Progressive Grocer - August/September 2009 - (Page 88)

Grocery Frozen Desserts Heat Up It may be cold in the freezer, but frozen dessert and ice cream sales are hot. With more consumers eating dinner and dessert at home, sales of Sara Lee Cheesecake and Pound Cake are both up. By D. Gail Fleenor he end of a perfect meal, cooked at home these days, may be a frozen dessert, ice cream or frozen yogurt. At snacktime, consumers still crave ice cream as a satisfying treat, while frozen yogurt is growing as a healthy alternative. Frozen desserts are joining the snack wave with a variety of individual serving packages, perfect for indulging anytime. While frozen dessert sales (not including ice cream) grew a healthy 7 percent in 2007, sales growth was tempered by the economy in 2008, with only 3 percent growth (dollar sales, The Nielsen Company). While sales of many products in a category that includes frozen pies, cakes, cheesecakes and pastries dropped both years, frozen dessert cake sales grew an impressive 12.8 T percent in 2007 and 8.4 percent last year. “Frozen sweet goods used to be a very seasonal category, but in recent years, due to a gradual deemphasis on fruit pies, it has become a more yearround category,” says Sam Dortch, category manager, frozen food and dairy, for Ukrop’s Super Markets. Ukrop’s, based in Richmond, Va., operates 27 stores in central Virginia and one Joe’s Market. “The items that are now really helping this category stay relevant, day in and day out, and are the items more suited to single-serve usage and ‘sheer indulgence,’” he says. Supermarkets have the ice cream category down cold, accounting for 95 percent of FDMx ice cream sales. Wal-Mart and other mass merchants may compete on price but have lacked variety and upscale offerings in the category, according to Chicagobased research firm Mintel. Ice cream sales were down slightly in 2007 and flat in 2008, according to Nielsen numbers. Frozen yogurt gave a boost to the 88 • Progressive Grocer • August/September 2009 A H E A D O F W H AT ’ S N E X T www.progressivegrocer.com http://www.progressivegrocer.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Progressive Grocer - August/September 2009

Progressive Grocer - August/September 2009
Contents
Nielsen’s Shelf Stoppers/Spotlight: Alcoholic Beverages/Light Beer
CES: Inside the Market Basket: Economical Choices Bring Grocery Gains
Lempert Report: Earth-Friendly Isn’t Everything
Store of the Month: Kosher Country
Executive Insights: A View From Tops
Independents Report: Become a Leader Your Associates Will Follow
Perspectives:Wegmans Food Markets: How Two Halves Make More Than a Whole
Independent Thinking: N.G.A. Annual Independent Grocers Survey: Cream of the Crop
Fall Promotions: Tailgating Takes Over
Proteins: Meaty Alternatives
Fresh Developments: PG Looks at the Latest News From the Perimeter
Beverage Alcohol: Keeping the Aisle Afloat
Culinary Oils: Oil Can
Frozen Desserts: Frozen Desserts Heat up
Family Planning: Up Front With Family Planning
Vitamins and Supplements: Healthy Sales With a Capital ‘D’
Pharmacy: Dealing With Diabetes
What’s Next: Editors’ Picks for Innovative Products
Equipment: Lasting Impressions: The Shopper’s Perspective

Progressive Grocer - August/September 2009