SYRACUSE, N.Y. – As part of American Dairy Association North East’s dairy aisle “makeover” program, it partnered with Giant Food Stores in Pennsylvania to install cheese pushers in shredded cheese sections in 146 stores – a system that increases product sales and decreases labor costs.
Retailers across ADA North East’s six-state region report that average cheese sales have increased by 4 percent in most stores where ADA North East helped install spring-loaded cheese pushers. Studies show that it also benefits the retailers by cutting product rotation time by 31 percent, and shelf replenishment time by 26 percent.
“It’s a ‘win-win’ to partner with retailers like Giant and others to incorporate modern equipment like the cheese pushers – from the store level to the dairy farmers producing milk to the consumers looking for their favorite dairy products,” said ADA North East CEO John Chrisman. “Our long-term relationships with retail dairy case and store managers enables us to present innovative retail ideas and solutions that are mutually beneficial to selling more dairy.”
In May 2021, ADA North East initiated the cheese pusher project in five Giant test stores with minimal investment. ADA North East’s retail team installed the spring-loaded pushers that keep the packages of shredded cheese at the front of the shelf.
After analyzing the sales increases and labor savings within three months of the test project, Giant installed pushers in three more stores that were being remodeled. By January 2022, Giant started installing the cheese pusher systems in all stores, completing the installations by April 2022. In total, the retailer invested an estimated more than $730,000 in the equipment to better serve their customers and increase overall shredded cheese sales.
ADA North East also works with retailers to install the pushers for chunk cheese as well as shredded, depending on each store’s needs to meet consumer demand.
The cheese pushers and other merchandising concepts initiated across the region by ADA North East are part of its Dairy Aisle Reinvention program that provides a “makeover” to the dairy aisle. These new looks include the cheese pushers, as well as yogurt dividers, farm-to-table signage featuring local farm families, and updated signage to help shoppers find the real dairy.
To learn more about ADA North East’s retail programs, visit AmericanDairy.com/for-retailers.
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About American Dairy Association North East
American Dairy Association North East (ADA North East) is the dairy farmer-funded organization funded by participating dairy farmer’s checkoff investment to build demand and sales for milk and dairy foods throughout the local region. Representing nearly 9,000 dairy farm families in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and northern Virginia, ADA North East develops and implements local programs to drive milk and dairy sales at retail outlets and in schools. The organization also conducts consumer education about dairy through events, traditional and social media, and in collaboration with health professionals through National Dairy Council®. ADA North East works closely with Dairy Management Inc.™, the national dairy checkoff organization, to support nutrition research, national partnerships and developing export markets for dairy to bring a fully integrated promotion program to the region. For more information, visit www.AmericanDairy.com.
