest, and anyone (excluding employees of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association) can nominate a participating retailer to win an award.
Retail Beef Backer winners are selected based on their excellent marketing and merchandising of beef at the meat case. Each retailer is encouraged to participate by sharing their beef story, describing how beef sales and demand have grown as a result of your efforts in one or more of the following three areas.
- Promotions- Promotions include shorter lived merchandising efforts (i.e. summer grilling or holiday promotions, advertising campaigns). Be sure to highlight any participation in beef checkoff-funded promotions.
- Programs- Programs refer to the adoption or maintenance of longer lived initiatives (i.e. launching a new product(s), adoption of a new program such as nutrition labeling, Easy Fresh Cooking®, Hispanic marketing, and employee training programs). Be sure to include any beef checkoff-funded programs that are utilized in your operation.
- Activities- Activities include marketing, public relations or industry events, participation in beef checkoff-funded pilot tests, surveys or any other activity that adds value to your beef program.
Awards will be given in the below categories
- Independent Retailer - fewer than 11 retail stores
- Mid-Size Chain Retailer - 11-99 retail stores
- Large Chain Retailer- 100 or more retail stores
- Innovator of the Year
Tips for creating a winning Beef Backer Entry
Beef it up! Tell the judges your beef story. You may also provide any relevant beef merchandising materials which demonstrate your complete beef program including promotions, programs, activities and anything that helps the judges get to know you and learn about the great efforts your operation is taking to support beef. This could include, but is not limited to, point-of-sale materials, staff and/or customer educational materials, videos, photos of beef displays or events, beef-related advertising and publicity efforts, community outreach programs or any additional information to document your sales efforts (expressed as percentage increases, not actual sales dollars). All information is kept confidential and will not be shared with outside parties.
2009 Retail Beef Backer® Award Winners
View the video of the Award Winners.
Congratulations to the 2009 winners! We know you have worked very hard to earn this award. Thank you for your continued support!
The beef checkoff-funded Retail Beef Backer Awards recognizes four retailers for their commitment to outstanding beef marketing and merchandising programs. Sendik’s Food Markets, Southern Family Markets, Harris Teeter Supermarkets and Supervalu, Inc., are the winners of the 2009 Retail Beef Backer Awards. These retailers received their awards at the 2010 Cattle Industry Annual Convention & Trade Show in San Antonio, TX, on January 28, 2010.
"The Retail Beef Backer Awards highlight the exceptional work retailers do throughout the year to increase beef demand. This program is one way beef producers show their appreciation to retailers for their efforts to support our industry," said Jim Henger, executive director of marketing for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), which contracts to manage retail programs for the beef checkoff.
The 2009 award winners are:
- Independent Retailer: Sendik’s Food Markets (8 stores), based in Whitefish Bay, WI
- Mid-Size Retailer: Southern Family Markets (66 stores), based in Birmingham, AL
- Large Chain Retailer: Harris Teeter Supermarkets (194 stores), based in Matthews, NC
- Innovator of the Year: Supervalu, Inc. (2,500 stores), based in Eden Prairie, MN
Retail Beef Backer Award winners are selected based on their excellent merchandising of beef at the meat case. A third-party judging panel also took into consideration the retailers’ tie-ins with beef checkoff-funded initiatives such as Middle Meat Mania, Beef Alternative Merchandising (BAM), Hispanic Marketing, Easy Fresh Cooking®, Beef Training Camp and Summer Grilling promotions. Applicants are also judged on non-beef checkoff-funded beef promotions that focus on increasing beef demand among their customers. Such programs include outstanding beef promotions, co-marketing promotions and customer education programs.
Large Chain Retailer, Harris Teeter
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Pictured above from left to right are: Ashley Williams, North Carolina Cattlemen’s Beef Council; Bryan K. Blinson, North Carolina Cattlemen’s Beef Council; Jon Gardner, Harris Teeter Supermarkets; Luke LaPerriere, Harris Teeter Supermarkets
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The Beef Checkoff Program announced Harris Teeter as the winner of the 2009 Retail Beef Backer® Award in the large chain category. Harris Teeter, headquartered in Matthews, NC, employs more than 21,000 associates and has 194 stores in North and South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, Delaware, Florida and the District of Columbia. The company was recognized for their outstanding beef marketing and merchandising.
Harris Teeter participated in several beef checkoff-funded programs and also implemented their own retailer-initiated programs.
Programs include a Summer Grilling Promotion, On-Pack Nutrition Labeling, Lean Section Pilot Test, Middle Meat Promotions, Holiday Roasts promotions and more!
This is the second time Harris Teeter has won a Beef Backer Award. They won in the chain category in 2007.
Click here to view the full article.
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Independent Retailer, Sendik's Food Markets
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Pictured above from left to right are:
David Marcin, Sendik's Food Markets and
Kevin Kelly, Sendik's Food Markets |
The Beef Checkoff Program announced Sendik’s Food Markets as the winner of the 2009 Retail Beef Backer Award in the independent category for their commitment to outstanding beef marketing and merchandising programs.
