Frito-Lay Introduces Mobile Merchandiser for Foodservice Operators

Marketers at Frito-Lay Inc. wanted to expand sales and better meet the needs of foodservice operators. The goal was to provide operators with a targeted display for the company's single-serve packages sold in cafeterias and lunchrooms. The result was a mobile unit, introduced in April, that has produced a jump in incremental sales as high as 250 percent, according to the company.Called the Chip Central Cart, the display features five product shelves on each of two parallel sides on an elevated cart base. The base has two casters on one end for easy mobility and two straight legs on the other to restrict the cart's movement when it's positioned.The cart was created in three styles: a Corporate version that comes in gray and includes a cart base with swinging doors accented with three stripes; a Traditional style in deep green with an open cart base; and a Branded version in bright yellow with the Lays logo on the enclosed cart base. Standing 31 inches wide, 76 inches high and 18 inches deep, the display can also be customized in other colors or with special logos. "The Corporate version has proven the most popular," says Jane Rathbun, foodservice product manager for Plano, Texas-based Frito-Lay. "But the Branded one has been more popular than we anticipated. It's been very well received."Each version features a curved-top header with the company's main product logos on a gray patterned background. The header card sits in a frame that is hinged to fold flat against the display top so the unit can be wheeled through a standard-height door. The frame also includes internal channels so temporary P-O-P messages can be added.Mobility has proven to be a key ingredient, Rathbun says. "The casters make it easy to clean around the cart or to store it away at night." This means operators who can't control full access to their locations don't have to remove stock each night and restock in the morning. The cart base provides space for storing extra product in case restocking during the day proves necessary. A retractable handle makes it easy to move the cart.Made of injection-molded ABS and polycarbonate plastic, the components feature special gas-injected molding technology to upgrade the plastic, creating a quality furniture look. The gas-injection system prevents the typical "sink lines" that appear on a flat, molded surface when there are ribs molded to the underside, says Joseph Mason, president of New Dimensions Research Corp., Melville, N.Y., the display's producer. This technology, when combined with a granite effect achieved with embedments in the plastic, provides the upscale image.Optional shelves can be attached to the two melamine end panels to add more selling space. These shelves can add 120 more packages to the 180 bags already stocked. The display also features a clear plastic railing that not only adds to the quality look but avoids the clear-plastic shields that often become smudged with fingerprints. The railing openings also provide ledges where patrons can rest their trays while they make their choices. Another option consists of a plastic shelf liner that fits inside the shelves so other related products can be displayed beside the snack packages."Historically, we've borrowed from our retail displays to service the foodservice sector," explains Rathbun. "But we realized that the retail market has different needs. We had to approach the foodservice patron as a consumer facing a host of add-on options for a current meal versus an in-store decision."The first production run of 2,500 rolled out in April, and a second run of the same size began production in October. "The response has been extremely fantastic," Rathbun says. "We're seeing that if the display goes in as planned, it can achieve two to two-and-a-half times the lifts in incremental sales." Those sales aren't pulling sales away from other products either, she notes. Many operators use the display as a lane divider, keeping traffic segmented while producing higher sales.

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