January 2011 Issue

A new year is upon us, and there is reason for jubilation.

I am going to make a bold predic- tion that 2011 will be a better year for retail sales than 2010. I will not bore you with endless statistics to support my theory; it is based on a hunch. I call it the mall parking lot theory. This year, I had more trouble getting a parking spot at many of the local malls in the Northeast than I remember having last year. Fur- thermore, some of the items I was looking for were even hard to find or sold out completely. I also do not recall seeing as many promotions this year compared to last, leading me to believe that there was not a lot of excess inventory in the system and better margins. These are sure signs of economic change, which I believe will lead to positive sales gains this 4th quarter.

Here at Gourmet Business there is another reason for excitement and optimism – we have a new team member. Not just any team member either, this individual has extensive knowledge of the Housewares and Gourmet Food industries. She is well regarded as being a strong voice in communicating vital information to help re- tailers stay on top of the latest products and current trends. She is credited with bringing retailers and suppliers closer together, so they better understand important issues affecting trade. She is an experienced editor who helped guide another well- known industry publication for many years.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join us in welcoming Michelle Moran back to our industry as the new Editor of Gourmet Business. Michelle was so excited about our new direction that she was eager to join the team and lend her considerable expertise to developing the product. I am confident that Michelle will help us further refine and improve the quality of the information in our publication because she has a knack for identifying the critical information most relevant to our business. Together we will continue to strive to deliver the best content to our readers, making Gourmet Business the most valuable resource for specialty retailers.

On behalf of the Gourmet Business team, I wish you a prosperous and healthy new year.