Sendik’s Food Markets has been the source of the finest quality meats for four generations. Their mission is to “provide their customers with the best grocery shopping experience period.” Sendik’s has eight stores located in Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin.
Sendik's increased beef demand through several 2009 promotions including participation in beef checkoff-funded programs and promotions, introducing new cuts, utilizing the Recipes & Photography section and promoting their well-known varieties of lean ground beef and gourmet burgers.
Click here to view the full article.
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Mid-size Retailer, Southern Family Markets
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Carey Otwell, Southern Family Markets; Ed Whatley, Alabama Cattlemen’s Association
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The Beef Checkoff Program has announced Southern Family Markets (SFM) as the winner of the Retail Beef Backer Award in the midsize chain categry for their commitment to outstanding beef marketing and merchandising programs.
They have done an outstanding job of promoting beef throughout their locations, participating in several beef checkoff-funded programs such as Slice 'n Save, Bargain Beef Bundles and Beef Value Cuts.
Click here to view the full article.
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Innovator of the Year, SUPERVALU, Inc.
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Jason Resner, SuperValu; Kip Gruell, SuperValu |
The Beef Checkoff Program announced SUPERVALU as a winner of the Retail Beef Backer Awards program in the Innovator category.
SUPERVALU was recognized as a retailer who is an innovative leader in the industry through marketing, merchandising and the promotion of beef.
SUPERVALU announced the launch of a premium USDA Choice Angus beef brand in May 2009, part of the company's comprehensive new beef program designed to position its stores as the unparalleled destination for fresh, quality beef.
Click here to read the full article. |
2008 Retail Beef Backer Award® Winners
View the video of the Award Winners.
Chain of the Year, Associated Food Stores
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Associated Food Stores' commitment to beef marketing, staff training and customer service earned them the 2008 Beef Backer Award in the Chain Category. Associated, which has 480 stores in 8 western states, was recognized for its participation in several beef checkoff-funded programs such as Easy Fresh Cooking® and Beef Value Cuts, as well other independent merchandising programs carried out by the retailer.
Associated Food Stores conducts a Meat Category Masters Series that serves as a year-round educational resource for the entire meat department. The company held four major seminars in 2008 to train personnel on new beef cuts, merchandising techniques, and customer service.
Associated's meat department carries a wide variety of beef cuts under nine different brands to accommodate customers' needs. The store's branding campaign for ground beef, the Ultimate Ground Beef program, highlights the in-store daily fresh grinding and safety of Associated's ground beef products.
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Independent of the Year, Adam's Hometown Market
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Adam's Hometown Market was the winner of the Independent Category 2008 Retail Beef Backer® Award. Based in Cheshire, Connecticut, the chain has nine stores in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Adam's received the award for their participation in beef checkoff-funded programs and also for a special promotion to give away a free backyard barbeque.
The meat departments did an outstanding job to promote beef throughout their stores. They participated in several beef checkoff-funded programs including Summer Grilling promotions, Easy Fresh Cooking®,Beef Value Cuts and Beef Training Camp.
Adam's also initiated their own successful promotion to reward customers who made beef purchases. The Adam's "Sizzlin' Summer SweepSTEAKS" allowed customers to enter into the contest each time they used their rewards cards when making a beef purchase in July 2008. The winner received all the important ingredients for a complete backyard barbeque including a Weber® gas grill, Flat Iron steaks and side dishes for a party of eight, a grilling tool set and a BEEF apron. If a customer did not receive the grand prize, there was still hope to win something; one customer at each store received $100 worth of groceries.
The promotion resulted in ten happy customers and a five percent increase in beef sales compared to the same period last year.
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Innovator of the Year, The Kroger Company
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The Kroger Company is the winner of the 2008 Retail Beef Backer® Award in the Innovator Category for its "Sealed for Freshness" program. Retail Beef Backer Award winners are selected based on their excellent merchandising of beef at the meat case.
Last fall, Kroger launched a new packaging program in its Dillons and Fred Meyer banners that was designed to keep meat fresh longer. The airtight packaging was introduced in September 2008 in all 94 Dillons stores and 129 Fred Meyer stores throughout the Midwest and West U.S. The initial launch featured several cuts of beef including Thin Sliced Beef Steak, a new cut from the Shoulder Clod.
The new packaging makes it easier than ever for customers to select and store fresh beef, plus addresses several key areas that impact retailers – shrink, in-stock position and sales. Kroger partnered with Tyson Fresh Meats and Cryovac® to use Darfresh™ packaging, a new technology that differs from traditional store-wrapped packaging. The bottom part of the package is printed with product information and recipes.
The stores got the word out about the new packaging through point-of-sale (POS) materials, weekly ads, radio spots, live radio remotes, in-store demos, in-store chef demos and recipe cards. The promotions conveyed these "Sealed for Freshness" benefits to customers:
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