Merchandising Matters

Merchandising Matters welcomes their second, out of office guest, Steve Montgomery!Steve is a long-time C-Store industry legend and current President of B2B Solutions. He has over 40 years of experience in the convenience retailing and petroleum marketing industry. Steve was the President and Member of the Dairy Mart Corporation Board of Directors, General Manager of convenience stores and Director of Retail Strategies and Programs for Amoco Oil company. In this episode, Steve introduces his role at B2B Solutions and working with retailers and suppliers in the convenience/retail petroleum industry. Learn how he assesses the overall success of a potential client's current food service program, the five destination drivers for a c-store and how to maximize profits. Stick around to hear some advice Steve would give to small store owners who are considering adding a new food service program to their businesses! If you would like to get in touch with Steve Montgomery you can access his profile on LinkedIn or by visiting his website at www.b2bsolutionsLLC.com. Don't forget to like and subscribe to #MerchandisingMatters

Merchandising Matters welcomes their first-ever, out of office guest, Frank Beard!Frank is a speaker, consultant, analyst, and writer in the fuel and convenience retailing industry. He has spoken at major events including the NACS Show, National Restaurant Association Show, Summer Fancy Food Show, the Partnership for a Healthier America’s summit and much more! You also may have heard his insights and analysis featured on NPR, People.com, the Washington Post, Restaurant Dive, Thrillist, Atlas Obscura, and more. Foodservice is one of his passions, and his “30 Days of Gas Station Food” experiment raised awareness that yes, you actually can make healthy choices on-the-go. In this episode, hear about the power of social networking and how Barbara and Frank came together to launch an annual "Convenience Cocktail Hour" via Zoom.  A great way to connect, stay on trend with industry news and share big ideas for anyone in the Retail Industry. Next, here more about Frank's “30 Days of Gas Station Food” experiment, where he shares his healthier tips while eating at Convenience Stores. Lastly, Frank discusses The "3 Qualities to an Outlier Foodservice Program" and how it will drive success to your company!Don't forget to subscribe to In-Convenience Podcast that Frank co-hosts and of course, Merchandising Matters!

Shift gears and learn how companies have been moving to the "new normal," as businesses are opening back up. Hear how FoodSignPros and other businesses have been adapting and how much they have overcome during the last few months of the COVID-19 pandemic. In today's episode, learn your business can move forward and what the foodservice industry looks like. Later on, FoodSignPros offers the "3 Keys to Food Safety Success" that will guide your company to success!

As the Coronavirus pandemic triggers deep fears, everyone seems to be handling it differently. The primitive reaction of Fight vs. Flight is to prepare the body to “fight or flee” from a harmful situation. So how do you prepare for an unpredicted pandemic? Merchandising Matters explains how FoodSignPros pivoted during these uncertain times and how we are able to move forward. Since being declared an essential business, FoodSignPros.com has shifted its manufacturing efforts to help battle COVID-19 head-on. The company is now producing POS cashier sneeze guards, face masks, floor decals, window clings, and other health-and-safety devices. 

 About 160 million people visit a convenience store per day. 84% of these sales go from some sort of food/beverage (Standard-Examiner). In this episode, hear from Frankie and Barbara as they discuss the offerings, appearance and taste of warmer case food. Is the buying experience based on more than just appearance? Why is hot food taste better than cold food? Is offering hot food the future of convenience? Learn from the PROS on industry trends, what your competitors are spending their money on and how you can increase your profit.  If you're looking to update, add, or need general information on Warmer Case programs this episode is LOADED with great info! We share our expertise along with some helpful tips. 

Learn the 5 Most Important Elements every roller grill program should have. If you're looking to update, add, or need general information on Roller Grill programs this episode is LOADED with great info! We share our expertise along with some helpful tips. 

Is your perception of your business relating back to your customer's reality? Hear some tips from the PROS on how you can increase your ROI by focusing on your customer's experience and in-store merchandising needs. 

FoodSignPros.com interviews the founder Mike Kurm. With his years of industry experience and over 25 patented products, he fills us in on how important it is to protect your inventions and how he built this company with a 30,000 loan, a vision, and a Wiener Minder®.

Who are we? Brand identity can be a journey for many companies, including FoodSignPros.com...formerly Spirit Specialty Solutions Inc. It is the essence of your business, It makes your business unique and tells its story to the world. Frankie and Barbara discuss the struggles of branding and how you and your team can overcome these obstacles.

Every business starts somewhere! In Barbara's case, her childhood was built on a product called....a Wiener Minder®. Learn how FoodSignPros.com built its business, the purpose of this podcast and why merchandising is so essential in the foodservice industry. 

In this episode COO, Barbara Barry and Senior Graphic Designer, Frankie Rowles discuss how they met and their role at FoodSignPros.com. They believe there is so much to be said about the foodservice industry and not enough people talk about it! 

Merchandising Matters is a podcast where FoodSignPros.com bridges the gap between your brand's goals and the customer's experience. Welcome to FoodSignPros.com official podcast!