Gourmet Business December 2013

Wrapping It Up

By now, you’ve wrapped up your holiday plans, your stores are beautifully decorated and window displays are designed to bring cheer and entice customers inside. And while the holiday season is huge for retailers, be sure not to lose sight of 2014 planning and execution, and those very important post-holiday weeks when customers again come into your stores for returns and exchanges, presenting you with yet another opportunity to sell them more merchandise.

What new merchandise do you have to put out in January that was not out during the holidays? While January can be a sluggish retail sales month, preparations for February – kicking off with the Super Bowl Feb. 2, followed by Valentine’s Day – should be top of mind. And before you know it, all the spring festivities will be fast on winter’s heels, and we’ll be well into the second quarter.

In this issue of Gourmet Business, we offer several features to get your creative juices go- ing, and to help build successful post-holiday

ideas. Joanne Friedrick’s article, “Party Products: Easy Trumps Elaborate,” page 8, highlights the newest trends for throwing successful parties, which these days tend to be small and inti- mate. Home entertaining is on the rise and gourmet retailers are well-poised to serve this market selling a wide variety of housewares, tabletop fare and convenient specialty foods that can make most party spreads look chef-prepared.

And surely no get-together is complete without wine and its accoutrements, especially as worldwide consumption is up and the United States is right at the top of the list spurring growth. Our article, “Pass the Corkscrew: It’s Wine Time,” page 12, highlights some of the newest in wine accessories – such as openers, glassware, coasters, drink tags, chillers and decanters – most of which also make great host and hostess gifts.

So, as you wrap up the holidays, be sure to keep your marketing and merchandising eye on those important post-holiday months ahead, too!

Maureen Azzato 

Managing Editor, Gourmet Business 

mazzato@gourmetbusiness.com