RedPlum Names America's Top Five Most VALUEable Cities

LIVONIA, Mich., Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- RedPlum®, a leading provider of deals and savings on brands consumers want most, today announced Atlanta's top ranking as America's Most VALUEable City (MVC) for 2012. Based upon the availability of free recreational activities, the average cost of food and beverage, the number of digital deal seekers and redplum.com coupon prints, RedPlum identified the nation's top five most value-oriented cities and then opened a public vote to determine the final ranking. With consumers weighing in, the full ranking for America's Most VALUEable Cities is as follows:

• Atlanta;
• Dallas;
• Chicago;
• Phoenix; and
• New York.

In celebration of Atlanta's top honors, RedPlum will donate $1,000 to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

"When we set out to find America's Most VALUEable City, we knew it would be important to take a number of lifestyle factors into consideration," said Lisa Reynolds, RedPlum's Mom Saver-in-Chief. "Consumers are looking at all facets of their lives to get the most value they can without sacrificing quality. We congratulate Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Phoenix and New York for leading the nation in their efforts to provide the best savings environments to its residents."

Atlanta residents printed over 572,000 coupons on redplum.com in 2011 and 59 percent of Atlanta residents regularly download offers to their grocery loyalty card or phone number.

"Clearly, Atlanta residents are No. 1 when it comes to taking advantage of a city's free activities, searching for deals from a variety of sources, keeping their costs in check and printing coupons at home," said Valerie Hoff, anchor and consumer reporter for WXIA-TV Atlanta. "Coupons enable thrifty shoppers to save money for their own families, as well as donate staples like pasta, cereal and canned goods to food banks across the country. The Atlanta Community Food Bank is one of my favorite non-profits."

For every dollar donated, the Atlanta Community Food Bank can distribute $8.47 worth of grocery products back into the community. They distribute over 30 million pounds of donated food and grocery products each year to more than 700 nonprofit partner agencies.

"We truly appreciate the community voting over the past week to help Atlanta win the title of most VALUEable city and help the Food Bank win $1,000," said Bill Bolling, Executive Director of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. "Being frugal is a necessity for so many of us these days. For the nearly 1.7 million Georgians living in poverty, coupons are a great resource, but donations are essential.  We rely on donations like this one from RedPlum to help us meet the ongoing needs of our community."

List Criteria

The 2012 RedPlum Most VALUEable City finalists were determined based upon the following data points:

• Public parkland – Where parkland abounds, there are lots of free things to do from picnicking to hiking, swimming, or bicycling (source: The Trust for Public Land: 2011 City Park Facts).
• Digital deal seekers – As digital continues to grow, value seekers look for deals from a variety of sources and are tuned in to today's technology (source: Scarborough Research, Scarborough USA+ Study).
• Average cost of food and beverage – Food and beverages – whether for groceries or eating out – create a great opportunity to save and those in the MVC Top Five are keeping their costs in check (source: Bundle.com).
• Print-at-home coupons – There is something to be said for clicking from the comfort of your home and those who live in the MVCs are printing at home most often (source: redplum.com 2011 prints).

MVC Savings Strategies

Each city has its own unique approach to savings. The following savings strategies helped set the top cities apart:

• In Dallas, 59 percent of residents share or swap coupons and hot deals with their family and friends and 32 percent use digital deals.
• Seventy-seven percent of Chicago area residents save up to $50 a week using coupons and deals, which could amount to about $2,600 over the course of a year. Additionally, 35 percent visit their favorite savings or deal websites daily looking to score a great deal.
• Sixty three percent of Phoenix residents have become savvier and are using more print coupons than last year and are taking advantage of free activities in the 62,192 acres of parkland in their backyard.
• New Yorkers are tech-savvy with 29 percent of residents tapping digital deals when they seek out value. The city's 4,000 street food vendors make it easy to score an inexpensive meal.  

About RedPlum®

RedPlum brings consumers relevant offers and good deals on the brands they want most to best stretch their budgets. We deliver deals on a weekly basis to over 100 million shoppers in the mailbox, in the newspaper, in-store and online. At redplum.com and save.com, you will find one of the largest collections of printable coupons, coupon codes and savings tips along with the best deals and the sweetest coupons plus trends, tips and inside information on what to wear, buy and do right now. RedPlum is the consumer brand of Valassis, a Michigan-based company that has been delivering savings and value for 40 years. Building upon our wish to help American families, we empower the public to take part in the effort to help safely recover missing children through our America's Looking For Its Missing Children® program, which appears on our RedPlum products. For more information, visit http://www.redplum.com and http://www.save.com. To learn about advertising opportunities with RedPlum, please call 1-800-437-0479.

SOURCE Valassis