Sixth Annual National Retail Beef Backer Award Winners Announced

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Broulim's Fresh Foods, Redner's Warehouse Markets, Harris Teeter and Tops Friendly Markets were announced the National Retail Beef Backer Award winners today at the 2013 Cattle Industry Annual Convention in Tampa, Fla. Funded by the Beef Checkoff Program, this awards program recognizes grocery establishments for their impressive initiatives to market and merchandise beef in the meat case.

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"The beef industry depends on retailers of all sizes to promote and sell the fresh and wholesome beef us ranchers provide," said Brett Morris, an Oklahoma-based producer and chairman of the checkoff's 2012 Joint Retail Committee. "We're proud to be able to honor the most innovative and dedicated of these retailers with our annual Beef Backer Award. Especially now as consumers are cooking at home more frequently, we're thrilled to see retailers using checkoff-funded programs to educate shoppers about beef choices and drive beef sales."

The 2012 award-winning Beef Backer retailers:

• Independent Retailer – Broulim's Fresh Foods (9 stores): This three-time Beef Backer winner has a long-standing history of successfully leveraging checkoff-funded initiatives throughout its Eastern Idaho stores. In 2012, Broulim's unveiled a "Magnificent Seven" promotional campaign that positioned meat managers as the go-to expert on beef – leading shoppers to seek out them out in stores, and an increase in beef sales. Broulim's appeals to health- and value-conscious shoppers by featuring beef value cuts like the Denver Cut and Petite Tender Medallions. Broulim's Fresh Foods' works closely with the Idaho Beef Council to offer solutions such as seasonal campaigns and American Heart Association-certified beef cuts to drive beef demand with shoppers and ensure positive at-home beef eating experiences.
• Mid-Size Retailer – Redner's Warehouse Markets (42 stores): This Northeast employee-owned chain knows how to keep beef front and center with shoppers. Its "Pick 5" campaign highlights six beef cuts per week and is the stores' highest driver of beef sales. This profit-building program promotes shopper loyalty and can increase sales of certain cuts by more than 400 percent. As one of the few retailers still cutting their beef in-house, Redner's is a leader in offering a variety of new beef cuts including the Denver Cut and Ribeye Filet. In partnership with the Pennsylvania Beef Council, Redner's utilizes checkoff-funded shopper insights to create point-of-sale and marketing programs that educate consumers on beef nutrition and how to shop for and prepare beef.
• Large Chain Retailer – Harris Teeter (211 stores): A five-time winner in this category, North Carolina-based Harris Teeter makes beef the core of its business – beef makes up more than half of all fresh meat sold. Harris Teeter puts a priority on serving their customers' needs in innovative ways, recently launching a new beef-only mobile website to bring cooking instructions, recipes and proper cutting methods' by cut to shoppers' fingertips. Harris Teeter's beef sales continue to outpace the competition in part to its weekly front-page featuring of beef, seasonal promotions and a unique "Big Red Button" program that reconnects the consumer to the butcher. A new Meat Apprentice Program gave employees the skills to best educate shoppers on which beef cuts to purchase.
• Innovator of the Year – Tops Friendly Markets (155 stores): With stores across New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, Tops Friendly Markets has a rich history of promoting beef to consumers in partnership with the New York Beef Industry Council. Tops Friendly Markets successfully caters to various demographics and grows sales by meeting consumers' ever-changing needs. A Hispanic Marketing toolkit grew metro market beef sales and its FreshCreations ready-to-cook program let shoppers add marinades, spices or rubs to their beef purchase. Additionally, Tops Friendly Markets encourages consumers to choose beef more often through prominent weekly featuring and engaging promotions like "Brown Bag Your Beef" and "What's on Your Weekend Grill."

The National Retail Beef Backer Award winners were selected based on submission criteria such as execution of outstanding beef promotions and successful beef merchandising and education programs. A judging panel of industry professionals also took into consideration the retailers' support of checkoff-funded initiatives to build beef demand with shoppers such as Beef Alternative Merchandising, Hispanic Marketing, on-pack labeling, Beef Training Camp, seasonal promotions and store-specific campaigns. 

Started in 2006, the National Retail Beef Backer Awards program was developed to recognize the partnership between America's beef producing families and their grocery partners, and encourage other retailers to become more involved in the marketing and promotion of beef. For more information, visit BeefRetail.org.

About the Beef Checkoff
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The Checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national Checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.

SOURCE Beef Checkoff